Parents Alliance-backed candidates help flip control of four major school boards

In just its third election cycle since its inception, the Minnesota Parents Alliance saw its endorsed candidates win a number of pivotal school board races across the state. The grassroots organization said its candidates helped clinch parent-aligned majorities in four major school districts this election: Lakeville, Prior Lake-Savage, Elk River and Forest Lake.

In Lakeville School District #194, MPA-endorsed candidates Paul Carbone and Matt Swanson won two of the three seats up for grabs among a field of nine candidates. Those two victories inside the south metro school district helped solidify an MPA-aligned majority on the board, said Cristine Trooien, executive director for the organization.

“Minnesotans are starting to recognize better leadership when they see it,” said Trooien, who founded the non-partisan organization in 2021. “Over the past two election cycles, MPA has equipped and supported parents and community members to engage in a bottom-up effort to refocus our public school system on delivering better results. Hard work pays off and local wins add up.”

The Minnesota Parents Alliance launched in 2022 as an outgrowth of a movement of parents across the state who decided to push back against the status quo in their school communities amid a number of issues, including Gov. Tim Walz’s COVID-era restrictions on schools. The goal of the organization has been to educate and empower parents to engage in their local school communities as strong advocates for academic achievement, equality and parental rights, Trooien said.

While not exclusively opposed to Education Minnesota-endorsed candidates running for school board in dozens of districts across the state, MPA has put out an annual voter guide to serve as a “non-partisan resource to identify candidates who align with MPA’s mission of improving K-12 education through prioritizing student achievement, safety, transparency, accountability, and parent-teacher partnership.”

Other big victories for MPA last Tuesday included the election of Charles Johnson and Jessica Mason to the Prior Lake-Savage District School Board. Both Mason and Johnson were backed by MPA and were the top two vote-earners among a field of six candidates.

In the Elk River School Board race, two of the three MPA-endorsed candidates—Mike Nordos and Monica Madsen—were elected among a field of six. In the Forest Lake School District, MPA-backed candidates Tessa Antonsen and Mark Kasel captured two of the four seats up for grabs among a field of eight candidates.

In total, MPA says it helped 80 candidates win elections to local school boards, with a 56 percent success rate. Its grassroots efforts ensured that at least one of its recommended candidates won in 47 of 60 districts where they competed, the organization said.

While MPA isn’t the only organization across the state that endorsed school board candidates this fall, Trooien said the teachers union, Education Minnesota, has long been a difficult political machine for independent candidates to beat in school board races where the union’s election arm spends money. Education Minnesota has almost exclusively aligned itself with DFL politicians in legislative and statewide elections. Other progressive, DFL-aligned 501(c)(4) organizations that have endorsed school board candidates in recent years include Moms Demand Action and the School Board Integrity Project.

In the 29 districts where there were candidates from both the Minnesota Parents Alliance and the teachers union or School Board Integrity Project facing off, 31 Minnesota Parents Alliance-endorsed candidates won and 50 union or School Board Integrity Project-endorsed candidates won.

“Building on wins in 2022 and 2023, MPA now has a network of over 180 elected board members across the state who are committed to excellence and accountability in board governance and student outcomes,” Trooien said.

Education Minnesota communicated to its members last week that its union-backed candidates won nearly 75 percent of their races.

Half of school district operating levies approved

In addition to 300 school districts that held board elections last week, 54 districts across Minnesota asked voters to approve operating levy requests. About half of those districts saw their requests approved by the voters. Among those districts that received approval for requests:

• Minneapolis voters approved a $20 million referendum for technology-related funding
• Northfield voters approved three questions that asked for a total of $121 million to add a gymnasium, geothermal heating and cooling systems and classroom space to existing buildings.

School districts that failed to gain voter approval for a referendum included: Robbinsdale, Lakeville, Farmington, Prior Lake-Savage and Moorhead.

Hank Long

Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.