Four St. Paul school board candidates get DFL's endorsement

St. Paul DFLers endorsed four candidates for school board on Sunday — giving the party nod to incumbent Chauntyll Allen while passing on colleague Zuki Ellis.

Ellis, who is seeking a third term, has said she's staying in the race.

The city DFL convention — held at Washington Technology Magnet School on the North End — wrapped up a springtime run of caucuses and other events aimed at building party support behind City Council and school board hopefuls.

"We have an astoundingly diverse slate of candidates ... who represent so many of our vibrant communities," Dieu Do, city DFL Party chair, said in an email Monday. "I am incredibly excited to support these candidates and build a strong field program with them."

The school board slate includes Allen, Yusef Carrillo, Carlo Franco and Erica Valliant — all of whom were backed by the St. Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE). Ellis, a former school board chair, has enjoyed the union's support in the past but did not seek its endorsement this year.

Before being elected to the board, Allen was known for her Black Lives Matter activism. As a board member, she has aligned herself closely with student causes such as the preservation of arts and music programming. She said she intends to make literacy in grades K-3 a major part of her work going forward.

Carrillo, a senior analyst for Securian Financial in St. Paul, served as an interim board member in 2021. He argued successfully against the proposed closing of Wellstone Elementary as part of the Envision SPPS district redesign.

In a recent SPFE candidate questionnaire, Carrillo referred several times to concerns about top-down management, saying he wants instead to build consensus in district decisionmaking.

Franco is a former SPFE executive board member who now serves as youth engagement and training manager for the city of St. Paul. He said in his union questionnaire that board members should be "on the ground" to see how academic programs are implemented and listen to educators about the challenges and successes involved.

Valliant is a manager at People Serving People, an emergency shelter in Minneapolis. She has been a PTA member with St. Paul schools and has described her approach to governance as being about "building, not selling — when you speak, converse, don't pitch," she said. Also, "have fun."

The official filing period for St. Paul school board and council candidates is Aug. 1-15.