The most important thing our School Board does is set the strategic vision for Minneapolis’ schools, incorporating the voices of students, community, and district staff. The School Board also:
hires and evaluates the Superintendent
approves district budgets and funding allocations
makes decisions about curricula
approves the closing or constructing of schools
Sonya believes that the MPS School Board must rebuild trust and heal historic harms among students, families, and staff by being fully accountable in all these areas.
As an At-Large Director, Sonya will:
Work to secure full funding for Minneapolis Public Schools from the Minnesota State Legislature.
Currently, the state of Minnesota does not provide districts enough money to cover costs for all requisite academic programming and desired extracurriculars. Sonya will work with the School Board to lobby the state legislature for full funding of public education. This is a responsibility of School Board members that has been unmet in recent years. Adequate funding is essential for MPS to be able to fully address the needs of all students and appropriately compensate our educators.
Hire and evaluate a Superintendent who will lead by listening, who will heal not harm, and who will prioritize inclusion.
As a member of the Board for the Autism Society of Minnesota, Sonya has experience working alongside other directors to evaluate and support skilled and experienced leadership. Sonya understands that the ability to apply, interview and be hired for a job does not guarantee that a person will be good at that job. Sonya will seek a superintendent who brings demonstrated abilities, proven outcomes, the leadership and the will to truly implement MPS’s strategic plan to dismantle systemic oppression in our schools.
Pay our educators like the skilled professionals they are.
Sonya is a proud member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) who believes in valuing and compensating our workforce. Teachers are an invaluable resource that we must protect and advocate for. Our educators are the stewards of our children’s academic experiences and successes and often the first responders when our students are struggling. We rely on them to be skilled and efficacious instructors and to deliver social and emotional education that is effective, strengths-based, and anti-racist. We need to equip them to succeed not just with professional development opportunities, but with livable wages, manageable class sizes and caseloads, built-out support services, and reliable prep and due process time.
Improve literacy in Minneapolis Public Schools with culturally-sustaining evidence-based literacy instruction.
Our students need educators and administrators who believe they have futures worth protecting and preparing for. In MPS, our collective belief gap is creating unacceptable literacy disparities for many of our most underserved students. Sonya will hold district leadership accountable for the use of evidence-based, culturally sustaining instructional practices across our district, and for supporting our educators with tools, development, and prep time to individualize instruction for all learners.
Advance strategic initiatives that ensure belonging for every student in Minneapolis Public Schools.
Throughout decades of organizing work, Sonya has centered the voices of those who are being left out and underserved, and Sonya will continue to do so if elected. Each Minneapolis Public School must be an anti-racist, anti-oppression space where students and their families are seen for their strengths and affirmed for the diversity they bring to their learning communities. To create belonging we must:
Protect and grow our education workforce to racially mirror the 65% of students in MPS who identify as BIPOC
Deepen staff and student mental health supports
Reimagine special education services in MPS to be inclusive and centered on students’ strengths
Address inequitable use of suspensions/expulsions and expand restorative practices
Require instructional integrity and cultural responsiveness
Rebuild trust with educators and families