Q&A With New President of Education Minnesota, the State’s Largest Union

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Education Minnesota, the state’s largest union representing more than 86,000 members, elected its first Black president on Saturday.

Monica Byron ran unopposed to replace Denise Specht, who led the union since 2013. Byron started her career as a homeschool liaison for the Richfield Public Schools in 1995 before earning her teaching license. She taught elementary school in Richfield for 24 years, most recently as a math coach. In 2022, she left her teaching job when she was elected vice president of Education Minnesota.

Bryon takes over one of the state’s most influential unions at a critical juncture for public schools. More than 8 in 10 schools report having a shortage of teachers, and the union wants to increase pay to fill the ranks. But a looming budget deficit is tying the hands of state lawmakers who might otherwise support robust increases in school funding. At the federal level, the Trump administration has threatened to eliminate the Department of Education while also attacking unions.

This conversation was edited for length and clarity. 

Why did you run for president of the union?

I ran for president because I believe in the power of our union and to protect and strengthen things that matter most, like professional pay, secure pensions, affordable health care and respect for all of our educators.

You are the first Black president of Education Minnesota. What does that mean for your union and also organized labor in Minnesota?

I am really proud and honored to be the first Black president of Education Minnesota. I believe that I’m able to bring a unique and fresh perspective and voice to not only Education Minnesota but to the labor movement. I’ll be able to advocate not only for educators, but for our students and our community. And I’ll be able to ensure that all educators, but especially our educators of color, will have a voice.

The Trump administration has vowed to close the Department of Education and has threatened to withhold funding from schools with diversity programs, which was recently blocked by judges. What do you see as Education Minnesota’s role in responding to the Trump administration?

Education Minnesota has been publicly defending against the attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion and the other attacks from Washington, D.C. We are going to ensure that we have freedom to read. We’re going to make sure our history isn’t whitewashed. We’re just going to make sure that our students and our educators are able to teach and do all the things that they need to do.

What do you see as the biggest threats facing teachers and the union at this moment?

Right now, I think it’s just been the chaos and the executive orders coming. We have great partners though, from our national allies and our other labor allies. I think it’s just the unknown and the threats to the unions as a whole. But we are positioned well to be able to respond.

In 2024, just 28% of 8th graders rated proficient at reading, which is the lowest on record for the nationwide benchmark. In math, students’ abilities seem to be just as dire. I’m curious why you think teachers aren’t able to equip students with these basic skills of reading and math.

For me, the question is what resources and what other things our educators need. I believe that we need to ensure that all educators are equipped with those resources. They have the time to be able to teach and that we ensure that when it comes to class sizes, those teachers are able to reach each of those students.

Gov. Tim Walz, former teacher and union member, ran on being an education governor. Could you give him a grade on his tenure?

Education Minnesota has worked closely with Gov. Walz. President Specht is in charge when it comes to working with Gov. Walz. So as vice president, I’ve been able to watch and follow her lead. So I don’t have a grade at this time.

What are Education Minnesota’s top priorities at the Legislature this year?

Right now, our top priorities have been around professional pay, which includes a starting pay for our entry educators and $25 per hour for our ESPs. We have a pension bill, which would ensure that we have a career rule for our teachers. And we also have a bill around health insurance, so that our educators have quality health insurance. It would start a health insurance pool for our educators across the state. And we also are looking to protect the inflationary rule on education that we won last year.

Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Minnesota Reformer maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor J. Patrick Coolican for questions: info@minnesotareformer.com.

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