Four years in power

In 2019, these teachers were elected to municipal and city councils. Some even wore the mayor’s necklace around their necks.

Four years later, we will know:
What is your biggest educational political victory?

What issue did you not get approved for?

Are you going to have another four years?

Even Tronstad Sagbakken

Mayor of Lindesnes in Agder since 2019

1. Locally, we received NOK 10 million to purchase new textbooks for the primary level. We have also created a reading plan and adopted a Subject Mastery Plan, which will establish guidelines for our priorities in kindergarten and school. Here, we also decided to focus on pupils’ development much more than one-sidedly on results. We did not progress as much as we wanted, and unfortunately a lot of our energy in the first two years was spent on growth, and less on development work, due to the pandemic.

2. We hoped to be in a box with a theme plan in 2022, so we could use the past year to start working on our priorities.

3. I’m definitely going for the new four!

Hani Benedicti Weg

Deputy Mayor of Alstadhaug Municipality in Nordland since 2019

1. It has been very important for Rødt to maintain the schools we have in the municipality throughout this period. We succeeded in achieving this in cooperation with the Center Party. It sends a signal to everyone that we want stability throughout our municipality. I believe that cooperation between us and the Center Party was necessary to achieve this.

2. Free school meals and the Free After-School Program (SFO) are schemes that I could have thought of promoting more in our municipality. There are issues that are important to Roodt.

3. Give up now. Now I am passing the baton to new people after 16 years in the municipal council. It feels so right. At the same time, I will continue to be an active member of Rødt Alstahaug and a member of the Board of Directors of Rødt Nordland, so there will definitely be more politics in the future.

Monica Myhrvold Berg

Mayor of Drammen Municipality in Viken since 2019

1. Our greatest educational political victories must be these three: we have introduced social work positions in all primary schools in Drammen, we have begun to introduce free school meals in the municipality, and it has been decided that we must trust the professional judgment of teachers in school and kindergarten. Professional and ethical assessments must be carried out close to the children and by teachers themselves. The decision stipulates, among other things, that kindergarten teachers will be allowed to evaluate the type of standardized tools that kindergartens should use.

2. I wish we would go further to ensure that all pupils meet qualified teachers, who have time for good monitoring and varied teaching. We will work on this further over the next four years.

3. Of course I’m going for the new four. We have achieved a lot, but we have more that we want to achieve.

Carrie LeGrad

Representative of the Center Party municipal council in Eidfjord in Vestland since 2019

1. My biggest educational political victory is open summer kindergarten. Eidfjord is a tourist village, and many of its residents work in the tourism industry. That’s why I thought it was important for the nursery to be open throughout the summer, so that it would be easier for parents of young children to enjoy a game of solitaire during the week. In addition, it will be easier for these families to take joint vacations with their children at other times during the year. This got me through. Another important issue is that the price of nursery was set at NOK 500 less than the maximum price before 2019. This is something we have maintained and will work to maintain. I would also like to mention the decision regarding funding for school paper books. This was approved unanimously, which I am very happy about. I believe that both children and parents are encouraged to use paper books at school and at home.

2. I can’t think of any educational policy issues we don’t agree on.

3. Now I am running for another four years and running for mayor for the Wasat Party for the next period.

Yvonne Wold

Mayor of Rauma Municipality in Møre Öge Romsdal since 2019

1. We agreed and built a new nursery and school in Mandalyn and adopted a separate educational plan. We have also been involved in the Cultural School Mentoring Scheme. It has been confirmed that we can maintain the school structure for the next four years. We have built the team around students with resource teams in schools. This is also just before launching the Romsdals track, which we decided to do last year. There are educational activities to create identity and promote well-being planned by teachers at Rauma School in collaboration with local businesses. Probably the most significant educational policy victories in provincial politics have been about achieving success in maintaining important provincial recruiting pipeline offers, and together with our partner parties we have put more resources into educational and psychological services.

2. We selected teachers/classes and schools who wanted to let them try homework without homework, but there was no interest. We were unable to implement free school meals.

3. I hope I can keep going. We have several measures we would like to implement so that being an employee and student at Rauma School continues to improve.

Katherine Hesto Hansen

Deputy Mayor of Endre Ostvold in Viken since 2019

1. Four years ago, we in the Labor Party went to the polls for full and permanent employment, and that temporary budgets should be used to a greater extent to employ people permanently rather than temporarily. We have fulfilled this promise. In the nursery sector, several nurseries have jointly created a temporary complex with permanent staff working throughout the nurseries. Another victory, which large parts of the municipal council are lagging behind, is maintenance. In the current period, we have adopted a plan for the needs of schools and nurseries that explains how to improve the schools and nurseries that need them. We have completed the renovation of two schools, two of which are up for tender, four are ready for tender, and two are in planning.

2. We did not obtain approval to increase the number of essential staff in kindergartens.

3. I will run for another four years as mayoral candidate for the Labor Party, Endre Ostvold. Our new municipality is beautiful, but it is not finished yet. For Indre Ostfold to be a good place to live and grow, we need good schools, good kindergartens, good care for the elderly and an inclusive community.

Björn Revell

City councilor in Oslo since 2019. Elected for the No More Fees People’s Action Party. Transition to Frp reported in May 2022.

1. My biggest victory is that I contributed to putting the fight against violence and threats in school on the agenda. Finally, the city council also had to take this problem seriously. I was the first politician to bring a case to the City Council regarding financial compensation for the teacher, Clemens Sayers, who was subjected to violence. So, it meant a lot to me that there was finally political approval to give it to him in 2022. In addition, the freedom of choice of school, the cap on absences at secondary level and exams, are things that we opposition politicians have fought to preserve.

2. There should be more stringent requirements for order and behavior at school. The draft FRP program for the coming period states, among other things, that “from kindergarten to secondary school, the focus should be on the child/student to demonstrate good behavior and learn to take responsibility.”

3. The outcome of the election will determine whether I continue in politics, but I am now determined to return to my job as a lecturer at the best gymnasium in Norway from 1 August.