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Wendy is the mother of two children in the Bemidji Public Schools. She became involved in the public schools through Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), “That’s where I first started talking with other parents about our expectations and what we wanted for our children. We wanted small class sizes. We wanted to be able to trust that when we sent children to school they would have a positive, enriching experience. What we found was that many of the wonderful programs in Bemidji were being cut.”

Motivated to learn more about education funding, Wendy connected with Parents United.  In July 2003, Wendy organized a meeting of Bemidji parents to launch Support Our Schools of Bemidji. She served as coordinator of Bemidji’s successful referendum campaign in 2003 and was chosen by Bemidji teachers as Lay Educator of the Year in 2004.

Wendy enjoys yoga, writing, and spending time with her family in the beauty of northern Minnesota—fishing, camping, and skiing. She also helps organize the Sunday school program at her church. 

"None of us are necessarily born to be activists.  Something lights a spark within us—for many parents, it's a child-related issue—and we do what we can to make a difference.

I now realize the impact that citizens can have upon public policy if they develop relationships with their legislators.  Lawmakers are generalists on most issues.  They deal with a myriad of issues and cannot possibly be experts in all areas.  Sharing what we, as parents, know about public schools through our direct experiences can persuade our lawmakers to enact better public policy.  Our parental voice is powerful in the electoral process as well.  We can seek out and vocally support candidates who will fight for the needs of public schools.  The more that we unite as parents, the stronger our voice will be."

—Wendy Kalass Thompson
info@parentsunited.org