Lisa Skjefte
She/Her/Hers
At-Large Candidate
What do you think the next superintendent should prioritize?
How would you repair and strengthen trust between teachers, families, and district staff?
Affirmations and acknowledgment and real change. Community, families, teachers, and staff have given the feedback we need to implement changes based on their feedback.
What do you see as the role of parent and community voice in decisions that affect the Minneapolis Public Schools? How do you intend to create inclusive, transparent processes (e.g., the search for the next superintendent)?
Parents and the community are pivotal partners and elevating their voices and centering their solutions needs real investments and accountability.
What are your views on the science of reading? What priorities would you advance to ensure the district is improving literacy for students?
Communities are active partners wanting to achieve the same goals, we need to identify their solutions and invest in them and empower them as partners.
How would you ensure the district is financially sustainable? Given declining enrollment in recent years, how would you ensure the engagement of families and strengthening of enrollment in the district?
I love Minneapolis Public Schools. As an MPS graduate, I’ve had amazing teachers. One of my first Black teachers was in 9th Grade: Mrs. Saddler at South High. With her belief in my leadership, I graduated high school and college. She remains a valued mentor in my life. These types of relationships promote belief in MPS.
How would you measure and hold the district accountable in its implementation of strategic initiatives?
All these goals are interconnected, and we cannot achieve all the goals of the strategic initiatives without the success of each one, and I believe the measure is in the retention of staff and students.
What does successful collaboration look like for a school board member? Who do you see as a resource? And how will you ensure that diverse perspectives–even those you may not agree with–are heard?
I see parents, teachers, and communities as the most informative and important resources. I have used tools from communities to help with difficult conversations and in my experiences have added to advancing diverse perspectives.
What strategies would you advocate for to hire, retain, support, and develop educators of color?
Listen to the solutions and experiences of teachers of color, believe in and affirm their experiences, and look to the community and staff for support on what accountability looks like. I would also suggest implicit bias training for administration.
Do you believe that every student should access grade-level materials and instruction? If yes, how would you ensure this access for all district students?
Every student should have access to the general education of their peers. I would advocate for more support to make this happen in a way that is equitable.
How do you think the district should ensure every student belongs?
Hiring and retention of teachers and staff who reflect their students is important to a sense of belonging. As an Anishinaabe/Ojibwe person, I benefited from teachers of color who were not just American Indian. My niece and nephew also benefit from their cultural clubs at their MPS, and their participation in Minneapolis Indian Education has greatly benefited their education and their sense of identity as Ojibwe people, and this connection influences how they connect to their school.
