Article #5 >>>>>
Two New Members
of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education Who Bring Heavy Political
Baggage to Their New Role: Collin Beachy
and Lori Norvell
Collin Beachy
Adriana Cerrillos and Sharon El-Amin
are the current members of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of
Education who may be counted upon consistently to exercise independent
judgment, making decisions in the best
interests of students, especially those long academically abused by the
district. Sonya Emerick, elected on 8
November 2022, will be a similarly independent voice.
Newly elected members Collin Beachy
(At-Large) and Lori Norvell (District 5) had the backing of the DFL/MFT
(Democrat-Farmer-Labor party/Minneapolis Fededespite ration of Teachers)
cohort. Unlike Abdul Abdi (District 1)
and Fathia Feeryarrer (District 3), Beachy and Norbvell did not run an
unopposed; they were opposed
respectively by Lisa Skjefte for an at-large seat and by Laurelle Myhra for the
District 5 seat. Skjefte and Myrha are
young Native American women who would have brought independent voices to the
MPS Board of Education. Beachy and
Norvellgive evidence of being much more dependent upon their DFL/MFT
endorsements and may be more likely to follow in the wake of outgoing members
Nelson Inz (District 5, not replaced by Norvell) and Jenny Arneson (District 1,
replaced by Beachy)--- and to tread in
waters in which Kim Ellison (MPS Board of Education Chair) and Ira Jourdain
(District 6) still swim.
Given this analysis, though, notable
is the circumstance that Jenny Arneson apparently considered Beachy to be an
undesirable candidate: She campaigned
and advocated behind the scenes for Sonya Emerick and raised no objection to my
distributing flyers for Lisa Skjefte and Laurelle Myhra when she and I campaigned
jointly on Saturday, 5 November, for Emerick and for non-school board DFL
candidates (including Governor Tim Walz and Attorney Keith Ellison.
So I am enthusiastic about Sonya
Emerick’s presence on the new school board and remain hopeful about the
presence of Abdul Abdi, who in particular gives evidence of having very
encouraging potential as an independent voice.
A also have considerable hope concerning the new presence of Feerayarre.
Collin Beachy and Lori Norvell,
though, carry a great load of political baggage and will have to prove that
they can make independent judgments once ensconce on the MPS Board of Education
in January 2023.
And of relevance to this matter of
being far too embedded in the folly of the education establishment, both Collin
Beachy and Lori Norvell feature an endorsement on their websites from Bob
Walser, the silliest, most trivial member whom I have ever witnessed during my
eight years of intensely studying the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of
Education. Walser was an irritating
presence who made irresponsible assertions ab0out budgetary matters that
offended all other members of the Finance Committee to which he belonged. While other members of the Finance Committee
recognized the expertise of Senior Finance Officer Ibrahima Diop, whose work to
achieve the first structurally balanced budget to be presented for many years
in the district was consonant with his status as one of the three top
professionals in his position across the nation, Walser was continually making
irrational and unsubstantiated claims about the work of Diop and his supremely
talented staff. Walser is also a
proponent of the knowledge-deficient approach to curriculum and teacher
training that education professors have inflicted on the teachers and
administrators for at least 40 years.
This association of Collin Beachy with
highly problematic former board members and with an intellectual corrupt
philosophy of education makes him particularly suspect as he takes his seat on
the MPS Board of Education.
The following is a presentation of
information as appearing on the campaign website of Collin Beachy >>>>>
>>>>>
Collin Beachy
Meet Collin
Collin has been a public schools educator for 19 years. Born into a family of educators, he is
passionate about public education.
Collin became a special education teacher to change
lives. His current positions include
special education teacher and equity lead at Transitions-Plus Services in
Minneapolis. He has worked at T-Plus for
the last seven years and has worked as an educator, coach, and activities
coordinator for 19 of the past 25 years.
Transitions-Plus is a school for special education students ages 18 to
21. Collin is passionate about
project-based learning, social and emotional learning, equity, and restorative
practices, and he believes that relationships are vital for education.
Collin understands that the pandemic has been detrimental to
learning, but bis firm in his belief that the classroom is where learning
should take place, and he wants to assist students in transitioning back to the
classroom. Collin opposes privatization
of our schools.
Collin grew up in Staples, Minnesota, and he graduated with
a B.A. in elementary education and coaching from Concordia College in Morehead,
Minnesota. He has an M.A. in Autism
Spectrum Disorder from Concordia University in St. Paul. He lives with Mark, his partner of 11 years,
and their dog, Hijinx.
And of relevance to this matter of
being far too embedded in the folly of the education establishment, both Collin
Beachy and Lori Norvell feature an endorsement on their websites from Bob
Walser, the silliest, most trivial member whom I have ever witnessed during my
eight years of intensely studying the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of
Education. Walser was an irritating
presence who made irresponsible assertions ab0out budgetary matters that
offended all other members of the Finance Committee to which he belonged. While other members of the Finance Committee
recognized the expertise of Senior Finance Officer Ibrahima Diop, whose work to
achieve the first structurally balanced budget to be presented for many years
in the district was consonant with his status as one of the three top
professionals in his position across the nation, Walser was continually making
irrational and unsubstantiated claims about the work of Diop and his supremely
talented staff. Walser is also a
proponent of the knowledge-deficient approach to curriculum and teacher
training that education professors have inflicted on the teachers and
administrators for at least 40 years.
This association of Collin Beachy with
highly problematic former board members and with an intellectual corrupt
philosophy of education makes him particularly suspect as he takes his seat on
the MPS Board of Education.
Why Collin is Running >>>>> The Policy Positions of Collin Beachy
United Leadership
Strong Collaboration & Mutual Trust
Effective school boards lead as a united team, each from
their respective roles, with strong collaboration and mutual trust.
For three weeks in March, our teachers and support staff
took to the streets to demand our administration begin to make serious moves
towards creating systemic change within our district. Running a school district
through a top-down, one-size-fits-all model has been proven to be a failure.
This three-week strike did not have to happen, yet it did.
Where do we go from here? To begin, we can no longer afford
to view each other as adversaries.
We can:
1. Conduct a
post-strike examination of what went wrong from both sides
2. Panel a commission
of students, educators, administration, board and community members tasked with
creating measures to reduce the chances of a future strike
3. Create more
concrete working relationships with parents and community stakeholders
4. Increase the
transparency of the administration and board so we can begin to restore the
public trust in our public schools
Fully Fund Our Schools
High
Expectati
Clear GoFully
Fund our Schools
The state and federal
governments have not lived up to their promises to fully fund our schools. We
live in a relatively blue part of the state, so our focus needs to expand into
creating alliances with school board members in outstate Minnesota where there
is more resistance to providing funding at the level that is needed.
More funding for special
education from state and federal sources would reduce the burden on the
district's budget that currently has to make up the shortfall
Request independent
audits of MPS' budget and spending
Ensure charter and magnet
schools are required to provide the same level of services that our public
schools deliver
Provide pay equity and
longevity for our Adult Educators
Accountability &
Focus
Transparency &
Oversight
We are in a budget crisis and there are no easy solutions. However, when
that sentence is spoken, how many of us immediately turn to “budget crisis”.
Let’s remember the first word of that sentence. We. The top-down model has
broken trust within our school district. It is past time we try to fix it. We
can throw this model out and begin a grassroots movement to create the
community schools we desire. Our power through the board has been delegated to
an administration with limited ties to our communities. It is time to bring
that power back to our students, families, and educators.
We can start by:
1. Returning to a
community minded vs. corporate-minded mentality within the district offices.
2. Vetting the flow
of information coming from the administration. Administration has lost the
trust of the community and their own workforce.
3. Enacting more
oversight of the administration and their cabinet.
4. Reset our
budgetary priorities to ones that more reflect our values as a community and
city.
Equitable Programming
Shared Belief & Values
Our curriculums,
programming, and professional developments can provide culturally responsive
teaching methods that reflect and respect the intersectionality of every one of
our students. As teachers, we are meeting our students at the crossroad of
their realities and their journeys. In order to keep those journeys moving
forward, it is our responsibility, together with the community to ensure the
education we are providing is relevant to our students' realities.
Implementing culturally responsive methods will:
>>>>> Center student voices and concerns
>>>>> Honor BIPOC experiences
>>>>> Bring visibility to Indigenous People
and traditions
>>>>> Protect transgender and non-binary
students
>>>>> Provide opportunities for students to
connect their learning to their own lives and how they can use that information
to take action
Recruit & Retain
BIPOC Staff
Strengthen Contractual Protections
Over the past several
years, MPS has been losing not only BIPOC families, but also their teachers.
Our BIPOC staff now have Anti-Bias, Anti-Racist (ABAR) protections embedded
into their contracts. This is a good first step towards addressing the needs of
our current BIPOC staff as well as becoming more responsive to the specific
complexities of teaching in our society and the toll it can take on educators
of color.
How else can we begin to create a more welcoming environment
for our BIPOC communities and staff?
A Commitment to Aligning & Sustaining Resources:
RECRUITMENT
1. Dismantle the current process in how job
descriptions are created and interviews are conducted.
2. Strengthen protections from
'last-in-first-out' and seniority layoffs.
3. Where are we looking to find BIPOC educators?
We can grow our own! Who do you know that could make a positive influence on
the lives of our students?
RETENTION
Once employed, our BIPOC staff need support. Some initial
steps we can take are:
1. Increase the number of ABAR mentors. Two
mentors covering the entire district is nowhere near sufficient.
2. Provide affinity spaces for BIPOC educators
to brainstorm, collaborate, and receive emotional support.
3. Increase opportunities for BIPOC support
staff and community members to become teachers.
<<<<<
Lori Norvell
Adriana Cerrillos and Sharon El-Amin
are the current members of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of
Education who may be counted upon consistently to exercise independent
judgment, making decisions in the best
interests of students, especially those long academically abused by the
district. Sonya Emerick, elected on 8
November 2022, will be a similarly independent voice.
Newly elected members Collin Beachy
(At-Large) and Lori Norvell (District 5) had the backing of the DFL/MFT
(Democrat-Farmer-Labor party/Minneapolis Fededespite ration of Teachers)
cohort. Unlike Abdul Abdi (District 1)
and Fathia Feeryarrer (District 3), Beachy and Norbvell did not run an
unopposed; they were opposed
respectively by Lisa Skjefte for an at-large seat and by Laurelle Myhra for the
District 5 seat. Skjefte and Myrha are
young Native American women who would have brought independent voices to the
MPS Board of Education. Beachy and
Norvellgive evidence of being much more dependent upon their DFL/MFT
endorsements and may be more likely to follow in the wake of outgoing members
Nelson Inz (District 5, not replaced by Norvell) and Jenny Arneson (District 1,
replaced by Beachy)--- and to tread in
waters in which Kim Ellison (MPS Board of Education Chair) and Ira Jourdain
(District 6) still swim.
Given this analysis, though, notable
is the circumstance that Jenny Arneson apparently considered Beachy to be an
undesirable candidate: She campaigned
and advocated behind the scenes for Sonya Emerick and raised no objection to my
distributing flyers for Lisa Skjefte and Laurelle Myhra when she and I campaigned
jointly on Saturday, 5 November, for Emerick and for non-school board DFL
candidates (including Governor Tim Walz and Attorney Keith Ellison.
So I am enthusiastic about Sonya
Emerick’s presence on the new school board and remain hopeful about the
presence of Abdul Abdi, who in particular gives evidence of having very
encouraging potential as an independent voice.
A also have considerable hope concerning the new presence of Feerayarre.
Collin Beachy and Lori Norvell,
though, carry a great load of political baggage and will have to prove that
they can make independent judgments once ensconced on the MPS Board of
Education in January 2023.
And of relevance to this matter of
being far too embedded in the folly of the education establishment, both Collin
Beachy and Lori Norvell feature an endorsement on their websites from Bob
Walser, the silliest, most trivial member whom I have ever witnessed during my
eight years of intensely studying the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of
Education. Walser was an irritating
presence who made irresponsible assertions ab0out budgetary matters that
offended all other members of the Finance Committee to which he belonged. While other members of the Finance Committee
recognized the expertise of Senior Finance Officer Ibrahima Diop, whose work to
achieve the first structurally balanced budget to be presented for many years
in the district was consonant with his status as one of the three top
professionals in his position across the nation, Walser was continually making
irrational and unsubstantiated claims about the work of Diop and his supremely
talented staff. Walser is also a
proponent of the knowledge-deficient approach to curriculum and teacher
training that education professors have inflicted on the teachers and
administrators for at least 40 years.
This association of Lori Norvell with
highly problematic former board members and with an intellectual corrupt
philosophy of education makes her particularly suspect as she takes his seat on
the MPS Board of Education.
The following is a presentation of
information as appearing on the campaign website of Lori Norvell >>>>>
>>>>>
Lori Norvell
My family and I moved to
Minneapolis 10 years ago. When we moved here, my husband Travis and I knew we
wanted our children to attend public school. We chose Minneapolis Public
Schools for its rich diversity, variety of programs, focus on arts and cultural
expression, and academics. I want other families to choose Minneapolis Public
Schools for those same reasons and more. I expect Minneapolis Public Schools to
provide the very best education to all students, regardless of their race,
their address, or their socioeconomic status.
I have worked for Minneapolis
Public Schools as a Special Education Assistant in a preschool classroom, as a
substitute teacher, and for 7+ years as a middle school math teacher. I have
also spent time volunteering at my children's schools and with their athletic
teams.
My experience as a recent MPS
teacher and my views as a parent and community member allow me to see MPS
through various lenses. I made the difficult decision to resign from my
teaching position due to unsustainable demands placed on myself and other
educators. I want to see change in MPS, where we prioritize the health and
education of the whole child, where we prioritize the well-being of our
educators. I have taught during the pandemic, have felt the struggle from a
lack of support for my classroom, but have also experienced successes in MPS
with students in my classroom and my own children. These successes, such as
learning new skills, working together, challenging inequities, bring us closer
together as we are learning and growing. We can work together with district
leadership and community for a stronger MPS.
A school board member is a
representative of the community and someone who will advocate for students,
families and educators. I will gather your stories and experiences and
represent you, your hopes and dreams, and your concerns. I will encourage
student-centered decision making, while working with district leadership, other
school board members and community for what is best for all our
students. I hope I can count on you to partner with me in this time of
adjustment and change. I am excited to meet you and hear your stories
so I can learn how to best serve my community.
<<<<<
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