Minnesota Educator: June-July 2024
President’s message: Let’s ‘celebrate’ educators a little less and care for them a little more
I may have surprised a few people at the annual Minnesota Teacher of the Year banquet when I said it was time to stop celebrating teachers and other educators.
2024 Teacher of the Year Tracy Byrd aims to provide fair access to education
Minnesota’s 2024 Teacher of the Year has walked a nontraditional path to the classroom. But ninth-grade English and Language Arts teacher Tracy Byrd wanted to provide the access to quality education that he found lacking in his own experience.
Ten others honored as Teacher of the Year finalists
Besides Byrd, 10 other teachers were also finalists for the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year award. We asked them to share some reasons why they teach, which we have…
Delegates chart course for union work at 2024 Representative Convention
Fellow educator and First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, led a rally to formally launch the “Educators for Biden” campaign with Education Minnesota. Dr. Biden, along with Education Minnesota President Denise Specht, NEA President…
New London-Spicer educator Tracy Detloff wins Education Minnesota’s Peterson-Schaubach Leadership Award
Minnesota currently ranks fifth in the nation for student loan debt, with an average debt load of $30,894 for state college students. While there are programs available for educators to receive debt relief, the ever-changing…
Minnesota ranks 15th in teacher pay, 19th in ESP pay, NEA report says
Although Minnesota has made strides to increase educator pay—with successful union work driving much of these increases—teacher and ESP pay are still struggling to keep up with inflation and private sector salaries.
Local ESP chapters make gains at the bargaining table
After historic investments by the Legislature during the 2023 session, Education Minnesota advised local unions to build momentum as they headed into contract negotiations. Under the unifying campaign, “We’re Worth More,” we encouraged members to bargain…
2024 legislative session updates and progress report
State budgets are set in odd years, with even years being focused more on policy and small surplus investment. Before the legislative session ends on May 20, legislators will try to pass a modest…
The rise of book bans throughout the U.S. and Minnesota’s legislative response
According to the American Library Association, 2023 saw the greatest number of attempted book bans in public libraries and schools in the United States since the ALA began keeping records 20 years ago. The…
Education Minnesota Aspiring Educators advocatefor paid student teaching
Education Minnesota Aspiring Educators (EMAE) have been advocating for policies that will help reduce the teacher shortage by attracting more students into the education field. Since the number of students entering an education program…
Part-time field program allows for next step in union advocacy
Education Minnesota Aspiring Educators (EMAE) have been advocating for policies that will help reduce the teacher shortage by attracting more students into the education field. Since the number of students entering an education program…
ESP of the Year nominations open soon
Nominations for the next Education Minnesota Education Support Professional of the Year are opening soon!
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visits Minnesota to launch “Educators for Biden” campaign
Fellow educator and First Lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden, led a rally to formally launch the “Educators for Biden” campaign with Education Minnesota. Dr. Biden, along with Education Minnesota President Denise Specht, NEA President…
Moorhead teacher Zak Amin wins Education Minnesota’s 2024 Human Rights Award
The Moorhead school district is home to a large Kurdish-speaking population—other than English, it is the most common language in the district and is spoken in the homes of 239 families. But Moorhead High School ESL (English as a second language) teacher…
Sign up for the Education Minnesota booth at the Minnesota State Fair
Shift signups are open for the 2024 Minnesota State Fair! Join us from Thursday, Aug. 22 through Monday, Sept. 2 at our booth in the Education Building. Each year, Education Minnesota members…
