DFL School Board Bio. Claudia Swanson

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1 DFL School Board Bio Claudia Swanson I feel strongly that children are our future. They need a solid education that gives them the skills they need to keep on learning throughout their lives. Their educational setting should mirror the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity that makes up our wonderful city of Saint Paul. I am the parent of two Black gifted students who attended Saint Paul Public Schools. I have been a special ed teacher on a provisional teaching certificate. I have been a counselor with young adults (high school dropouts often) with families on welfare, helping them get GEDs and further training and jobs that took them off welfare. For 22 years I was a social worker or supervisor in the Developmental Disabilities Section of Ramsey County Community Human Services Department. and finally, I have experience on the School Board. I served from 1988 through 1991 Steve Marchese I am running for the St. Paul School Board because I believe we can do better for our children and our city. As a parent of two sons in the school district, a school volunteer, a lawyer and a community member, I believe the future of our city depends on the ability of our district to bring excellence with equity to all students. This means supporting teachers to do their best work with our kids every day. This means listening to and incorporating the input of teachers, families and community members when designing district policies. And it means holding district leadership accountable when test scores flatline, enrollment fails to meet projections and our schools resegregate by race and income. I grew up in Queens, New York, as the son of a union truck driver and was the first in my family to go to college. After moving to Minnesota in 2001, I worked for the University of Minnesota, overseeing the law school career development office, provided pro bono services to many clients in need and now serve as the Pro Bono Development Director for Minnesota State Bar Association. Earlier in my legal career, I represented families and children in special education proceedings, as well as African American parents and children in school desegregation litigation in Michigan. I have been an active and involved member of our community, including service as a former member of the St. Anthony Park Elementary School Site Council, a board member of the nonprofit organization Community Shares Minnesota, and church councilor at Mayflower Church UCC. I am currently a commissioner on the St. Paul Civil Service Commission and a former commissioner of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Commission.

2 Rafael Espinosa I am the father of four children in the Saint Paul Public Schools, two in elementary school, one in middle and one in high school. I have seen many things that are working as well as some of the problems that our students and families are facing. The school board should be involving parents, teachers, students and community members in the decisions for the schools. Mary Vanderwert I have a skill and experience set that is often unique to schoolboard candidates. I have the professional experience and dedication to advocate on behalf of low-income, racially diverse children and families, two groups that particularly need and rely on support from the Saint Paul Public Schools as I have dedicated my career to education and families. I have spent my entire 25-year career working in leadership roles with young children and their families in early childhood education. My extensive experience working in education has given me a deeper understanding of what children, families, systems and communities need to be healthy and successful. I understand systems and organizational culture, and I understand families and how children learn. I served at the Minnesota Department of Education as the Head Start State Collaboration Director for eight years., I worked with eight different programs on organizational development and strategic planning, trained teachers and provided technical assistance throughout the state with emphasis on services to children with disabilities. I firmly believe that the core values and policies implemented within the Head Start program can be adapted to the K-12 setting to address the racial and economic gaps evident in the Saint Paul Schools. I also managed the child care programs for both family child care and the child care center at the Wilder Foundation and I served on the governor s early childhood council. Because I raised three children as a single parent, I have a first-hand understanding of the struggles many parents face today. I understand how families make decisions when there is limited time and even more limited resources. I know that schools are critical for a family to reach its goals and dreams. All three of my children graduated from the St. Paul Public Schools and are thriving as adults. I am convinced that their success correlates directly to their public school education. Zuki Ellis I grew up in Rondo and attended Webster Magnet Elementary. I graduated from Highland Park Senior High School. I am the proud mother of three St. Paul Public School students, the youngest of whom is currently a first grader at J.J. Hill Montessori. I received my Bachelors from Metropolitan State University in 2011 with a double major in Ethnic Studies and Social Science. Right now, I am a parent trainer with the St. Paul Federation of Teachers Parent Teacher Home Visit Project, and the chair of the PTO at J.J. Hill.

3 I am running because, as a parent, I feel that the current Board is not acknowledging or listening to the concerns of families and the community. I ve been an advocate, organizer and an ally for our teachers and our support staff within the district ; and I know the power of listening to students, the community, parents, teachers, and how beneficial it can be for everyone when all parties have a seat at the table. Mary Doran When I ran for the board four years ago, I knew that our district served some children very well. I viewed this first hand through my two daughters as well as through my time spent volunteering in the schools. I also saw that there were too many children who were not as well served. If this school district was to succeed in its job of preparing the next generation of leaders, workers, teachers and citizens, it needed to continue what it did very well and not let any children fall through the cracks. I am running for re-election because I continue to be passionate about making sure that all children in our city have access to an education that will prepare them to be successful adults. With the experience of four years on the board, I understand the real challenges that we need to overcome and I see the path forward. I am eager to put that experience to work for our children and for our city s future. Today, the district has set a course for making sure that every child can succeed while assuring that most successful programs stay strong. This has not been simple and, because each of our 38,000 students has their own story, we will be making course corrections. None of this is easy. But the hard work is worth it, because all our kids are worth it. Pa Chua Vang I grew up in the Saint Paul Mount Airy housing projects and attended Saint Paul Public Schools all my life. Growing up, I took care of my siblings while my father attended school and mother worked. During the summers, while other kids went to summer camps and did summer activities, my seven siblings and I had to help our parents with gardening so that we would have income to purchase supplies, three pairs of outfits each, and materials for back to school. Eventually, my father graduated from college and found a job right away. Then my parents bought a house and moved the family out of the projects. For the first time, I saw that the key out of poverty is education. I graduated from a St. Paul ALC school due to the small class size that it offered and I went on to college and is currently a Licensed Practical Nurse. I participated in AmeriCorps in Community Technology Empowerment Program and the host site was at Guadalupe Alternative Program on the westside of Saint Paul. I currently serve on organizations such as Big Brother, Big Sister; Hmong Health Care Professional Coalition; and Sewing Our Future Together. I am running because I know what it's like to grow up poor and to work hard and get a good public education. My parents showed me that the key out of poverty is education. Together, we

4 can hold the SPPS district accountable for ALL children. Together we can work as partners and make this a strong community and a strong voice to get things done. I care for the education of the children in the city of Saint Paul therefore I want: ACCOUNTABILITY I want accountability from the school administration to get things done. We always hold our teachers and students accountable, but who is holding the administration accountable? RACIAL EQUITY I want equity in the school system so that immigrants, students of color, students with disabilities, ELL and LGBTQ are being included.as I continue to talk with parents from these backgrounds, I am hearing that many feel neglected, are not listened to, and that they are the problem. I am a collaborator, and can work with all to find solutions. AUTHENTIC FAMILY ENGAGEMENT I want authentic family engagement. I will go in the homes of the students and parents to hear from them about their concerns. It is about helping our families feel welcomed at our schools and listening to them about their hopes and dreams for their family. Jess Banks I m the autistic mother of two neurodiverse sons currently in St. Paul Public Schools. I have 15 years of educational experience, mainly teaching History, Religious Studies, and English at the college level (Penn State, Carroll Univ.), but also as a substitute teacher in middle and high schools. I m a grassroots organizer in the Twin Cities, with organizations such as TakeAction MN, Minnesotans United for All Families/OutFront MN, and Black Lives Matter. Currently, I work with my husband for a small, family-owned game publisher, Atlas Games, as well as doing freelance editing and art direction. I m running for school board because I believe our students, families, and teachers are the best experts on what works and what doesn t in our schools. We must include ALL members of our educational community as we build lasting solutions, especially those who are typically silenced, and be accountable to them as we work toward equity and excellence. Al Oertwig I offer a life time of school and community involvements, which is unmatched by any other candidate, including incumbents. First, why am I running? I have been off the school board for 8 years now, and had thought that I would never run again. In the past several years community members and staff have approached me with troubling experiences they have had with the school district. For example, last school year three major citywide school changes were made in the same school year without adequate planning and staff training: Moving all 6th grades to middle schools; Moving about 1,000 students in Special Education to regular classrooms; and moving English Language Learners into regular classrooms. There is

5 no way that all of these changes could be effectively planned and essential staff training provided in one year. Once in the implementation process, the staff and board denied problems and tried to silence people who had concerns, rather than working with community members and staff to effectively resolve issues. My experience: St. Paul School Board, almost 20 years, chair, vice-chair, treasurer; Note: Was spokesperson for the district for the levy referendum of 2002; National Steering Committee (6 yrs.) for the Council of Urban Boards of Education, and chair of the Legislative Committee and Student Achievement Task Force; Association of Metropolitan School Districts, chair, vice-chair, executive committee, saved compensatory revenue (for poor kids) with an urban/suburban alliance; Minnesota School Boards Association, Board of Directors; Council of Great City Schools, board member; East Metro Integration District, Board of Directors; St. Paul Teachers' Retirement Fund Association, Trustee Children's Initiative of St. Paul & Ramsey County, board member & chair. Education Cooperative Service Unit, board member & chair of the metro region; Minn. State High School League, regional representative. I'm the only board member in the history of the city to serve on the 13 member (now 16) Steering Committee for the national Council of Urban Boards of Education, and the only St. Paul board member who has served as chair of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. Jon Schumacher I m running because I am passionate about helping to ensure St. Paul Public Schools provides an excellent education for all of our students. As a proud parent of two SPPS graduates who were well-served by our school system, I know what SPPS can deliver. As someone who has volunteered in our schools for the past 23 years, tutoring, serving on site councils, parent-teacher associations, and other committees to achieve school goals and fill gaps, I know how incredibly valuable the entire school community is to the success of the school and of its students. In order for our students to succeed, those school communities need to be authentically engaged, and right now many parents and teachers feel like their concerns are not being heard or addressed. As the executive director of a community foundation who has worked to support elementary, middle, and high schools, I know how effective community partnering can really make an impact in our schools. We must come together to give our kids the education they deserve and I want to join the board to make that happen. I am a community builder with a proven record of bringing people together to get things done. As I demonstrated with the E2 program at Murray Middle School, I can help leverage my relationships to build community support for innovative solutions to enhance learning in our classrooms. I can help bring people together to rebuild trust, build consensus, and develop the sustainable foundation needed to make these solutions work for our kids and our community. I want to bring the skills, experience, and relationships I ve built over the past 23 years to develop a more collaborative approach that leverages the talents, passion and expertise of everyone in our school communities to create successful outcomes for all our students.. Robert McClain

6 I have lived in St. Paul for 46 years and have been extensively involved in community engagement, activism, advocacy and educational initiatives. I am the father of two daughters, both graduates of Central High School, and a granddaughter at Gautier Elementary. I am running to have an active role in the process and not just an observer of the outcomes. I am concerned about the education of all children, in addition to the direction and processes of school district. Anne Carroll As a parent of two now-graduates of SPPS, I am a long-standing supporter and volunteer in SPPS. My kids went to Jackson in Frogtown, then Highland Junior and Senior. With them, we experienced special education, English language learning, and gifted and talented education. At that time, there was much less inclusion than we have now and our kids struggled with the inequities they saw for themselves and their friends. We helped make changes then and I m still doing that as a board member. I am passionately focused on what students need. I place equity at the center of all I do, and know that together as families, educators, and the community we can wrap our arms around students and support them to be successful. Professionally, I m a public engagement and strategic planning consultant. I serve on the boards of the Minnesota Equity Education Partnership, E-Democracy, and the International Association for Public Participation, and am on the League of Women Voter s statewide diversity committee. Keith Hardy I have served on the school board for seven-plus years. Previously I served on the school board's Citizens Budget and Finance Advisory committee for five years, including chair for two years. I have volunteered in SPPS schools since 1994 when I taught a youth leadership program at Benjamin E. Mays Elementary School (now International Baccalaureate). I have been a tutor in our schools for six years along with a FIRST Robotics team coach/assistant for three years. I'm an active participant as a guest reader with the Freedom Schools program along with being a guest reader in many classrooms throughout the district. I work as a project manager in information technology. I also serve on the boards of directors for SteppingStone Theatre and St. Paul Youth Services. I am seeking re-election to continue working with my school board colleagues to advocate for and monitor the transformation of St. Paul Public Schools into a high-performing district. I want to continue to help our students who are currently high achievers have higher achievements and students who are performing lower than they are capable be given all the supports we can provide to be higher achievers. I want us as a district to have all students reading at grade level during the time of the current strategic plan. Also, I want to continue advocating for all teachers and employees to receive the training, tools, resources, and overall support to help every student be prepared for academic, career, and life success as they progress through our E-12 system and graduate.

RAISING ACHIEVEMENT BY RAISING STANDARDS. Presenter: Erin Jones Assistant Superintendent for Student Achievement, OSPI

RAISING ACHIEVEMENT BY RAISING STANDARDS Presenter: Erin Jones Assistant Superintendent for Student Achievement, OSPI Agenda Introductions Definitions History of the work Strategies Next steps Debrief