Empowering teachers and students for a brighter future
Who is this young man running for school board?
My name is Andrew Mendez! I graduated from Brainerd High School just 4 years ago in 2020 and I am 22 years old. During my time at Brainerd, I was on the speech and debate team for 6 years. During my junior year, I fell in love with statistics thanks to a brilliant teacher and decided I would make a career out of it.
So I went off to Gustavus Adolphus College to get a degree in statistics and political science. I just graduated this past spring and am settling down here in Brainerd. During my time at Gustavus, I continued on the speech and debate team and became the state champion this past year. I also worked in the Title IX office as a data consultant and was elected to the student government to work on mental health initiatives. I also won the Political Science Writing Award for my senior thesis, A State of Prevention: Investigating How Minnesota School Districts Confront Sexual Violence and Exploitation, for being in the top 2 papers written in the department over the school year.
I am running for office because I believe that our board needs someone who has lived experience with this generation of students so that we can properly deal with the challenges that they face. With the development of technology and social media, our students face challenges that have never been seen before. We need someone who understands the realities of today’s students and is ready to address the challenges they face with urgency, empathy, and immediate action.
Many other candidates are running on important issues to them such as improving educational outcomes. However, these candidates have not even attempted to engage with the board, district leadership, or administrators about solving those important issues. They would rather spew harmful and often false rhetoric about the issue than actually take the time to solve it. On the other hand, I am already working with the board, district leaders, and administrators to implement solutions to challenges that students are facing. This is because I don’t want to run a campaign on an issue, I simply want to fix these issues as soon as possible.
My Top 5 Priorities
Solving Our Budget Crisis
Here in Brainerd, we are having a budget crisis. The way our budget works is by getting a certain amount of money from the state based on a mathematical equation that mainly relies on our enrollment numbers. We are like most schools and have seen a dip in enrollment in recent years due to fewer people having children which has resulted in our budget getting too small to continue operations as normal. Our school district’s budget is like a broken pencil - there’s no point in ignoring it. Most candidates are trying to figure out how to pick from three traditional options, but I have an innovative plan that strengthens our extracurriculars and gives students more career opportunities all while slimming down our budget and solving the crisis.
Combatting the Mental Health Crisis
Our school district is facing an epidemic that is more dangerous than anything we have seen before. The US Surgeon General just two months ago declared declining youth mental health “the defining public health challenge of our time,” even more so than COVID-19. Looking at the data proves this, as 17% of Brainerd High School students and 12% of 8th graders have already attempted to take their own life and more than 40% have seriously considered it, according to Minnesota Student Survey data. After COVID our students are more isolated than ever before and are struggling to stay afloat. I have experienced this crisis myself and watched many of my peers and family members also struggle with their mental health. I have a comprehensive plan that addresses the crisis and all its underlying causes.
Improving Educational Outcomes
Many of our current candidates are claiming that our district is failing our students because of decreasing MCA scores. This is a prime example of people who have zero understanding of what they are talking about OR they are using false rhetoric and fear-mongering tactics to try and scare you into voting for them. Yes, our MCA scores have decreased since 2020, but this is not because our students are learning less. It is because more and more students are taking the 3-hour long exam in less than 10 minutes. It is estimated that from 2019 the percentage of students who finished the exam so quickly they could not have read the questions has increased from 10-20% of students to 30-40% of students. When we look at the bigger picture and more accurate measures of educational outcomes we can see that our education has been improving in the district. Our average GPA, ACT, SAT, PSAT, and ASVAB scores have all increased over the past five years. Furthermore, all of our indicators of educational outcomes including MCA scores are significantly better than the state average and we rank in the top 15% of schools in the state. In our high school, we have more course offerings than nearly all schools in greater Minnesota which allows students to explore their career interests before graduating. This has resulted in our students having high socioeconomic mobility by decreasing unemployment, increasing salaries, and an increase in the number of students attending a technical school or college post-graduation. Our district is truly better than ever before in the modern era for educational outcomes and I have a plan to make sure it gets even better.
Selecting the Best Superintendent
One of the most important jobs as a school board member is selecting a superintendent. The way the relationship works is that school board members focus on what the district should do and the superintendent figures out how to do it. Selecting the best superintendent will ensure that our district moves forward in the right direction and can bring us to new heights. Click below to learn more about what I will look for in a superintendent.
Supporting Our Teachers
In today’s classrooms, teachers are often stretched thin by large class sizes and diverse learning needs. According to the American Teacher Survey in 2023, 78% of teachers across the nation have at least one indicator of negative well-being due to stress and mental health concerns. This research also found that the primary reason teachers are quitting is due to stress and a lack of support from schools. Our district is no exception, in recent years we have seen a mass exodus of teachers leaving their positions. It is time that we as a district realize that we are failing to properly support our teachers and create a plan to help them.
Contact
Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you want to take a few minutes to talk about an issue that you strongly care about.
Email
andrewm.4102@gmail.com
Phone
(218)-821-6731