News

In addition to union business at the Representative Convention, delegates elected a new officer team. Education Minnesota Vice President Monica Byron was elected after running unopposed for president. Marty Fridgen of United Teachers of South Washington County was elected vice president and Ryan Fiereck of Education Minnesota-St. Francis was elected secretary-treasurer.

The new officer slate will take office on July 1 and will serve three-year terms.

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Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett sent a letter responding to the U.S. Department of Education’s request last week for all state and local education leaders to certify compliance with Title VI, a federal law that prohibits racial discrimination in schools and universities that receive federal funds. In summary, MDE has rejected the DOE’s request to sign the letter and has challenged the DOE’s authority to require it as a condition of receiving federal funds.

After noting that “MDE has been faithfully implementing federal education programs in accordance with federal law

New resources on federal funding
There are two new resources to track the impact of federal funding issues and learn about the impact of cuts.

• This week, Gov. Tim Walz announced a new dashboardMinnesotans can use to track disruptions and cancellations of federal funding and their impact on services available to Minnesotans.
• Also this week, NEA launched a resource tool that shows how much funding public schools in your congressional district get from the federal government and how the programs help students.

We will continue to keep you updated on the rapidly changing movements at the federal level

Public education shouldn’t be at the mercy of politics. But the reality is, elected officials are constantly weighing policies on testing, standards and funding that affect our schools, children and educators every day. Find links on Voter Information, what your ballot will look like, and more! https://educationminnesota.org/advocacy/edmnvotes/

After earning his Ph.D. with a dissertation on how trauma shapes high school kids, one principal is working to connect with students with roller skating. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/principal-rolling-new-school-year-hope-twin-rivers-high-school/89-67db69fa-1367-426e-9405-055525b8e360

The Biden administration recently announced a new student debt cancellation plan, on top of its temporary Public Service Loan Forgiveness program waiver. It's complicated, yes! But it's also good news for educators. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/student-debt-cancellation-pslf-more-what-educators-need-know