Karen Krussow named 2015 Education Assistant of the Year

Karen Krussow, a Developmental Cognitive Disabilities education assistant at Robbinsdale Middle School, is the 2015 Robbinsdale Area Schools Education Assistant of the Year. She was surprised with the news on Monday, May 4, with an early-morning classroom visit from Peter Eckhoff, president of the Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers.

“Karen Krussow is one of the finest examples we have in Robbinsdale of a dedicated educator,” Eckhoff said. “She has shown tremendous leadership in our local union, and has shown incredible dedication to the high-needs children in our special education program throughout her career. She does a wonderful job of putting smiles on faces.”

Krussow, a Robbinsdale Area Schools alum, has been employed with the district since 1987. She has worked with the Developmental Cognitive Disabilities program since 1992, and is the current Robbinsdale Federation of Teachers Education Assistant President.

“Our education assistants are so amazing and their jobs are so important that any one of us could have been nominated for this award, and I’m just very honored to be chosen this year,” Krussow said.

There were 50 nominees for the Education Assistant of the Year award this year. This is the fifth year that Robbinsdale Area Schools has participated in the Education Assistant of the Year program, which leads to the state and national Education Support Professional of the Year awards. Robbinsdale Area Schools’ Education Assistant for 2014 was Sandi Lindstrom, a special education job coach.