Our values call upon us to defend the promise of public education

By Chelsie Glaubitz Gabiou, President, Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation

Over the last several months, a troubling series of events have unfolded right here in the heart of our region at the largest school district in the state: the Anoka Hennepin School District. 

A deadlocked school board threatened to derail the 2024 school district budget process if a series of extreme demands to curtail racial, gender and equity programs was not met. Board proponents of those demands also sought a halt to social-emotional learning and wanted to alter state and federally mandated curriculum standards about our country’s history. 

The list of extreme demands — supported by three school board members — was released on social media and started a firestorm of responses from all corners of the community.

This ideologically-driven effort to re-shape local schools is just the latest example of the dog-whistle politics and outside influence that is on the rise in school board chambers across this state. 

In response to this out-of-touch and dangerous proposal at Anoka Hennepin, a powerful showing of community members, students and educators came together in solidarity to advocate for the schools that all students deserve. 

Educators called for the resignations of the three school board members who supported of the extreme proposals.

Students defended the right to have “Truth in Education,” offering passionate testimony all across social media and in school board meetings. 

Ultimately, the list of demands were separated from the budget process — but the authors vowed to keep the efforts alive through future committee and policy processes. 

Local school boards are supposed to be a place where community, parents, educators and even students come together to make their schools the best versions of themselves. They shouldn’t be a place where extremists dismantle our local democracy. 

No surprise, these outside extremist forces that seek to undermine public education also are going after our hard-won union rights. 

We are at the center of a critical fight for the future of our public schools. We must continue our efforts to focus on school board races throughout our region to ensure elected officials share our collective values.

In the Anoka Hennepin District, one of our 2023 endorsed school board candidates lost their race by only 12 votes — resulting in the deadlocked balance of power we now are witnessing. 

We will need everyone’s help to right this ship. Please get involved: from speaking out publicly to volunteering for our labor-endorsed candidates in your local elections, every little bit will make a difference.

Together we will stand up against this intimidation and we will change the course of the narrative.

We will support our educators who believe in the freedom for all students to learn and who believe in the promise of public education.