Education
Education is the foundation of a healthy democracy and functioning civil society. Every child deserves the right to a high quality education in a school that is safe, nurturing, and culturally competent. The attacks by right-wing hardliners have eroded trust in our public school system throughout the state; the COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the cracks and inequities within our children's schooling. An evaluation of our public education system is long overdue. We must determine effective ways to equitably serve children of all cultures and backgrounds.
In our district, we are fortunate to have two vibrant school districts: Roseville (ISD623) and Mounds View (ISD621). That said, they each have their challenges and we as a community cannot take for granted their current success. Below are actions we can take to ensure the excellence of our schools even as we seek to improve them.
How We Can Defend and Strengthen Public Education Locally:
Be a friendly face at our local school board meetings! School boards are often subject to harsh and factually inaccurate criticism by right-wing hardliners. Be there to support!
Research and vote in local school board races! School boards are critically important to our public education infrastructure; one bad faith actor on a school board can irreparably harm a school district.
Use local Parent-Teacher Organizations to create community and help student families in need by hosting backpack stuffing drives and other community-driven initiatives.
Even as we work to build a more healthy and thriving community around our school systems, there are improvements that only can be made at the state level. Because these systems are complex and ever-evolving, changing and improving them requires a diverse array of stakeholders to come to the solution-making table; teachers, students, administration, and support staff must all be involved in the initial crafting of legislation and iterative review of programs after implementation. That being the case, the following list of legislative priorities surrounding education are a starting point based on the many conversations I’ve had with teachers, students, and administration in our district and are subject to evolve.
As a Legislator I Would…
Fully fund the READ Act, so that our children can recover the ground they’ve lost in comparative literacy standards.
Fight against brain drain in the education profession by
Increasing funding for teacher and staff compensation and benefits;
Lowering the age teachers can draw on their pensions without penalty;
Increasing staff compensation to make schools a more safe and supportive environment for teachers and students.
Increase funding for social/emotional support staff to assist dysregulated students and create a healthier learning environment for all.
Collaborate with teachers and administration to streamline the list of state-mandated education standards, ensuring that those who work with students everyday have the flexibility to be responsive to their students’ needs.
Conduct a review of in-person, remote, and hybrid learning environments to help school systems develop best practices that can be adaptively applied across the state.
Leverage my position to host collaborative sessions to further develop solutions to the needs of our school system.
Explore ways to recruit and retain education professionals who are representative of an increasingly diverse community of students.
Education necessarily evolves over time. Therefore it must be adaptable, self-reflective, and community-oriented. It takes a whole community to support it and I ask for your help in doing so!
Please join the discussion!
