MINOT — For the Minot Public School District, the first day of school is this week.

It’s a bittersweet time. Many parents cheer as they send their kids back to school, having grown weary of having them around all day during the summer months, but even though I’m a work-from-home dad, I miss my kids when they’re gone. I miss my wife, too, who is a music teacher and also returns to school this week.

This is a hectic time for parents generally, though, as we scramble to get supplies, new clothes, and fill out the various forms about immunizations and activities.

And, of course, we pay the back-to-school tax. In addition to any fees that may be due, we must also replenish our children’s school lunch accounts.

We’ve had a rollicking debate in recent political cycles over whether taxpayers s

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