President Rodriguez: Thank You

A message from President Denise Rodriguez:

After 39 years in the St. Paul Public Schools, I have decided to retire in June. As a student at Mounds Park Junior High, and a proud graduate of Harding High School, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a Spanish teacher in SPPS. Teaching is my passion, but as I became more active in our union I discovered my second passion: advocating for members.

I am incredibly proud of the work SPFT has done. In our last round of contract negotiations, we won funding for Restorative Practice pilots, a $15 starting wage for all our Educational Assistants, and a continued commitment from the district for additional counselors, nurses, school psychologists, social workers and librarians. Most recently we laid the groundwork to run a campaign to fully fund our public schools.

Even though I am stepping down, I know I am leaving SPFT in good hands. We have so many strong leaders on our Executive Board, Bargaining Teams, among our stewards, and in the classroom. Vice President Nick Faber is running for president, and I know he will do an excellent job continuing SPFT’s work advocating for our members and students.

Serving as your president has been exciting and challenging honor. Thank you for this incredible opportunity.