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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.
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 requirements have historically been difficult to navigate.
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 Becky Pringle and AFT President Randi Weingarten, spoke to members about the historic public education investments the Biden administration has made.
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 shared below.
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.
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.
Congratulations to the Education Minnesota members who have been honored for their work in the last year.
More than 500 Education Minnesota members attended the 2024 Political Conference Feb. 2-3 at the Radisson Blu Mall of America. The conference included a meeting with Gov. Tim Walz and House Speaker Rep. Melissa Hortman, as well as classes about election issues such as pay, pensions and health care and how to run for office.
Education Minnesota members from around the state have been engaging in political action in their locals and intermediate organizations and at the Capitol. Locals have been having meetings with legislators in their districts and Education Minnesota also hosted its 2024 Political Conference in February which included members telling stories to reinforce our legislative asks to Gov. Tim Walz and House Speaker Rep. Melissa Hortman. Read more about the conference and how to get involved in the work on pages 14-15.
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a central piece of New Deal legislation. Prior to passage in the early 20th century and the Great Depression years, harsh economic and social conditions and the de facto illegal status of unions led to labor militancy and innovative organization across the country.
