Newspaper endorsements can be most powerful down the ballot. Tonight, the Strib endorsed three Minneapolis School Board candidates — anointing two DFL endorsees and disdaining another.

The picks: Carla Bates, Jill Davis and Sharon Henry-Blythe. Bates and Davis have the all-powerful DFL endorsement. Henry-Blythe, an incumbent, does not.

Who got dissed? DFL endorsee Lydia Lee, an ex-teacher and incumbent who, the Strib says, has "not been an effective leader."

I live in Minneapolis and have two kids in the southwest-area schools. The Strib's picks precisely match a lot of highly involved parents here who've backed a more aggressive posture versus the teacher's union, which has major pull in the DFL endorsement process.

(From these folks' point of view, the other two candidates, Doug Mann and Kari Reed, are not viable options, so the Strib's is their ideal slate.)

The issues in the tougher-on-teachers debate are a bit much for a blog post; I encourage opinions in the comments section. You can also check out what is sure to be a lively discussion on the Minneapolis Issues list. (Disclosure: I'm forum manager there.)

By the way, I think the DFL endorsement easily trumps the Strib's, and Lee, Bates and Davis will win.