Mary believes investing in strong, quality education from pre-Kindergarten through post-secondary is essential for the district and for Minnesota. As a teacher for more than 20 years, Mary has seen first-hand the shift to "teaching to the test" and away from important core curriculum. It's wrong and is not working for students or for teachers. As a leader in her school district's groundbreaking initiatives to close achievement gaps, Mary is committed to investing in both emerging and proven strategies to make sure every student in our schools has the opportunity to reach their full potential. She will work to fully fund public schools across our state and strongly believes that state must ensure post-secondary education remain accessible and affordable.