Open Letter to the MN Department of Education and Governors Office

Dr. Heather Mueller, Dr. Stephanie Burrage and Eric Tauber,


I'm writing today as a parent of Minneapolis Public Schools. Please strongly consider reversing the extra time (42 daily minutes and extension from 6/10/22 through 6/24/22) in the contract agreements with Minneapolis educators and educational support professionals.

This agreement is not equitable for our family; my child who is in 4th grade and has an IEP is vulnerable to shift/changes affecting his ability to be a receptive learner, and is already struggling with the uprooting of the past three weeks.  For clarity, I wholeheartedly believe a three week strike was only necessary because MPS chose to spend several of those days and hours stalling, actively not meeting with the union bargaining teams to work things out.

This added time feels like a punishment to the educators and families of Minneapolis Public Schools, given that a three week strike was necessary based on the districts choice to stonewall, and put stronger focused effort into breaking the unions and community support of them, rather than working together to create safe and stable public schools for Minneapolis children.

Our children and educators deserve better than to be made an example of at the further cost of their own mental health and that of the children for whom they've fought to serve and educate (along with their in school social workers, counselors, nurses, assistant staff and food service workers, etc.)

Please do better by us. My son is exhibiting each and every one of these anxiety symptoms. So too are several of his educators and peers, now that we are speaking about unmet needs and all that it's taken to be heard. Children cannot learn when they are not experiencing the needed safety of the school routine they've come to know. 

These harmful antics, hidden behind the "letter of the law" and not upholding the spirit of the law, on the part of the MN Department of Education and Minneapolis Public Schools is shameful. We (the community) see you and we are not going to accept this treatment. 

Remove the added time and days.

Thank you for your consideration.

Lacey Welter
Mental Health Advocate and MPS IEP Team Member

cc: to the online message center for Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan


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