Still here, still healing: A new year in Minnesota schools
The school year has started across Minnesota with hopes and prayers for about 170 instructional days without drama, trauma or another once-in-a-career event. Educating Minnesota’s students is stressful enough. Educators don’t need to carry more.
I was reminded how brittle the mental health of thousands of our educators was in early September as I sat on a panel at the annual convention of the Minnesota AFL-CIO. We heard stories of working people struggling with their mental health, especially from people touched by the violence of Operation Metro Surge. They are not okay.
Our union polled its members over the summer and learned about the size of the wound left by the federal government’s tactics. Nearly three-quarters of members surveyed reported disruptions to their classrooms, such as absenteeism, fear and anxiety.
The poll didn’t attempt to measure the psychological toll ICE tactics took on educators. I’m not sure it even could. But the continuing lack of support for students and educators touched by ICE will be a huge challenge.
This is where I wish I could write there were no troubles ahead, but I can’t. We all need to find time to care for ourselves, but we can’t abandon the struggle for the resources we need for ourselves, our families and our students.
Our union’s priorities are familiar because they’re nearly universal among our members. Improving pay and pensions and lowering the cost of healthcare is necessary to maintain the system of public schools in Minnesota.
From what I’ve heard so far, changing working conditions to reduce burnout may be moving into the top tier, but we will have to see what happens this year.
The path to the solutions for our problems still runs through the ballot box. Electing our slate of educator-endorsed, pro-education, pro-labor candidates to Congress, for governor, and to the Legislature is vital. So is passing the constitutional amendment to increase funding for public schools from the Permanent School Fund.
For educators in dozens of school districts, we must pass levy referendums and elect school board candidates. The attempt by national MAGA groups to take over school boards has moved off the front page, but it hasn’t stopped, despite years of voters rejecting candidates who oppose public schools that welcome and respect all students.
Early voting has started and our union’s guidance is to vote as early as you feel comfortable doing so, either in person or by U.S. mail. I trust Secretary of State Steve Simon when he says Minnesota’s elections are secure, but I also see the White House moving to interfere in unprecedented ways on the fall elections.
If federal agents do intimidate voters, or if bad actors try to create chaos with disinformation, or if any of the dozens of other scenarios being considered right now come true, our union and our allies in defending free elections will be ready to act—although I hope it doesn’t come to that.
It’s a difficult time in education. Harder than anyone asked for or expected. An ordinary election followed by an orderly transition to the next Congress and Legislature is all we want. If it doesn’t happen, well, educators won’t give up our democracy easily.
I’m reminded of something Langston Hughes once wrote in a poem called, “Still Here.” He said that he had been “scarred and battered, my hopes the wind done scattered,” but he wouldn’t let the world grind him down.
They done tried to make me
Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop living’ –
But I don’t care!
I’m still here!
Hang in there, educators.
In unity,
Monica Byron,
Education Minnesota President
