Former Special Education teacher Peggy Bennett also serves as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Many excellent classroom teachers also serve as successful politicians. One of these is Peggy Bennett, a Special Education teacher who is currently in office as a member of the House of Representatives for Minnesota.

Peggy was born July 3, 1958. She grew up in White Bear Lake, Ramsey County, Minnesota. As a young girl, she attended Westonka High School in Mound, Minnesota. Following her high school graduation, she enrolled in Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Education in 1980. She earned a Master’s degree in Special Education from St. Cloud State University in 1981.

After she earned her degrees, Peggy accepted a position as a Special Education teacher in Albert Lea in 1981. She taught a K-1 transition class for Special Education and regular education students for seven years before becoming a first grade teacher. In 2011, Peggy garnered the Albert Lea Area Teacher of the Year award. By the time she retired in 2015, her career as an educator spanned a total of 33 years.

While in the classroom, Peggy often brought her dog, Colter, to school. The shepherd pup helped her teach first grade students how to read. Colter was even featured on an episode of Fox and Friends in June 2014.

In 2018, the talented educator was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives on the Republican ticket to represent District 27A. Representative Bennett was first elected in 2014, earning 53% of the votes in a three-candidate race, and again in 2016 with 61.7% of the votes.

As a representative, Peggy serves as the Assistant Minority Leader. She is a member of the Committees for Education Policy, Education Finance, and Capital Investment. She has focused her efforts on access to and affordability of health care, mental health for students, foster care, and increasing student access to trades education.