John –
 

When I served on the Anoka-Hennepin School Board I knew before I started that I wouldn't always agree with the other board members. I wouldn't even agree with everything happening in our schools. But I knew that my role as a school board member meant that I needed to listen to all the stakeholders whether we agreed or not. I needed to consider all the information put forth by experts in our district and beyond and work with the goal to make our schools the best they could be for ALL students.

 

Plenty of times the outcome of a vote was not what I wanted and I can't even count how often I compromised. There were even times when my perspective was challenged and I completely changed course. A particular former board member and I regularly disagreed. Our conversations over these points of contention were always respectful, allowing each of us to see the other's point of view. They didn't always end in a compromise but they allowed each of us to understand a different perspective, acknowledge our shared humanity, and gain a deeper understanding of each other.

 

That's why I knew that even though my time serving as a board member in Anoka-Hennepin was over, my work advocating for ALL students and functioning school boards was not.

 

Unfortunately, some school board members who have been elected across the country, the state, and in Anoka-Hennepin the last few years aren't willing to work together to have these conversations. They often bring an outside and extreme political agenda that isn't focused on what is best for ALL students, refusing to listen and gain an understanding of those who disagree with them. It doesn't have to be this way.

 

Last Monday we saw Anoka-Hennepin students address a split school board, where “parents' rights” board members effectively held the budget hostage over a lengthy list of demands. Our students see value and opportunity in programs that these board members oppose, and they let the board and the whole community know it.

 

It shouldn't be up to students to do the heavy lifting.

 

At the School Board Integrity Project we are working hard to elect school board members who value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and who are willing to work together to ensure the best outcomes for ALL students.

 

 

 

Erin Heers-McArdle

 

Former Anoka-Hennepin School Board Member

School Board Integrity Project Engagement Director