Love for public schools won this fall, and it can win again in 2026
When 200 parents and supporters of public schools show up on 24 hours notice to protest the influence of big outside money on school board elections, you know Minnesotans are fed up with the attacks on educators and public schools.
That’s just what happened in late October outside the Coon Rapids Civics Center while a lecturer from a right-wing think tank spoke inside. It was another example of the love and support for educators shown this fall, and an opportunity for partnership and progress in the future.
On Election Night, 44 of 47, or nearly 94 percent, of school board candidates endorsed by local unions of educators won their races. That’s an improvement over 2024, when union-endorsed school board candidates won 75 percent of the races.
In a familiar trend, groups from outside our districts spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on school board seats with hopes of spreading their agenda. The numbers are still coming in, but more than $200,000 was certainly spent by the 1776 Project PAC of Virginia; Excellence Minnesota, which is run by the same GOP operative who leads the Minnesota Parents Alliance; and a political group funded by a wealthy family in the north metro.
But even with all that money, MPA-endorsed candidates won only one of 11 in school board races this year. Why? Organized people beat organized money. Educators advocated for their public schools with remarkable engagement, making more than 100,000 calls to voters this fall.
The results also show that voters are tired of the relentless, cruel attacks on educators and students from these groups and the candidates they support. Our communities said they want all students and educators treated with kindness and respect, and for every student to get a great education – and they’re willing to say so in rallies and on social media.
The outpouring of support didn’t end with school board candidates. Our union staff worked with local members in 35 local school districts on 51 referendum questions and passed 39 of them, or 76 percent – the highest success rate since at least 2019. We won in Annandale, Crosby-Ironton, Farmington and Wheaton – all districts that had lost referendum elections before.
Outside of electoral politics, parents have turned out for contract campaigns. In Minneapolis in November, for another example, 400 parents, community leaders and students occupied the district headquarters to demand a fair contract for educators that included smaller class sizes.
When educators, parents, and community members unite behind shared goals, they create the political power to elect school boards and to pressure districts to settle contracts. That same power can elect pro-education candidates to the Legislature and move current lawmakers closer to life-changing policies around pay, pensions, health care and working conditions for educators and students in 2026, if our union can build on what we saw this year.
Of course, most educators didn’t have a school board race or a levy referendum in November. They may still feel like our schools are under siege, and educators are targeted, not trusted, by their neighbors.
For them, I offer a quote from one of my favorite writers, Langston Hughes, who once wrote about how expressions of support like we’ve seen in many districts this fall can heal the heart. “When people care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul,” he wrote.
As we all wind down and head toward winter break, my New Year’s wish for Minnesota’s educators is that we all feel more of the love, and less of the hate, in our communities and come back in 2026 with our souls rested and ready to finish the school year strong.
In unity,
Monica Byron
