Adapted from the Minneapolis Labor Review, July 23, 2022

MINNEAPOLIS — The August 9 election for Minneapolis School Board will include the At Large races and the District 5 race. Candidates in District 1 and District 3 are running unopposed.

In the At Large race, Collin Beachy and KerryJo Felder are running with the AFL-CIO endorsement. Voters may vote for two candidates in the At Large race.

The race for the two At Large seats on the ballot includes six candidates, with only the top four vote-getters from the August 9 Primary Election going on to the November 8 General Election.

In the District 5 race, Lori Norvell is running with the AFL-CIO endorsement.

Minneapolis School Board At Large:
Collin Beachy

“Both my parents were teachers. It’s what I always wanted to do,” says Collin Beachy.

AFL-CIO endorsed Collin Beachy, running for an At Large seat on  the Minneapolis School Board, is an educator with  20 years of experience in the public schools including seven years working for Minneapolis Public Schools.

Beachy also has been endorsed by the Minneapolis DFL Party.

He currently works as a case manager at the Minneapolis Public Schools’ Transition Plus Services.

Beachy is a seven-year member of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.

“After George Floyd’s death and murder, like a lot of people, I was in a dark place for a time,” he says. He asked himself, “how could I have a bigger impact?”

“I want to make sure we have schools that are responsive to their communities — but we also need to have a common vision for Minneapolis,” Beachy says.

He adds: “We can’t cut and close schools on our way out of the problems. We’ve got to invest.”

Beachy also has been endorsed by the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and SEIU Minnesota State Council.

For more information:
beachy4schoolboard.com

Minneapolis School Board At Large:
KerryJo Felder

“We can change things. We can do things differently in our education system,” says KerryJo Felder. “You have to build schools people choose.”

AFL-CIO endorsed KerryJo Felder is seeking to reclaim a seat on the Minneapolis School Board, this time running At Large. Felder won election in 2016 to the District 2 seat but lost her re-election bid in 2020.

Felder also has been endorsed by the Minneapolis DFL Party.

“I’m really excited to get in there — and listen to people,” Felder says. “I come in having more experience with the budget and how to move money around,” she says.

Felder has worked as an organizer for the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO since 2013. She is a member of Teamsters Local 120.

Prior to joining the MRLF staff, Felder was active in education issues and helped to organize a community campaign to save North High from closing.

She is a parent with students in the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Felder says “it’s important to put teachers back at the helm. They know what the students respond to.”

Felder also has been endorsed by the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers, SEIU Minnesota State Council and Teamsters Local 120.

For more information:
kerryjo4schoolboard.com

Minneapolis School Board District 5:
Lori Norvell

“It’s really important we make sure our programs are stable for our students, our staff and our families,” says Lori Norvell. “We’ve got to stop this hemorrhaging of students, families, and staff.”

AFL-CIO endorsed Lori Norvell is running in a four-way primary to represent District 5 on the Minneapolis School Board.

Norvell also has been endorsed by the Minneapolis DFL Party.

Incumbent Nelson Inz is not running.

District 5 is bordered by Interstate 35W on the west, 36th Street on the north and the city limits on the east and south.

Norvell is a Minneapolis Public Schools parent and school volunteer. She currently has one child enrolled in MPS while two other children are MPS graduates.

Norvell worked previously for the Minneapolis Public Schools as a special education assistant, substitute teacher, and for seven years as a middle school math teacher.

She is a former member of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.

Norvell currently works for the Hennepin Theatre Trust.

Norvell also has been endorsed by the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and SEIU Minnesota State Council.

For more information:
norvell4schoolboard.com

For voting information, or to learn your election day polling place: mnvotes.org.