Southern Minnesota residents have one of the best advocates for schools serving them in the Minnesota Senate. State Senator Julie Rosen (R-Vernon-Center) has been named 2019 Legislator of Distinction by the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA). The organization honored Sen. Rosen with the award because of her support for local decision-making authority and her advocacy for stronger youth mental health support.

This is the second consecutive year Sen. Rosen has been honored by MSBA. In 2018, the organization named her Legislator of the Year for her work on behalf of Minnesota schools.

“Minnesota has some of the best schools in the country, and we owe that success to the dedication and creativity of local officials,” said Sen. Rosen. “Students in Jackson, Madelia, and New Richland have much different needs than students in Edina or Minneapolis. The only way we will continue having success long into the future is if we give local school boards and officials as much autonomy as possible.”

Sen. Rosen has been a staunch advocate for mental health in our public schools”, said Kirk Schneidawind, executive director of Minnesota School Boards Association. “Her efforts to understand access to mental health for rural Minnesota is different than the Metropolitan area and her work towards making mental health available for all our students is commendable and appreciated by school boards across the state.

Last session Sen. Rosen chief authored Senate File 1, the top Senate Republican priority covering a multitude of mental health issues. During her time in office, Sen. Rosen has been a driving force behind Republicans’ focus on mental health. As one of her signature mental health achievements, Sen. Rosen’s brought stakeholders and experts together to expand Telehealth into schools in order to proactively address the mental health crisis facing our children today.

The Minnesota School Boards Association, a leading advocate for public education, supports, promotes and strengthens the work of public school boards. The organization was founded in 1920 and is the eighth-oldest school board organization in the United States. MSBA represents 330 Minnesota school boards.