Dear Neighbors, The last few weeks have brought a flood of emotions with what’s happening abroad and at home: the fear and anger brought on by Russia's unprovoked war that is devastating Ukraine and destabilizing the world economy, along with the hope and inspiration of a united and courageous Ukrainian people standing up for democracy and self-determination with the support of most of the world. Closer to home, I’ve been inspired by all the outreach I’ve gotten from students, parents, and members of our community in support of the Minneapolis teachers and educational support professionals (ESPs) who went on strike this week. In this critical moment, educators are asking the Minneapolis School District to use their resources to lower class sizes, provide a living wage for ESPs, improve the retention of educators of color, increase mental health supports, and provide competitive compensation for licensed staff. As a proud alumni of Minneapolis Public Schools, I stand in solidarity with the teachers, counselors, social workers, education support professionals, and food service workers who work tirelessly to educate, nurture, feed, and support the students and families of Minneapolis. There is a lot on the line for our communities, our kids, our educators, and our parents, and it’s my hope that Minneapolis Public Schools administration brings a fair deal to the table so our kids can get back to the classroom and everyone can get back to work.  I also know this is not an easy time for students and families who are navigating the challenges of not having school during the strike. Our kids need the structure and opportunities that school provides, and parents need to be able to go to work. More disruption after the last few years of challenges is hard, and I want to make sure that you are aware of the resources available to help families access food, find child care, and keep students engaged during the strike. Parents and caregivers can pick up one breakfast and one lunch per day at the school where their child is enrolled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Child care is available on an emergency basis, and a list of organizations offering child care and activities for children is available here.  It's clear that decades of state underinvestment in public education has impacted our kids, families, and communities as our educators struggle to meet students’ needs with very limited resources. We must fully fund our schools. We must invest in increasing the number of educators of color. And we must deliver economic security for the hourly school workers who help our schools run on near poverty wages. I will keep fighting to use part of Minnesota’s historic surplus to fully fund public schools and to provide more services and support for our students and the people who educate and care for them. Advocating for Hourly School Workers On a related note, one of my top priorities this session is fighting to provide economic security to ESPs, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, and food service workers in our schools by ending their unjust exclusion from unemployment insurance. I’m very proud to author a bill to extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits to the thousands of hourly workers who keep our schools running.  I met with the Teamsters, who represent many school bus drivers, earlier this week. We talked about how this policy will help recruit and retain bus drivers and provide them with enough economic security to continue coming back to a job they love. Promoting Economic Development The Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) is a non-profit organization that supports local entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey, with a focus on small businesses and businesses owned by Minnesotans of color, Indigenous people, and low-income individuals. They provide small business loans to people who aren’t able to access traditional sources of capital and offer a variety of courses in five languages. I’m proud to be carrying legislation that would provide grant funding to the NDC. On Wednesday, I presented the bill to the House Workforce and Economic Development Committee. NDC leaders and staff members Mike Temali and Earlsworth Letang talked about the organization’s work and how the grants would impact the people and businesses they support. Small business founder Shawn Hopman of Ya Sure Kombucha also testified in support of my bill. You can watch their testimony here. Protecting Election Workers I’m also working on bills to protect election workers from the intimidation and growing threats of interference that they’re facing here in Minnesota and across the country. One of my bills, the Election Worker Protection Act, prohibits intimidating or harassing the Minnesotans who help administer and run our elections. It also bans interfering with or hindering the election process. Another bill I wrote contains $5 million to help local units of government enhance physical safety at polling places, provide training for local election officials and judges, and meet other election security needs identified by local officials. Stay in TouchFinally, I’d like to thank everyone who joined Rep. Jim Davnie, Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, and me last Saturday. The questions and feedback community members shared during our virtual town hall help guide the work we do at the Capitol! If you weren’t able to attend, you can watch the town hall here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or comments. You can contact me by email at rep.emma.greenman@house.mn or call (651) 296-4200. Sincerely, Emma Greenman
State Representative |