Four candidates are looking for one of the three spots open on the St. Michael-Albertville School Board in next week’s Tuesday, Nov. 4 General Election.
Per usual, the bi-annual election means half of the current board is open, and vice chair Gayle Weber, chair Douglas Birk and director Jeff Lindquist are the three incumbents on next week’s ballot.
Despite a handful of attempts to contact Gayle Weber, she has chosen not to participate in our Question and Answer Profile, as is her right as a candidate. Also, Lisa Gray, who initially filed to be a candidate for the board, withdrew from consideration for personal reasons.
As for the other three people on this year’s ballot, here’s a look at them and the issues NWCToday asked them to discuss:
St. Michael-Albertville School Board Candidate Questions
Jeff Lindquist
Age: 52
Address: 13764 44th Lane NE, St. Michael, MN 55376
Family: Wife, Wendy Lindquist, and four boys – Peter (25 years old, STMA Class of 2007); Jim (23, STMA Class of 2009); Patrick (21, STMA Class of 2011) and Tommy (18, STMA Class of 2014).
Years in St. Michael community: 14
What inspired you to run for St. Michael-Albertville School Board?
Primarily — a desire to give back to a community that has given much to me and my family. I also have a passion for education, and I believe I have skills that would assist in continuing to establish good policy for our school district. I am fair-minded, and a good communicator. I believe my first term on the Board reflects those qualities.
What are the biggest challenges currently facing District 885, and into 2015?
Without a doubt, the most pressing issue facing our District is the existing and expanding inequity in public school funding. While our District (thanks mostly to a great staff and supportive parents) has admirably managed to accomplish “more with less,” the downward trend in State equity funding continues to hurt our district, which is currently dead last in per-pupil funding. This will pose ever-increasing challenges in the very near future. The “more with less” formula is simply not sustainable over the long term. Our current Board has taken extraordinary measures to correct this inequity in funding, and I pledge to continue to work with our representatives in St. Paul to correct these inequities.
STMA also faces significant challenges regarding the incorporation of mobile technology in the class room. Many districts are providing mobile devices (such as iPads or tablets) to all students. We simply cannot afford that now. We have taken a different and innovative approach with the successful implementation of the “bring your own device” (or Project Phoenix) initiative. I have championed this initiative, and will continue to advocate for an expansion of this program in a manner that best serves our students and our educational mission within our current budgetary constraints.
St. Michael-Albertville Schools are consistently among the lowest funded in the state. How can that change with your presence on the school board?
I will continue to advocate for a more equitable allocation of state education funding. I have a solid understanding of this issue, have spent time advocating for change, and have the communication skills necessary to help effect change at the state level that will benefit our district.
What can the district do better to serve both parents and students?
We should continue to expand existing initiatives to increase and enhance communication between parents/families and teachers/staff. We can and will expand the use of technology in all of our schools, and will teach our students to use technology in a smart and productive fashion. We will continue to advocate for equity in education funding.
Is the district positioned well when it comes to student population and the capacity of current schools?
Yes. Through periods of explosive and challenging population growth, our district did an exemplary job of planning and building. Our communities stepped up to support the expansion of necessary infrastructure, and our District is well positioned to provide quality facilities for all students for the foreseeable future.
Do you have anything else to add?
It has been a pleasure to have served the STMA district for the past four years, and I would be honored to continue to serve.
Douglas Birk
Age: 42
Address: 576 Amur Circle NW, Saint Michael, MN 55376
Family: Son (senior in high school) and Daughter (freshman in high school)
Years in St. Michael community: 15
What inspired you to run for St. Michael-Albertville School Board?
I have served on the STMA School Board for 8 years. I am running for another 4-year term because I would like to use my experience, judgment, and energy to continue to help shape and maintain our schools as a great place to learn, grow, and develop in the years ahead.
What are the biggest challenges currently facing District 885, and into 2015?
The District’s biggest challenge will be financial. In the absence of any change in state funding or the existing levy, the District will be facing significant budget deficits within the next 3 years. We will need to be vigilant about representing the interests of the District at the state legislator and finding long-term solutions that will minimize the impact on our students and taxpayers. In this challenging environment, we need to continue to carefully prioritize how we allocate our existing budget resources while remaining innovative, collaborative, and supportive in the classroom. The District continues to achieve remarkable success in and outside of the classroom.
St. Michael-Albertville Schools are consistently among the lowest funded in the state. How can that change with your presence on the school board?
The STMA District currently receives the least amount of state funding per pupil in Minnesota. It’s wholly unfair and negatively impacts our kids and our taxpayers. There is no issue I am more passionate about than school equity funding. Along with my board colleagues, I have worked hard in the last few years to champion the position of the District statewide by learning the dynamics of this issue, lobbying school-related organizations, talking and working with state legislators, advocating the District’s position privately and publicly with different audiences, writing editorials, challenging influential organizations and state leaders publicly and privately, and supporting our District advocacy effort as an existing priority of the District.
The bottom line is no one else is going to represent the political interests of our students for us. We must continue to be zealous in bringing attention to a state education funding policy that ties politics and special interests in front of the interests of our kids. The facts and truth about this policy strongly favor reform, but the sheer complexity of this issue makes it difficult to explain and move politically. However, I remain confident that future reform is possible.
What can the district do better to serve both parents and students?
The District needs to continue to stress and reinforce the central relationships in every child’s life. The parent/family-child relationship is the cornerstone for growth and learning outside of school. Likewise, the teacher-child relationship is critical to academic and personal growth in school. Strong communication, values, and maintaining reasonable class sizes are instrumental to developing these core relationships.
Is the district positioned well when it comes to student population and the capacity of current schools?
We don’t currently have any significant building capacity issues on the near-term horizon. We may eventually need to develop and upgrade our fields to accommodate the explosive growth in activity participation, but most of these upgrades can be addressed over time and within our existing budgets.
Do you have anything else to add?
It has been an honor to serve on the STMA School Board for the last eight years. We have wonderful kids, outstanding teachers and administrators, and world class facilities. We are blessed to live in a community that strongly supports our schools. We continue to excel in and outside of the classroom. While the next four years are going to be especially challenging, I’m confident that if we listen and work together as a District community we can continue our tradition of excellence while meeting any new challenges.
Jennifer Peyerl
Age: 37
Address: Can be found per her candidate filing, here.
Family: Peter (husband), Alexis, Peyton and Tiegen
Years in St. Michael community: 9+
What inspired you to run for St. Michael-Albertville School Board?
I have worked in education for the past fourteen years as a School Counselor. I have chosen to step away from working directly in the school and have decided that being a part of the School Board would be another way to focus on our education system in this district. I am passionate about our children getting a great education.
What are the biggest challenges currently facing District 885, and into 2015?
Funding from the State and retaining great teachers. Times are changing and our school district has grown so much in the last ten years. We need to make sure that we are making the right choices to help our school district continue to be a top school in the state of Minnesota.
St. Michael-Albertville Schools are consistently among the lowest funded in the state. How can that change with your presence on the school board?
Getting involved, being another voice advocating for our school district. I know our current school board has some plans in place and ideas they have been working on. I hope to learn more about this and be an active participant.
What can the district do better to serve both parents and students?
I feel our school district is doing a great job at this. Through the great technology our teachers have set up helpful websites and newsletters for parents and students. We have the SchoolView program available to both students and parents. Both can attend conferences each Trimester. The phone caller, emails and text messages are another way our schools are staying in contact with parents.
Is the district positioned well when it comes to student population and the capacity of current schools?
As I mentioned above, we are growing. I have concerns with the funding available now and how this will impact class sizes.
Do you have anything else to add?
I feel I will bring a fresh new perspective and a strong background in education. I am a great listener, a good communicator and I am passionate about our children’s education in this school district.
Gayle Weber
According to election information,Weber was elected in 2002, and has served as the board’s vice chair over the past two years. Affidavit information from her filing for the 2014 election may be found online here, via the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.