Smiling faces, caring and hardworking staff, and equitable education. That is what I see inside the classrooms at St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS).

As a proud SPPS teacher and SPFE union member, I know the good that our schools do for our students and our communities. Our schools are where students receive academic, emotional, social, behavioral, mental and nutritional support.

With restorative practices, language learning supports, out for equity policies, cultural studies and diverse staff, I see St. Paul Public Schools as places where students are not only learning academics, but learning that they belong in our communities and the world.

The programs that define SPPS have been created, developed and fought for over the years by staff, unions, administration, parents and students. This November’s school referendum would ensure that these vital services are able to continue.

Our school district received many additional types of funding during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSR) funds. These extra funds are no longer available, creating a gap in funding.

Even worse, funds for public schools are increasingly threatened at the federal level. While politicians cut social spending, we cannot allow our public school students to suffer. Devaluing and disenfranchising our students and communities like this will not stand.

Public education is the backbone of a civic society, providing quality education and access to opportunity for all.

I know that a referendum is not a small thing. Almost no one makes as much money as they’d like to, and money spent is watched closely. This is an intentional choice: to choose our students, our schools, and our communities; to show our students that they matter and they belong; to put value in the shared future we can create by funding our public schools.

I hope the people of St. Paul will choose to support our students, knowing that education is power and that we can, and will, empower all.

Kathleen Kostka
St. Paul