Going back to school is hope ... For two MAPE members

Two MAPE members are hoping to use some of the skills they’ve developed as union members to help them gain seats on their local school boards.

Former U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill was fond of saying, “All politics is local.” Few elected positions are more local than school boards. Local 401's Sam Sant, a senior tax specialist with the Department of Revenue, is campaigning for a seat on the District 281 School Board serving the Robbinsdale area. Local 101’s Monica Weber is also running for a seat on her local school board.

In the photo on the right, Local 401’s Sam Sant marches in a local parade as a candidate for School District 281 School Board in Robbinsdale.

Sant has lived in the Robbinsdale school district for 11 years and his two children, nine-year-old Isabella and six-year-old Sammy, attend Lakeview Elementary. “Instead of moving away like a lot of families do, I thought I’d try to improve the schools for my children and others,” Sant said.

Sant said serving as a Negotiations Committee representative for Region 4 during the past four contracts makes him familiar with serving people. “I’m representing members in my region, so I work to communicate with them and see what’s important to them and convey this to the bargaining team. What we fight for as MAPE members -- fair wages, safer working conditions, affordable health care -- is important to everyone in society, especially the school district,” Sant added.

Sant currently serves on the school district’s financial advisory committee where he reviews the district’s financial status and makes economic recommendations to the school board. Sant, a self-described “money person,” is senior tax auditor with the state and said he’s “aware of how much money we get from the state and what role it plays in our children’s future.

“I want Robbinsdale School District to be the school district of choice for parents as well as for teachers,” he added.

Monica Weber, Local 101's secretary and a steward, is running for a seat on the South St. Paul School Board. Before she entered state service as a grants specialist with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), she had a teaching license and taught in local schools where she became very concerned about overcrowding. “I’ve seen the way our community is changing and there are a lot of older folks moving out and younger families moving in. Where are we going to put all of those kindergartners?” she asked.

In the photo on the right, Local 101’s Monica Weber participates in a statewide pro-union social media campaign.

Weber said school districts surrounding South St. Paul have higher tax bases than her community so students in her district and Greater Minnesota receive less money for their educations. Weber, vice chair of MAPE’s Political Action Committee, adds she would advocate for a more equitable school funding, “I would like to use my political skills and connections to fix the per student school funding formula so schools with higher property values don’t get greater funding.”

Weber said her work at DNR makes her a good fit for the school board. “I’ve done work on proposals, I reconcile budgets, I’m handy with a spreadsheet, I can read a general ledger -- one thing I have to do with a lot of my grantees is ask a lot of questions and be inquisitive: How does this work and why?”

Both Sant and Weber encourage all MAPE members to support labor-friendly candidates from school board to the governor’s race. “Know that your vote matters, and your participation matters, and we’re all counting on you to get involved,” Weber added.