Welcome back! Let’s get to work for educators and students
I’ve never met an educator who wanted to simultaneously welcome back students in September and start working toward a November election, but that’s where we are in dozens of Minnesota school districts.
Voters in about 30 school districts will elect school board members this fall. Together, these districts educate more than 217,000 students—one in four statewide. We’re fighting for candidates who will improve working conditions and compensation. We’re still working against MAGA candidates who want to whitewash history and blame LGBTQ+ students for society’s problems.
Since the national groups backing these candidates moved into Minnesota 2021, our union and allies have turned back most MAGA candidates. Every loss this fall would put fringe views closer to school board majorities.
Beyond the headline-grabbing board races, 62 districts are asking voters to raise property taxes through levies—four times the typical number for an odd year. These elections will affect nearly one in five public school students and directly affect the lives of struggling educators.
I hear stories about health care costs increasing 18%, 20%, even 39% year-over-year in our districts. That means hundreds of dollars less in take home pay. Special education and other service costs are spiraling, too. No wonder districts are scrambling.
This is happening during a statewide educator shortage. More than 80% of districts report difficulty hiring qualified educators. Compensation tops the list of problems, with burnout close behind.
The status quo is unsustainable. Retreating on pay, pensions and health care is unacceptable. That’s why I’m encouraging every educator to get involved this fall.
We have a choice: Shape our profession’s future or let others decide for us. When educators stay home, we surrender our expertise to those who’ve never managed a classroom or tutored a student. When we vote and volunteer, we protect what we’ve built and advance what our students deserve.
The math is simple. In close school board races, educator turnout often decides winners—and your vote multiplies when you bring friends, family and neighbors who trust educators’ judgment about education.
If you have an election in your district, volunteer and vote. If not, make calls or join colleagues for door knocks and literature drops. Every effort matters, and now is the time.
I fear the window for passing levies is rapidly closing. This may be our last real chance for a while. The full effects of President Trump’s budget haven’t registered with voters yet, but they will in 2026.
Once Minnesotans face other taxes rising to save struggling hospitals, health insurance costs climbing, inflation ticking up from tariffs and the inevitable hit to the farm economy from trade wars, voter appetite for any levy increases will disappear.
Public school budgets could tighten further. Trump’s preliminary 2026 education budget would combine Title I plus 18 other programs into a single block grant—then cut that grant by $4.5 billion.
While it’s always hard for educators to find energy for campaigns, there’s more help this year. Education Minnesota members increased our PAC budget specifically to provide resources for winning local elections and improving teaching and learning conditions.
But money won’t win without educators doing the work. We are the profession that shapes Minnesota’s future— literally. Almost every Minnesota politician, engineer, doctor, farmer and small business owner learned to read and count in our classrooms. Now it’s time to shape our own future.
This isn’t just about better working conditions, though we deserve them. This is about whether public education remains strong enough to serve students and sustain educators. The choice is ours, and the moment is now.
Let’s show them what Minnesota educators can do when we step up.
Together,
Monica Byron
