Supporting school board members who kept schools open

To the Editor:
Schools have faced unprecedented decisions over the last several years. According to the MN North Star accountability system, in 2022 just 42% of students tested were proficient in math and 49% in reading. 
This is a drop of 12 and 10 points respectively since 2019, a direct result of the pandemic and the choice for most districts to do school remotely. As a family who transitioned their kids into the public school system for the first time in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, it was crucial to us that we felt the school district was putting our children first. 
I am grateful for the school board members that voted to keep our kids in the classroom, specifically Mark Torkelson and Angie Richards, both up for reelection. 
If you visit the MN Dept. of Education Report Card at the following website address: https://rc.education.mn.gov/#mySchool/p--3, and enter K-M schools, you can see that the K-M elementary and middle schools have increased their scores since 2020; no small feat given the state-wide statistics mentioned above. And I believe a direct result from our school board having our children physically in the classroom learning and making connections.
This election year it is crucial to vote for those who truly put our kids first, we cannot afford to have our children have any more lapses in learning, and for many, there isn’t time to make up what they have already missed. It may be cliche but the truth - our kids are our future. So make sure who you vote for is putting them first.  We make the biggest impacts right here in our community.  
 
Jess Nelson
Mantorville