Fargo teacher joins race to become Moorhead School Board member

(Moorhead, MN) -- A Fargo teacher is looking for your vote to be a member of the school board in Moorhead.

Lorilee Bergin is a Fargo Teacher and is a candidate for the Moorhead area Public School Board. She is looking to be a voice for teachers in the district, citing her current role in Fargo Public Schools as a key reason why she is able to represent educators. 

"I am a Moorhead resident, but I work in Fargo. You can't run for a school board that you work for, "said Bergin, addressing why she is crossing the river to run in the school board election, "This gives me an opportunity to [be] a real-live teacher on the school board. Somebody who's got boots on the ground, who's actually doing the the work, who knows what our day is."

Bergin says she will look to address the current lag in math and reading scores, improve the working culture for educators, and tweak methodologies based around the results found in a recent equity audit of Moorhead Public Schools. 

Bergin spoke on topics like Critical Race Theory, saying Minnesota does not have CRT laws that apply to public schools because "we don't have Critical Race Theory in public schools." She says books discussing different backgrounds and races exist within the district, but is encouraging parents to think about it as "windows and mirrors."

"We always want books in our school that are windows and mirrors, "said Bergin, "What that means is you should be able to see yourself reflected in a story. You should also be able to take a peak through a window at what someone else's life is like through literature."

Moorhead's School Board Election is happening on November 8th. You can learn more about elections in Minnesota by clicking here.