Nearly 3,000 parents, students and teachers rallied on the steps of the State Capitol to show their support for public education, Saturday, May 5.

Undeterred by gray skies, cold winds and a nasty drizzle, they came from Duluth and Rochester, Pequot Lakes and St. Paul, Mankato and Minneapolis, to urge legislators to support Minnesota schools with adequate funding.

Retired Medtronic CEO Win Wallin, Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bernard Brommer, Duluth Superintendent of Schools Julio Almanza, and St. Paul Federation of Teachers President Ian Keith were among the speakers who carried the message, 'Don't Shortchange Our Students.'

The crowd cheered them all and roared its approval for Senator Paul Wellstone's pledge to, 'Be here for you, for our students and for our schools.'

By contrast, Representative Steve Sviggum, speaker of the Minnesota House, was roundly booed when he defended House education funding proposals that are well below the $300 per student funding increase sought by the Alliance for Student Achievement.

Bigger classes, layoffs
The Alliance, a coalition of 10 major education groups, organized the rally to protest proposed K-12 education bills that will lead to class size increases, program cuts and teacher layoffs throughout the state.

With only two weeks remaining in the 2001 legislative session, Brommer told the crowd, ' It is a sad testament to our government that it is necessary for us to assemble to remind our election officials to do the right thing-support our students!'

Barbara Klaas, chair of the Alliance said, 'We are serious about this crisis in education. This is one of our last opportunities to demonstrate to our lawmakers the public's concern that schools be funded properly.'

Other speakers included Kim Norton, president Minnesota Parent Teacher Association; Jeff Albertson, student, Pequot Lakes High School; Greg Vanda, superintendent, Sauk Rapids-Rice; Sandra Peterson and Judy Schaubach, Co-presidents, Education Minnesota; State Rep. Tom Pugh, South St. Paul;

State Rep. Mindy Greiling, Roseville; Dr. Blanton Bessinger, president, Minnesota Medical Association; JoAnne Clark, president, St. Paul PTA Council, Harding PTA; Lee Pao Xiong, president, Urban Coalition; State Sen. John Hottinger, Mankato; and Paul Brinkman, school board, Virgina, Minnesota.

Members of the Alliance for Student Achievement are Education Minnesota, the Minnesota Parent-Teacher Association, the Minnesota School Boards Association, the Minnesota Association of School Administrators, the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals, Minnesota Elementary School Principals, Schools for Equity in Education, the Minnesota Association of School Business Officials, the Minnesota Rural Education Association and the Association of Metropolitan School Districts.

Diane O'Brien is communications director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO.