Author: Sarah Cooke

The Minnesota Legislature invested time and money in current and future educators during the 2024 session as policymakers worked to alleviate the shortage of educators that affects nearly every school district.

Tracy Byrd, a ninth-grade English language arts teacher at Washburn High School in the Minneapolis school district, is the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year.

Eleven teachers have been named finalists for the 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year award.

An important way to improve graduation rates in Minnesota is to continue investing in the state’s educators, from their training through a dignified retirement, said Education Minnesota President Denise Specht. 

The political action committee of Education Minnesota has endorsed Dwayne Voegeli, a high school social studies teacher in Winona, for District 26A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. 

The field of possible candidates for this year’s Minnesota Teacher of the Year honor has been narrowed to 27. An independent selection panel of 18 community leaders chose the semifinalists from an initial field of 159 candidates from across the state.

Reversing the ongoing shortage of educators in Minnesota’s public education systems should remain a top priority for the 2024 Legislature as lawmakers consider how to spend a $3.7 billion budget surplus forecasted on Thursday.

Leaders from the Minnesota School Counselor Association joined bill author Rep. Kaela Berg and Roseville student Lilah Heiny at a news conference Thursday to highlight a proposal to address unmet mental health needs in schools due to some of the worst student-to-counselor ratios in the country.

Education Minnesota has endorsed the reelection campaigns of U.S. Reps. Angie Craig, Betty McCollum and Ilhan Omar in the first round of 2024 federal endorsements by Minnesota’s largest labor union. 

The 2024 Minnesota Teacher of the Year will be chosen from a field of 159 candidates.