2023 MREA Membership Year in Review
As the 2023 MREA membership year comes to a close, it is important to reflect on the accomplishments and happenings of the last 12 months in Greater Minnesota education.
While there’s so much going on at MREA, here are a few highlights of what we’ve accomplished with and for our members.
Advocate
- Advocacy Director Sam Walseth and his team were inside the walls of the Captiol every day during session advocating for rural Minnesota education.
- Over 15 Advocacy Briefings were held on Tuesday mornings at 7 am to update members on happenings at the Capitol from the prior week as well as what was on the agenda for the upcoming week. On average, the Advocacy Briefings were attended by 80+ members live, while an average of 60+ members watched the recording afterwards.
- MREA successfully advocated for Greater Minnesota students by with legislative wins such as:
- Increasing and Indexing the Basic Formula Allowance
- Securing Cooperative Facilities levy authority
- Increasing funding for CTE Consortia Programs
- See full list of Legislative Accomplishments.
Communicate & Educate
- MREA Greater Education Summit in November 2022 hosted around 450 education leaders from throughout Minnesota.
- Over 30 breakout sessions were offered at the Summit, sharing best practices, tips, and practical ideas.
- MREA published over 10 interactive maps and analysis showing impacts of major legislative changes.
- Executive Director Bob Indihar visited over 80 districts throughout the membership year to learn more about their districts, leadership, and priorities.
- MREA hosted timely, relevant webinars on topics such as Truth in Taxation, new Unemployment Insurance legislation, School Board Member Orientation, Social and Emotional Learning and more.
- MREA attended regional meetings and trainings to provide input and stay informed.
- MREA collaborated with key education organizations in Minnesota and nationwide to ensure the voice of Greater Minnesota education was represented.
- MREA leadership attended the National Rural Education Association Annual Conference to keep a pulse on rural education issues and topics, and learn about best practices to take back to Minnesota districts.
Celebrate
- Four Minnesota teachers were featured and honored with the Educators of Excellence Award at the Greater Education Summit, celebrating the incredible work being done by educators in Greater Minnesota districts.
- Two programs in Greater Minnesota districts were highlighted and featured with the Innovation Program Awards, celebrating the innovation and out-of-the-box ideas that are being implemented in rural districts.
- Rep. Paul Marquart was honored with MREA’s Distinquished Service Award, highlighting his legislative accomplishments for rural Minnesota education.
- Learn more about MREA Awards.
MREA Membership Year in Review
The slideshow below presents even more insight into how MREA serves members not only this year, but every year. We are honored to be the voice for Greater Minnesota education.
