Our public schools should make us proud to be Minnesotans. As a teacher and a parent, I know that they make me proud. Our teachers and support staff go to work everyday trying to do the best they can to serve and nurture our kids.

That is why it was incredibly disappointing to see Tom Dippel, who wants to be my next State Senator, describe Minnesota’s public schools in a Minnesota Family Council candidate profile as quickly becoming “socialist, Communist, Marxist indoctrination camps”. As he went on to share, he homeschools his children, so I’m not sure how he would know.

Schools took on more work than ever during the pandemic, and students across the country saw learning loss. We will get back on track by ensuring mental health resources for kids, lowering class sizes, and hiring and retaining great teachers. That’s why I’m proud to support Judy Seeberger- a teacher now a substitute teacher, who will give kids opportunities, not rhetoric and division. Shannon Froberg Cottage Grove