Local [Music] Decision 2025. Thanks so much for tuning us in. I'm Eric Nelson and we're going to talk to Abby Payer today, Anoka Henipin School Board Candidate, District 4. And Abby, thanks so much for coming down to the North Metro TV studios. And uh let's start out by letting you tell the viewers about yourself and why you're running. >> Sure. My name is Abby Payer and I'm excited to be running. Thank you for having me here today. There's really three reasons I'm running. The first is to keep our public schools strong. Our schools have a great reputation. A lot of people move into this area purposefully to um attend our schools or have their children attend our schools. And so keeping public schools strong is really important to me. The second reason is academics. Um, we want to have strong programming, keep those foundational skills in reading and math really strong in elementary school. So that way when we get into middle school and high school, kids can work on those higher level thinking skills. In a technological world, the information is there, but how do you use that information? How do you process it, analyze it, evaluate it, and then use what you know in real world applications? The third reason I'm running is because I would like to depoliticize the board. So, we've been overtaken by a group that has some pretty extreme views and they attack public schools. They're trying to make it seem like our schools um have a lot of problems. they take some national talking points of things that might or might not be happening and like to make it seem like they're happening here. So, I'd like to just be a moderate voice, a voice that's actually been in the classrooms and knows what's happening in our schools and um support the public schools >> and the Anoka Henipin district very diverse. How can you speak to all the kids in the district and and address the unique set of needs? >> That's a great question. Um so yes from we have such a large district. We're now the largest district bigger than even Minneapolis and St. Paul. U my district in area 4 um is so they divide up the districts within the district so that they're approximately equal but distance-wise it's a huge area spanning from Ham Lake, Andover, Eastern Ramsey and small parts of Oak Grove and now then. Um but then the district as a whole stretches all the way down to Brooklyn Park. Um, and so we have kids from a variety of backgrounds, socioeconomic status, um, kids that are really academically focused, kids that are sports focused. And the nice part about being a large district is we can have programs that meet the needs of everyone. >> All right, Abby, you have three kids. Uh, how many of them currently are in the Inoca Henipin School District? >> Yes. So, all three of them are actually. So even the three almost fouryear-old is in the district through our preschool. We actually started in the early childhood family education programs with my son who's just about 14. So about 14 years ago. Um and then I have a middle schooler and then my high schooler. >> All right. Where where was this moment in time maybe an epiphany that made you say I want to run for the school board in the in Noa Henipin district? Was there a magic moment or has this been building up? >> Yeah. So, I've spent my career in education. So, I've always been really invested in the schools. Um, as a teacher, I knew early on that my teacher preparation program had not prepared me to teach kids with dyslexia. And so, I started pursuing other degrees to try to learn how to teach reading to everyone so that we could improve our outcomes. And so, that has always been in the back of my mind. Um, I like to joke that one of the reasons I'm running is to make school boards boring again. So, right now we're getting in the news, um, in the newspapers, on TV, on social media for the wrong reasons, for infighting, for, oh, this budget's not passing because somebody's not getting their way, so they refuse to vote. Um, just that type of thing. And I just thought, you know what? We need a board that is willing to do their job, show up and do the work so that when it comes time to vote, they're ready with the votes and they can pass standards, approve curriculum, approve budgets so that the teachers can do their jobs. >> So in your bio, you use the word dysfunction >> about the schoolboard meetings. U drill down on that and how do you prevent that? Yeah. So, it's important that the boards hear multiple perspectives, but then mature board members consider those perspectives. And even if they're different from their own, if that's what the majority of the public supports, they need to go with what the community wants. You're not supposed to be on the school board for your own personal agenda or for, you know, 10% of the population. We need to look at what does our survey data show? What are parents, the majority of parents saying? How do teachers and administrators feel? And that's how we get to a spot that's not dysfunctional. >> Uh Anoka Henipin really smack dab in the middle now of a multi-million dollar >> cuts. They're trying to eliminate positions or money and trying to figure out the best way to do that. There's still $8 million left to get rid of. Uh where do you land on that? How how do you get rid of 8 million? >> Right. Right. So, we started with was it 24 million shortfall and they were able to cut a lot of administrative positions, a lot of support positions. Um, if you go to the ESC or the the administrative office, it's almost like a ghost town there. It's feeling really bare bones. And so, we don't have a lot left to cut there. And certainly, no one wants to cut um teachers and increase class sizes. Um, so looking at creative ways of funding, my cousin is a principal in the Wisconsin dis school district and they were able to receive a sage grant um that went over a decade and helped them reduce class sizes through private funding. Um, so exploring options like that, private funding, grant funding. Um, but when those cuts need to be made, we have to keep it away from the teachers in the classroom. Are you okay with the cuts and reductions that have already been implemented? >> Um, I'm not necessarily happy about them. Um, one of the proposed cuts was to cut the literacy specialists, but right now one of our district's main goals is to improve our literacy outcomes that haven't recovered since COVID and frankly before COVID weren't as strong as we'd like them to be anyway. um when you're cutting those positions, you're you're getting rid of the supports teachers have to roll out a brand new curriculum. Our state's moving a different way in reading assessment. So, we need those literacy specialists um to help with that. And we hear that the science of math is coming next. And so, it's important to keep those those math people, too. Um and so, I think that the district has made the cuts, you know, that they needed to close the budget. Um but ultimately we might have to turn back to voters for a levy to see just like your household budget has increased in the last few years due to inflation. Those rising costs are happening in our schools too. And so if we don't keep our funding at the same pace, then that means we have to make cuts that are probably deeper than we really want to. >> Uh school safety, this is an ongoing thing really for decades now. And we had something hit very close to home in Minneapolis recently at an annunciation that I'm sure you're well aware of. >> Uh, can the district do more >> so when you drop your kids off at school or they ride their bike or walk to school or get on the bus, >> they know they're going to come home safely? >> Yeah, this is definitely a question that's at the top of parents mind. There's a lot of anxiety around this. I think it was really wise that our school district did some restructuring and rebuilding of the entrance points to schools. So, they've made these vestibules. Um, parents have to well, anyone who visits the school has to be let in. Um, they have to scan their ID card and tell the administrative assistants where why they're there. Um, I think that that's that helps. In the high schools, we have um monitors or school resource officers that are protecting those entrances. Um those are all helpful things. They make me feel better as a parent, but ultimately I think society has some work to do. Um school can definitely help if we fund our mental health services. It's important that we're keeping everyone connected, right? So for mental health, all humans have to feel connected to each other. And unfortunately, perpetrators for various reasons usually feel like they're not in that in the group. They don't have their people. And so, if we can um work on that problem, it's possible we can prevent this from happening again. >> You're not a lawmaker, but it certainly looks like Governor Tim Walls is gonna >> try to push through some tougher gun laws. Would you be for or against that? >> Um, that's a really that's a really tough question. It's a it's a nuanced question. Um the fact is that we already have 360 million guns in homes and the people that own those guns are not willing to hand over their guns. So while more restrictions or things like background checks or having a waiting period before guns can be purchased um might be viable solutions, it's still not going to solve um everything. Um we need to be supporting people, connecting people, working as a community to make sure that people feel included and loved. Um and when they are struggling, we have to have a system of support. >> What do you think the top needs in the uh Anoka Henipin district are right now? >> So a lot of attention has been paid to our test scores not being high. Now test scores are just one measure of student achievement. Um, and if students don't show up for those standard standardized tests or if they elect out of them, they still count negatively toward our total results. So, I'm not saying that standardized test scores paint the full picture and they certainly don't tell you everything you need to know about a student, but when we look at these from the 1980s when they started until now, it's very clear that our line is pretty stagnant. So, what can we do to improve that? Um, we had this dip for COVID. We're hopefully starting to recover from that now. Um, but specifically, we have a gap between our reading and writing scores and our math scores. So, the same student might be um in the 80th percentile in math and the 50th percentile in reading. Um, and so that shows us that we do have a place to improve things. And something that I do in my day job is I'm an education professor and I focus on literacy. And so I've spent the last seven years working on how do we meet the kids needs who aren't just natural readers, who aren't just getting it from their typical class instruction. And so by using what's called a multi-tered system of support, by having the right intervention at the right time, um by intervening early, even in kindergarten, if we can start early, kids don't have to fall behind, then they don't have the negative social ramifications of feeling like they're behind. Um and I think we can close that gap between literacy and math scores. and and you're connected to the Reading League of Minnesota. So, my assumption is you're passionate about reading and and getting the scores as high as possible. Am I right? >> You are right. I'm glad that's coming through. >> And and how how would that help you if you get on the board? You know, being you know it it you know in the epicenter of something as critical to learning as reading. >> Yes. So reading as you know I mean people are like wait but if you talk about reading all the time do you like math and science too? And I do love all those subjects, but I feel like reading is kind of the gatekeeper, right? So if you can't read proficiently, it's hard to read those history textbooks. It's hard to, you know, sound out the multi-selabic words that come with the content areas like science. Um, and so reading is the is the gateway. It opens the doors to everything. Um, so I care about all of those subjects, but being part of the Reading League Minnesota means that I'm literally having conversations with people at the cutting edge of research. I'm inviting those people to come to our events in Minnesota. And I'm trying to get teachers and um curriculum leaders to attend those events, too, so that we know what is right at the cutting edge. What is the newest research showing us? >> So, I know you're also an architect, which means you're familiar with blueprints. Do you have a blueprint? if you're sitting on that board, especially if it's contentious or a little bit toxic at times, how do you lay your blueprint out and sway the other side to your way of thinking? >> Yeah. Um, I mean, because I'm an educator, I really do believe that when you have the right information, you can make good decisions. And so, just laying out those facts and also being willing to say, I don't know the answer to this. let me look into this further instead of just you know having an answer to have an answer and then running with it. Um, also I am a humble person. So if facts are presented to me, um, I'm very willing to change my mind on things. Um, not to be a flip-flopper, but I do believe that when we're presented with new information, it's important to be able to take a step back instead of just doubling down on something that you now know is wrong. >> And you mentioned earlier in the interview about technology, and it's here to stay. >> It is. Where where are you on kids and phones in the classroom? >> Yeah, so the schools there are a few states and schools that have completely eliminated cell phones and both kids and teachers have been really happy about that. Um I've seen some really neat interviews with kids who say that lunch is actually fun again um because kids are having conversations. They're having more face-to-face interactions with each other instead of always being on their phones. And I know as an adult when I take a break from my phone and I'm not thinking about, oh, what was that little buzz? What was that notification? I'm certainly more focused. And so I think that it's it's something worth exploring. >> All right. And finally, uh, your chance to tell the viewers why they should vote for Abby Payer. >> I hope that you vote for me because I'm very qualified for this job because I have a heart for all kids from those who struggle with learning to those who excel. Um, I want to make it so that everybody is set up for success after school. Um, whether that's going to college, going to trade school like most of my family, um, or joining the workforce. Really, we just want everyone to be strong community members, people that are um, committed and invested to having a wonderful community that we all live and thrive in. So, voting for Abby Payer is voting for strong schools. Thank you. >> Thanks for stopping by. Thanks for having me. >> All right. She's Abby Payer running for a Noah Henipin school board in district 4. This is local decision 2025. [Music]