Beth Beebe was endorsed by unanimous vote recently as the Republican candidate for Minnesota House in District 50B.  The delegates recognized that she is ready to address the issues that matter to Bloomington voters.

• As a current member of the Bloomington School Board and regional representative to the MN School Board Association, Beth is ready to take on the concerns and experience of educators and school administrators in the legislature.
• In her fifth year on the Bloomington School Board Legislative Committee, Beth is very aware of proposed legislation that would take away local control of schools and of the increasing number of unfunded mandates.
• As a former teacher and founder of an education enrichment program, Beth is ready to weigh in on state curriculum mandates, such as the recently-proposed Social Studies standards. She would push back on initiatives proposed by special-interest groups that would override community values and parents’ rights.
• As a former member of her local Parent Teachers Association, school volunteer, and current School Board member, Beth is deeply in touch with the impact of disruptions caused by school closures and unprecedented schedule changes. She has also witnessed the immense damage to Bloomington’s service industry, small businesses, and self-employed workers caused by arbitrary shutdowns of the local economy.
• As a former teacher in Japan and Los Angeles and a community volunteer organizer, Beth has worked to address the needs of minority and economically disadvantaged kids. She knows how to leverage assets within the community with minimal reliance on government funding.
• As a wife, mother, Neighborhood Watch block captain, and 22-year resident of Bloomington, Beth knows the value of the Bloomington police. She will support police by ensuring that they are well-trained and well-resourced. She is also firmly behind the Protect Minnesota Kids Act that would toughen sentencing guidelines for sexual exploitation and trafficking.  Sentences now are too light considering the traumatizing effects on kids and the long-term impacts on the victims of such crimes.

Beth Beebe knows the Twin Cities very well.  She was raised in St. Louis Park and attended St Louis Park High School.  She graduated from Bethel University with a degree in Social Work.

Beth moved to Japan and taught English for the next 3 years, taking time between terms to study teaching. She then returned to the US to attend William Carey International University in Pasadena, CA.

Following graduation, teaching became again the prime focus of her life.  Beth took positions at both a private school and in the Los Angeles Unified School District, bringing her experience to their “English as a Second Language” programs.  She worked extensively with Latino and Vietnamese students during this period.

Beth met her husband John while living in Los Angeles.  They moved to San Jose, CA, where she received her second degree in Education from San Jose State University.  She started an enrichment program for home schooled students.  She helped found the Pioneer Family Academy that started out by repurposing unused office space at a church.  Serving the greater San Jose metropolitan area, it offers home-schooled students in grades 3 through 8 the opportunity to meet two days a week for more in-depth instruction in social studies and science.  Open to students across all ethnic and economic backgrounds, it has been in operation now for 27 years and expanded through 12^th grade.

Beth and John moved home to Bloomington in 2000.  As Minnesota did not accept California teaching credentials, Beth started out working with pre-school kids, then became a paraprofessional substitute with special education students in Bloomington schools.  With children in school, she volunteered in her local school and with the Parent Teachers Association.

In her role as a school volunteer, Beth became aware of economic challenges faced by some of her son’s classmates.  She began distributing food in a local housing development and then brought in local organizations with greater food resources.  She started “Connections” with other women volunteers at school and in the neighborhood.  They involved kids in after-school activities and provided school supplies and clothing.  Ultimately, they developed and ran a summer program for kids that involved sports competitions and drama exercises.  Beth became a “go-to” resource for teachers, serving as a family liaison to help determine where special help might be needed.

While living in Bloomington, Beth has been a block captain in the Neighborhood Watch program for five years.  She has helped organize summer and winter activities with and for her neighbors, notably a display of luminaries along local streets in the winter.

Beth first ran for the Bloomington School Board in 2017.  She was re-elected in 2021.  She has been serving

• On the Legislative Committee for 5 years, focusing on lobbying priorities
• As a member of the Delegate Assembly of the Minnesota School Board Association for 3 years, working with its legislative arm. Beth represents school districts in Bloomington, Edina, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Richfield, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, and Wayzata
• On the Community Collaboration Committee, which works with the District Diversity Advisory Committee.to meet the education needs of minority students.
• On the District Policies Committee, reviewing and updating policies and procedures covering areas involving School Board Directors, Administration, Personnel, Students, Education Programming, Non-Instructional Operations, Buildings and Sites, and School/Community Relations.
• With the Bloomington Student Advisory Committee, giving students a voice to ensure that their concerns are heard. This has made Beth aware of issues encountered while moving students from remote to in-person learning
• On the Insurance Committee, where she has seen how COVID has affected school insurance costs and coverage

Beth Beebe has far more to warrant election to the legislature from House District 50B.   Beth's campaign website (under construction now) will be BethBeebeforStateRep.com.