Candid Campaign Trail Thoughts

With love,

From the desk of Shayla♥️

In these past few months I have quickly learned that ““politics”” is an interesting place to dwell. Despite what you might have heard, I’m running for all students. They have always been the focus behind my decision to run. And let’s touch on endorsements. I do not plan on bringing this up or addressing it again in the future (I’m not one to dwell on what is out of my control - life is far too short for that rugged detour), so I will say this: the only endorsement I’ve gone for is with the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers - MFT 59 (watch the full forum below!). I am running after my eyes being opened by MPS teachers, so it felt authentic to show and seek support in that arena. And yet, I’ve heard (albeit, smallish) rumblings that I must hate unions (despite having a union RN as a mother…and openly seeking the MFT endorsement), I must be anti-public schools (despite volunteering 3 days a week as an Early Learning Corps tutor...in MPS), I want to take your books (as a reading interventionist sounding the alarm about kids not being able to read), and I must not support ALL students in MPS (have you seen me in the halls of Pillsbury?). Perhaps the most bewildering part is, none of this questioning arose as a result of who I am, what I’ve said, what I’m fighting for, or what I do in the community…but rather, because a parent group I had never heard of or aligned with ‘recommended’ me?* 🫠 I guess that’s politics, baby?!

Outside of my lovely teacher crew, I’ve gained support along the way for my focus on academic achievement, my love of community building, a unity mindset, and desire for increased financial transparency; and also, because…well…I am not the incumbent? I am only in this race to fight for the precious souls walking the halls of MPS. They deserve better and I want to be a part of the solution.

I have and always will be for improving district-wide literacy and math (…did you know that fewer than 1 in 3 Black, Latino, and American Indian students are reading at grade-level, and fewer than 1 in 4 are achieving the same in math?), as well as the overarching academic success of our students (...can we talk about authentic assessments?), improving financial stewardship and integrity within the district, increasing community engagement, advocating for teachers and school support staff, and helping build a brighter future for ALL students in Minneapolis Public Schools. They deserve a chance to truly shine.✨

If you care about our children and their futures above personal political affiliation and bureaucracy, I welcome your vote. And even if you don’t, I still love you and your children.♥️

As my grandma says, you get more bees with honey than with vinegar, and I enjoy staying true to myself and my values while uniting all sides of the MPS coin for one cause—our students.

*For inquiring minds, I did reach out to the said parent group many are questioning (I did not know they existed nor did I know I was on their site until misc forms of outreach from the community…😀), and they indicated they will not take me off of their website unless I want them to issue a statement to voters that I am no longer for “improving student achievement and safety, accountability in spending vs results, ensuring policy and practices support equal treatment and opportunity for all students and/or leading efforts to be more communicative, transparent and collaborative with parents” etc…so that is that!🤣🤷🏾‍♀️

ONWARD TO NOVEMBER 5!

Shayla