Superintendent
Saint Paul Public Schools
MASA President
It has been two years since I accepted the nomination for the MASA president-elect position. When I stood before my fellow members at the spring 2024 conference and shared my vision for the presidency, I spoke about the power of collective advocacy, my commitment to advocacy for every public school district from Caledonia to International Falls, and to the urgency of equity for our most marginalized students. As I reflect on this past year, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have led with that pledge at the center.
Serving as your president has been one of the most meaningful chapters of my career. What I did not fully anticipate when I shared my vision was how much you — this community of dedicated leaders — would shape and strengthen the work. MASA is not simply a professional organization. It is a network of people who show up for students, for each other, and for the broader good of public education in Minnesota.
This past spring as we sat in legislators’ offices working to help them understand that compensatory funding impacted students in small and large districts alike, the meaning of collective efficacy became so real. The fact that my colleagues led rural districts with 700 students and nearly 80% who qualified for free meals often surprised elected leaders and my hope was that it opened minds to the needs of our students across the state. The work was not always easy, and the outcomes were not always what we hoped. But we stayed at the table, and we stayed together. In the end we had colleagues whose budget just held and others who lost so much. Those losses aren’t about ledger entries. They are about real opportunities – whole child wrap-around support – that we know and declare is not just good for our students and instead critical for a well-rounded public education.
The thread of equity ran through everything this year. So many of our communities were torn apart by federal immigration efforts. Again, geography didn’t matter, whether in Moorhead, Willmar, or cities in between – most districts were touched, and we are working to heal. I believe deeply that our many roles as district leaders are to ensure doors are opened for each and every student — and that belief did not stay in a campaign speech. It guided every conversation in executive team meetings, as we designed the process to hire our new executive director, and serious contemplation on the collaborative partnerships we signed on to on behalf of all our more than 900,000 Pre-K – 12th grade students.
As we celebrate the class of 2026 and head into summer break, I remain hopeful for what is ahead. Once again, collective efficacy will shine as we are poised in our partnership to show our neighbors the many benefits of a public school education that prepares our students for post-secondary success in college, career, and entrepreneurial pursuits.
I will miss Dr. Henton and all she has done to transform our organization, and I have much hope for Dr. Hillmann’s leadership and Dr. Putnam’s presidency as they take us into the next quarter century. MASA colleagues — thank you. Thank you for trusting me with this role, for pushing the work forward even when it was hard, and for reminding me every day why we chose this profession. It has been an honor.
