Today we are taking a break from City Hall to focus on other local issues. Lara Bergman is a candidate for the District 6 Minneapolis School Board seat. Her opponent is Greta Callahan, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT). We reached out to Greta for an interview and are waiting to hear back.
Lara’s Background
Lara comes to this moment as an early childhood educator, Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) parent, and proud MPS alum. With over 15 years of teaching experience in Montessori early childhood classrooms, Lara has dedicated her life to providing supportive learning environments where all children thrive. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from St. Catherine University, an Early Childhood Montessori teaching credential from the American Montessori Society and is working towards certificates in Early Childhood Policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and School Board Finance from Georgetown University. Lara also has extensive experience in education advocacy and policy. She served as a CARE Fellow, working with a cohort of child care advocates to impact change at the state level.
Most recently, Lara was a BUILD Initiative Fellow at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where she focused on building equitable early childhood systems and addressing compensation for early childhood educators. As a trained racial equity facilitator, she has led community conversations while serving on her neighborhood board, school PTA and as chair of a nonprofit preschool. In her role as Board Chair of the preschool, she led strategic planning, a leadership transition and challenging financial decisions at the beginning of the COVID pandemic. She recently completed an Embracing Equity Leadership Residency as part of a cohort of leaders in Minnesota working to build equity into organizational climate, culture, systems and structures.
Interview Topics
In this interview with Lara Bergman, she discusses her deep connection to the Minneapolis public schools as both a former student and a parent. Bergman emphasizes her extensive background in early childhood education, having worked in Head Start programs and Montessori schools. Her candidacy is driven by her concern for transparency and strong leadership within the school system, which she feels is currently lacking. She advocates for improvements in early childhood education, literacy, and financial sustainability for the district.
Bergman highlights key issues such as the district’s projected $85 million budget deficit and declining enrollment, pointing out the need to address empty school buildings and class size disparities. She is passionate about improving literacy, noting that less than half of the district's students are reading at grade level. She also underscores the importance of good governance and accountability in ensuring the school board’s strategic decisions are aligned with community needs. Bergman believes in a collaborative approach to solving these challenges, working with other board members, educators, and parents to create a more effective and equitable school system for all Minneapolis students.
In addition, we briefly discussed phones in schools and the proposed technology levy. The technology levy will replace the existing 2.249% levy and set aside a fund specifically for technology in schools. The new levy will be 4.728% and would be authorized for ten years. It is projected to raise $381,422,020 over that period.
Depending on where you live, your ballot may include State Representatives, District and/or At-Large School Board Members, Justices and Judges, and a Constitutional Amendment to extend the transfer of state lottery proceeds to protect drinking water, water quality, air quality, wildlife, and natural areas, as well as to expand access to parks and trails.
You can prepare yourself for election day by reviewing your ballot at:
Interview: Lara Bergman, District 6 MPS School Board Candidate