Mary Buss is Running For School Board!

Endorsed by the Minnesota Women's Political Caucus. 

I am running for school board because I passionately believe our children are the future of America.  Public education made this country great and is now in crisis.  If we dilute funding for public education, we dilute our resources for the future.  Our government and the private sector have worked in partnership to outsource valuable assets: manufacturing and technology.  If we continue down the path of looking only at short term gain, we will short-change our most valuable asset: our children.

I was born in 1958 and attended the University of Iowa.  I earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration majoring in marketing and industrial relations.  I also hold a master’s degree in accounting and served as President of Beta Alpha Psi, the honorary accounting fraternity.  I worked on Wall Street from 1984 to 1987.  In 1992 I received a bachelor’s degree with honors in three dimensional design from Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London, England.  I am now a self-employed full time artist with work in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.

I grew up in an era of prosperity.  My father was an elementary school principal, coach and community volunteer.  My mother was a teacher.  Prosperity reigned until the oil embargo of the1970’s.  Gas prices soared, middle class Americans suffered and pride in America was at a low point.

Now, we suffer a similar crisis and it affects our children.  Priorities in education no longer make sense.  School budgets are cut, students face a health crisis due to an obesity epidemic and good teachers suffer because of increases in class size and lack of support.

I have a 3 POINT PROGRAM to address the problems we currently face in public education:

1.   Create Minneapolis “Housing for Hope”

•    Address the disparity in school quality in neighborhoods experiencing the foreclosure crisis.

•    Low income families volunteer and Minneapolis agencies and businesses partner to “re-hab”                 foreclosed properties.

•    Houses are awarded to volunteers at a nominal purchase price.

•    Home ownership improves neighborhoods: When neighborhoods improve, schools improve.

2.    Stimulate Volunteerism with Tax and Voucher Incentives

•    Build stronger parent –teacher relationships

•    Leverage parent skill sets to enhance student learning.

•    Encourage retired individuals to volunteer. Children learn valuable life lessons from their elders.

3.    Focus on our Children's Health: Stop the Obesity Epidemic

•    Provide Minneapolis schools with healthy breakfast and lunch menu choices

•     Education on nutrition

•     Encourage “best eating” habits via classroom reward system

•     Increase morning and afternoon playtime

•     Emphasis on physical education 

•     Create more playground activities

****I know how to read financial statements.  I once was an accountant in New York City.****  

I  have funding proposals to support my 3 POINT PROGRAM that do not involve tax increases or user fees.  These detailed funding proposals can be found on my website  www.MaryBuss.com.  If we adopt these programs through leadership at the top, test scores will improve, children will thrive, and we will have taken positive steps to stop the decline in our public schools.

*********            REMEMBER, HEALTHY KIDS MAKE HEALTHY CITIES.     *********

JOIN ME. I WILL BE HOLDING RALLIES IN WARDS 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Thank you for visiting my website: www.MaryBuss.com