Article #2 >>>>> >Journal of the K-12 Revolution: Essays and Research from Minneapolis, Minnesota< Volume XI, Number Five, November 2024

Information from the Website of Kim Ellison (Candidate for At-Large Seat)

 

From Kim Ellison’s Website

 

Hi, I’m Kim Ellison: an At-Large member of the Minneapolis School Board. I was endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minneapolis!

 

Thank you for your support in the August 13 primary. Our campaign received 56.75% of the vote! We look forward to the November election, and would be honored to receive your vote!

 

Check out the Star Tribune’s endorsement of my 2020 campaign (“School leadership is on the ballot”)

 

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Kim Ellison was born in New Rochelle, NY, where her father, the son of a steelworker and piano teacher, met her mother while he was a student at Columbia University. Her mother was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and sent to live with an older brother when she was 10 years old so she could receive an American education. Her mother’s immigration experience and lost connection to her native language inspired Kim to enroll her children at Emerson Spanish Immersion Learning Center and years later, she remains an advocate for preserving heritage language opportunities in schools. 

 

Kim spent 12 years teaching in contract alternative schools; first, at The City, Inc in North Minneapolis and, then, at Guadalupe Alternative Programs (GAP School), on the westside of St. Paul. Kim is passionate about addressing the achievement gap and is a firm believer that building relationships with students is key to their success, and all deserve access to a well rounded education. Nutrition, health care, after-school programs, and enrichment opportunities all support academic achievement. She lived these values by coaching students in swimming; 6 years at the North Community YMCA and the North-Henry High School combined swim team for three years. 

 

Kim raised her four children, now grown, in North Minneapolis, and all attended Minneapolis Public Schools. She is an active participant in this community.  She was first appointed to the Minneapolis Board of Education in January 2012 to fill a vacancy after Lydia Lee resigned and began her first elected term in January 2013, representing the northwest side of Minneapolis in District 2. Kim was re-elected in 2016 and 2020 to serve as a citywide board member, and would be honored to continue in that role for another 4 years.

 

Issues



Students are most successful when they are surrounded by teachers and staff who are invested in their success. As a teacher, I prioritized developing authentic relationships with my students and knew that effective support systems surrounding my classroom were critical. I’ve used this experience to guide my decision making as a board member. I believe the best decisions center around our students, not adult comfort, and each one deserves to be in an environment that provides a well-rounded education. Learning should bring joy and students should feel valued and respected. To this end, during my term I have:

 

·       Authored 2019 resolution strengthening expectations and accountability from Minneapolis police in their role as School Resource Officers. After monitoring progress, co-authored the 2020 resolution dissolving the contract with the Minneapolis Police following the death of George Floyd and spelling out a multi-year process to change our response to student behavior.  

 

·       Hired Superintendent Ed Graff in 2016 and supported his inclusion of social emotional learning as one of four district priorities. 

 

·       Mandated 30 minutes of daily recess in policy

 

·       Allocated funding for aligned literacy curriculum throughout the district

 

Prioritizing Equity

 

When we invest in our students equitably, we all benefit and everyone does better. We have an obligation to provide fair access to similar experiences and programming to students throughout our district, and we must ensure students see themselves reflected in their learning. In this term, I have taken action for equity:

  

·       Prioritized funding for ethnic studies in the Comprehensive District Design. Taking action on credit requirements in October 2020, to be implemented in the 2021-2022 school year

·       Created a centralized magnet system as part of the Comprehensive District Design, allowing similar access - geographically and programmatic - to families regardless of zip code. And, eliminating a system where students in some parts of the city had access to nearly twice the options as other parts of the city. 

·       Increased expectations and accountability of integration in our schools, particularly magnet schools that use state funds designated specifically for this purpose. 

·       Committed to creating a process to assess and change school building names to better reflect our shared history and values and scheduled to take action by November, 2020

 

Financial Responsibility is Important 

 

It is no secret that public school funding is consistently a challenge in America. Despite the importance of creating a strong future through our children, it is consistently under-funded at the state and federal level and increasingly reliant on local property taxes. During my term, our board: 

 

·       Passed two successful referendums with overwhelming support 

·       Consistently lobbied for increased funding, particularly to address underfunding for special education costs from the state 

·       Supported our award winning and nationally recognized Senior Finance Officer and Finance Department 

·       Supervised improved accounting practices for increased transparency

·       Created a stronger process to articulate board values and priorities at the forefront of the budget process

 

Leadership Matters 

 

Now more than ever we need to include citizen voice in our decision making and we need strong leaders in elected roles. I believe it’s important to work directly with the people impacted by our decisions, especially those who are most often forgotten or disenfranchised in public education. And, I use my role to collaborate and inspire others to act on behalf of our students. In this term I have: 

 

·       Served in multiple school board leadership roles including Vice-Chair and Policy Chair, and elected as Chair in 2020, leading our district through unprecedented times

·       Brought together presidents/chairs of all local jurisdictions for regular strategizing and collaboration 

·       Collaborated with other school board leaders at a national level in the Council of Great City Schools

·       Joined the Minnesota School Board Directors of Color

·       Ensured accessibility and availability to MPS parents through advisory groups including Black Parent Advisory Committee, Latino Parent Advisory Committee, Special Education Advisory Committee, Somali Parent Advisory Committee, Hmong Parent Advisory Committee, District Parent Advisory Committee, and World’s Best Workforce Committee

·       Connected with the Native community as a board liaison to Phillips Indian Educators (PIE) and Metro Urban Indian Directors (MUID)

·       Participated in Minnesota Education Equity Partners (MnEEP) and Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ)

·       Served as school board liaison to the Minneapolis City Planning Commission 

·       Helped create a student school board representative position