For Immediate Release
March 22, 2021
Contact: Samantha Hanson
samantha@k2andcompany.com
Our Children MN Announces Two New Board Members
Bernadeia Johnson and Justice Kathleen Blatz will join McFadden, Ciresi, and King in advocating for Page Amendment.
ST. PAUL, MINN. – Our Children MN, the organization working to inform Minnesotans of our state’s education gaps and to build support to pass the Page Amendment, announced an expansion to the Board of Directors today. The Page Amendment is a proposed amendment to the Minnesota state constitution that will provide a civil right to quality public education for all Minnesota children.
The newest additions are Dr. Bernedia Johnson, former superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools and professor at Minnesota State University Mankato, and Justice Kathleen Blatz, former Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and state representative.
“I am coming to this process with hope and optimism that Minnesota children who may have been lost in Minnesota’s public education system will have the chance to reach their fullest potential when we pass the Page Amendment,” said Johnson. “We must have the courage to act, to decide, and to know what needs to be done to promise Minnesota children a better tomorrow. The policies and practices being put forth in the state legislature do not match the urgency of this crisis. The Page Amendment is the policy that Minnesota needs to address the public education system before we lose another generation.”
“I believe that the promise of America is firmly rooted in the opportunities children have to receive a quality education,” said Blatz. “Too often this promise has not been delivered on. Much of this is due to the fact that the promise has not been the lens through which education policy has been developed, implemented, or evaluated. We can — and must — change this. Doing so will allow more children to reach their potential and our country to fulfill its promise. We should settle for nothing less.”
The new board members were announced today at the kick-off event for the Page Amendment Week of Action, the campaign’s official statewide education and advocacy week. The next Week of Action event is a youth voices panel today at 4:30 pm CST. A full agenda and more information on the Week of Action events can be found here. All events are virtual and free to the public.
Blatz and Johnson join existing board members Mike McFadden, Michael Ciresi, and Louis King. McFadden is a businessman and former Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate for the state of Minnesota. Ciresi is a partner at Ciresi Conlin LLP and co-founded the Ciresi Walburn Foundation. King serves as president and CEO of Summit Academy OIC and is a U.S. Army veteran.
Our Children MN is an organization working to inform Minnesotans of the state’s education gaps and to build support to pass the Page Amendment. Learn more about the Page Amendment at https://ourchildrenmn.com/.
###