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An Overview of the Background and Positions of New Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education At-Large Member Sonya Emerick
Of the two candidates (Sonya Emerick and Collin Beachy) who were victorious in the Tuesday, 8 November 2022, election for an at-large seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education, Sonya Emerick is most promising for being a prospectively independent voice for students long neglected by the district.
The following information is conveyed on Sonya Emerick’s website in her successful campaign for a seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education >>>>>
Meet Sonya Emerick
A Minneapolis Public Schools graduate (Hale/Field, Anthony, South High) and lifelong Minneapolis resident, Sonya was raised on the Southside and built their own family on the Northside. This love for the whole city drives Sonya’s commitment to address the needs of ALL Minneapolis students in each and every school in every neighborhood.
Sonya is autistic and their six-year-old with complex disabilities is enrolled at Marcy Arts Magnet. Sonya sits on the Site Council at Marcy as a parent rep, serves on the MPS Special Education Advisory Council, and is on the Board of Directors for the Autism Society of MN.
Sonya’s decades of community organizing experience include work with homeless and at-risk youth, launching a Minneapolis community center, and organizing food distribution.
As a youth case manager, when Sonya’s homeless or highly mobile clients faced barriers to school enrollment, Sonya was known for sitting in school administration offices and staying for as long as it took for their students to be enrolled.
Sonya has continued to show up and stay put on behalf of students.
Sonya is >>>>>
>>>>> A Minneapolis Public Schools graduate
>>>>> A lifelong Minneapolis resident
>>>>> Transgender and non-binary
>>>>> A disability justice advocate
>>>>> The parent of a child with complex disabilities who attends MPS
>>>>> The parent of a recent high school graduate
>>>>> The parent of a child with complex disabilities who attends MPS
>>>>> A member of the Board for the Autism Society of Minnesota
>>>>> A Site Council member at Marcy Arts Magnet
>>>>> A member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Special Education Advisory Council
>>>>> A community organizer who has worked with homeless and at-risk youth, has launched a Minneapolis community center, and has organized community food distribution.
>>>>> A lifelong Minneapolis resident
>>>>> Transgender and non-binary
>>>>> A disability justice advocate
>>>>> The parent of a child with complex disabilities who attends MPS
>>>>> The parent of a recent high school graduate
>>>>> A member of the Board for the Autism Society of Minnesota
>>>>> A Site Council member at Marcy Arts Magnet
>>>>> A member of the Minneapolis Public Schools Special Education Advisory Council
>>>>> A community organizer who has worked with homeless and at-risk youth, has launched a Minneapolis community center, and has organized community food distribution.
Why Sonya Emerick is Running
This year, after spending more hours in IEP meetings for their child than their child received hours of instruction, Sonya not only refused to give up their child’s right to an education, but made the decision to serve all families by running for school board.
Our educational system holds a standardized idea of how every student should learn and behave that’s based in whiteness and ableism. When kids can’t fit that narrow standard, we too often exclude them from the educational experience. That exclusion affects the learning environment for every single student whose needs and identities are devalued. Educators need to be supported to provide culturally sustaining instruction and an environment of true belonging.
As is the reality for so many MPS families, Sonya’s lived experience with marginalization - autism, disability, and poverty - has built profoundly creative problem-solving skills, adaptability, a deep familiarity with MPS programs and services, and a clear vision for how our schools can provide education for all.
Sonya Emerick’s Platform in Her Successful Campaign for an At-Large Seat on the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education
The most important thing our School Board does is set the strategic vision for Minneapolis’ schools, incorporating the voices of students, community, and district staff. The School Board also:
>>>>> hires and evaluates the Superintendent
>>>>> approves district budgets and funding allocations
>>>>> makes decisions about curricula
>>>>> approves the closing or constructing of schools
Sonya believes that the MPS School Board must rebuild trust and heal historic harms among students, families, and staff by being fully accountable in all these areas.
As an At-Large Director, Sonya will:
>>>>> Work to secure full funding for Minneapolis Public Schools from the Minnesota State Legislature.
Currently, the state of Minnesota does not provide districts enough money to cover costs for all requisite academic programming and desired extracurriculars. Sonya will work with the School Board to lobby the state legislature for full funding of public education. This is a responsibility of School Board members that has been unmet in recent years. Adequate funding is essential for MPS to be able to fully address the needs of all students and appropriately compensate our educators.
>>>>> Hire and evaluate a Superintendent who will lead by listening, who will heal not harm, and who will prioritize inclusion.
As a member of the Board for the Autism Society of Minnesota, Sonya has experience working alongside other directors to evaluate and support skilled and experienced leadership. Sonya understands that the ability to apply, interview and be hired for a job does not guarantee that a person will be good at that job. Sonya will seek a superintendent who brings demonstrated abilities, proven outcomes, the leadership and the will to truly implement MPS’s strategic plan to dismantle systemic oppression in our schools.
>>>>> Pay our educators like the skilled professionals they are.
Sonya is a proud member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) who believes in valuing and compensating our workforce. Teachers are an invaluable resource that we must protect and advocate for. Our educators are the stewards of our children’s academic experiences and successes and often the first responders when our students are struggling. We rely on them to be skilled and efficacious instructors and to deliver social and emotional education that is effective, strengths-based, and anti-racist. We need to equip them to succeed not just with professional development opportunities, but with livable wages, manageable class sizes and caseloads, built-out support services, and reliable prep and due process time.
>>>>> Improve literacy in Minneapolis Public Schools with culturally-sustaining evidence-based literacy instruction.
Our students need educators and administrators who believe they have futures worth protecting and preparing for. In MPS, our collective belief gap is creating unacceptable literacy disparities for many of our most underserved students. Sonya will hold district leadership accountable for the use of evidence-based, culturally sustaining instructional practices across our district, and for supporting our educators with tools, development, and prep time to individualize instruction for all learners.
>>>>> Advance strategic initiatives that ensure belonging for every student in Minneapolis Public Schools.
Throughout decades of organizing work, Sonya has centered the voices of those who are being left out and underserved, and Sonya will continue to do so if elected. Each Minneapolis Public School must be an anti-racist, anti-oppression space where students and their families are seen for their strengths and affirmed for the diversity they bring to their learning communities. To create belonging we must:
>>>>> Protect and grow our education workforce to racially mirror the 65% of students in MPS who identify as BIPOC
>>>>> Deepen staff and student mental health supports
>>>>> Reimagine special education services in MPS to be inclusive and centered on students’ strengths
>>>>> Address inequitable use of suspensions/expulsions and expand restorative practices
>>>>> Require instructional integrity and cultural responsiveness
>>>>> Rebuild trust with educators and families
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