Gratitude, Service and Hope through the Pandemic

It has been an absolute honor to serve as the MASA President this last year!  I am extremely grateful for your trust in me, the opportunities I have had to learn with and from each of you, and to have my own children attending Minnesota public schools.  Although the lessons learned are too long to list, here are some of the most significant in no particular order:

• Education will never be the same, and that is ok.  Let’s learn from our recent experiences and continue to grow.
• Collaboration with internal and external stakeholders is more important than ever.
• Without mental health support for our children, families and staff, we will not be able to educate and give our students what they need to be successful.
• Schools play an extremely important role in the lives of our students, staff, and community members.
• Words matter.
• Each and every employee in our system plays an important role in the success of our children.
• Access to things such as, but not to, limited to food, childcare, technology and support services must be made available for all.
• Truly listening to and engaging with our students is essential.
• Time and energy spent worrying about and/or responding to local, state and national distractors takes time away from serving and supporting our students.
• Public education is worth fighting for and will ensure a better and brighter future for all.
• Our systems and communities are full of amazing people.
• Serving as an educational leader is an honor, privilege, and opportunity to be part of the solution.

The ISD 728 Communications Team created this video to capture our journey from the first impacts of the coronavirus pandemic through 2022. We recognize it has been a season of downs, ups, downs again, and then incredible accomplishment in all of our schools. We are proud that, through it all, our schools, districts and educational leaders throughout Minnesota and the nation have helped millions of students and families through a very challenging time.  Our future looks bright, and I am proud to serve with each and every one of you.  

Again, thank you for allowing me to serve as your MASA President, for what you do, who you are, and for always placing students and families as our top priority.