Four St. Michael-Albertville school board candidates are seeking your vote on November 6. This election will bring three new faces to the six-member board, since none of the incumbent board members up for re-election decided to run. The four candidates are Carol Steffens, Larry Sorensen, Tim Lewis and Eric Boone.
We asked each candidate a set of identical questions on issues North Wright County Today are pertinent to the board as a whole and to the STMA community. Their answers are below.
Eric Boone
Age: 42
Address: St. Michael
Family: Sherrie (wife), two daughters (3rd and 5th grades)
Years in St. Michael community: 14
1. Are STMA Public Schools on the right track? What would you change?
Between the dedicated teachers and involved parents, we have one of the best school districts in the State, so there would not be much to change. Overall, we are on the right track, but we should always strive to continuously improve.
Here is one example of an area we can improve. This country has had such a strong emphasis on going on to college that many students whose strengths are in other areas get ignored in high school. Worse yet, these students get pushed into going to college, drop out, and have a massive amount of debt to pay off with nothing to show for it.
The trades provide good wages, and trade schools are much more affordable. Giving students considering a career in the trades a head start in high school is a huge benefit, especially when many companies will hire and train new employees without requiring them to have attended trade school. Even if a student plans on going on to college, these classes offer valuable and practical skills that will help them with their life and career.
STMA has many excellent technical and vocational classes. I will support policies that expand these programs and encourage many more students to take advantage of these vocational and technical education opportunities.
2. With facility improvements in place and new athletic amenities, what is the next challenge (other than growth) facing STMA schools?
The two greatest challenges for our district are the inequitable funding the district receives from the State and the unfunded cost of special education.
STMA ranks second lowest in funding per pupil from the State because of an unfair and complicated State formula. Despite this shortfall, our district is one of the best in the State, but this funding shortfall is unfair to the local taxpayers who must help make up for some of the difference.
The biggest unfunded mandate is the cost of special education. Instead of properly funding special education, the State only covers approximately 55 to 65 percent of the cost. The rest must be taken from general education funds intended for other students and programs. Every student is important and deserves a high-quality education. The State and Federal governments need to fully fund their special education mandates.
The relationships I have made helping with many different political campaigns throughout the years will help me be an effective advocate for our district when working with our State and Federal politicians to get full funding for all mandates and equalize per pupil funding.
3. How can STMA stay ahead of the growth curve, as record housing numbers again are part of the landscape within STMA boundaries?
Growth will have to be carefully monitored for the next several years. There is room for approximately 1,000 more students in our existing facilities. Once completed, the current developments under construction will likely come close to filling the remaining space in our existing facilities.
As our facilities start to near capacity, the first thing that must happen is tapering back open enrollment. It’s not fair to STMA taxpayers to pay to build classrooms that are filled with those whose families are not sharing the cost to build those classrooms. With a net open enrollment of approximately 600 students, cutting back open enrollment will free up space, reduce the need to build more classrooms, and spare our taxpayers that additional expense.
4. With no incumbents running, it can be said the board is losing a lot of experience. What do you bring to the table?
While there is value in experience, there is also value in a fresh set of eyes. I bring a different background to the school board. Professionally, I have spent 20 years as a mechanical engineer designing lifesaving medical devices. This explains my passion for technical and vocational education. I can bring my industry experience to help those programs. A big part of my job is looking at numbers and data with a keen eye to find new solutions. Other parts are being a logical problem solver and a team player. All these skills bring value to the board.
I have always had strong expectation that rules are fair and impartially implemented. After attending a political convention where the rules were twisted and abused to control the results of the voting, I stepped up my involvement to make sure that never happened again if I could help it. I sat on convention committees and rules committees, helping run a fair convention and creating fair rules regardless of if the results were going to be in my favor or not. I will bring that same expectation of fairness to any decisions and votes on the school board.
Serving on the school board is more than just attending two meetings a month. It is a serious commitment to our students and community. I would be honored to be chosen to serve our St. Michael and Albertville communities.
Tim Lewis
Name: Tim Lewis
Age: 42
Address: St. Michael, MN
Family: Wife – Sarah, Brant – 9th Grade, Ceci – 6th Grade
Years in St. Michael community: 24 Years
1. Are STMA Public Schools on the right track? What would you change?
YES! In today’s competitive environment it is simply impossible to be the best in every measurable area of our district, but we are close. To quantify my response, I considered multiple areas that continue to be core measures of success. Some of those areas include: Execution of the “STMA Strategic Roadmap”, high ranking test scores, continued recognition and success in our Arts and Athletics programs, and just as important, educator, staff and parent feedback exceeding 80 percent positive response and support. While these few areas do not measure nor account for every possible area of our district, as a STMA School Board candidate, I do believe our district stands in a position of power and not in a position of defeat. As we look to the future of the STMA School Board, it is my belief these measures will continue to be the source for which we measure our past, evaluate the current and set direction for the future.
2. With facility improvements in place and new athletic amenities, what is the next challenge (other than growth) facing STMA schools?
Over the past several years our district has battled through consistent growth, expansion of facilities, the need for improved school/student safety and the needed updates to our aging technology and infrastructure. As a parent of students in the district, a family in the community and a candidate for the STMA School Board, I am proud of how we have all worked to accomplish so much in such a short period of time.
As I think about our challenges today and even more about the challenges of the future, I strongly believe in two areas which we must continue our fight. The first of those major challenges is to equalize our state funding in a rapidly growing community. It has been said that STMA is one of the fastest growing communities in the northwest corridor of the Twin Cities. While STMA continues to be viewed as a destination district it is not easy to rely on the small tax base growth supported by single family homes. Without commercial investment and development, our tax base becomes an increased burden for the individual families in our district. The STMA district continues to heavily rely on our families to bear the burden of supporting our district in the absence of state funding and lack of commercial expansion. While I believe the fight to solve this gap is in its infancy, we must remain diligent in improving adequate funding, delivering tax relief and reform where possible and we must be champions to create policy reform. As a STMA School Board candidate I am committed to the fight for equalizing this major gap we face today and utilizing my background in working with financials to be a champion for our district and community..
The second major challenge I see in the STMA District is our ability to retain and advance our top 10% ranking across all districts in the state. As a business professional with more than 22 years of experience I know how difficult this challenge can be. I have witnessed how easy it is to get caught up in the celebration of success that is before us today. What is more difficult is being able to recognize the success, understand what got you there, but then quickly being able to set a course for the future. On many occasions I have found myself saying, “as soon as we settle for yesterday’s success, tomorrow will pass us by”! As a STMA School Board candidate, I am confident my experience in asking difficult questions, my passion for understanding the details and my commitment to providing solutions will lead me in a direction of being an asset for our school board well into the future.
3. How can STMA stay ahead of the growth curve, as record housing numbers again are part of the landscape within STMA boundaries?
As a business owner I have learned, results and numbers, when used accurately and appropriately, never lie. As I apply this belief to the work that is expected of both administration and the school board, it will be important as we move forward to monitor progress, trends and growth expectations to ensure we properly utilize the facilities and amenities we have. To be clear, I am not a candidate that believes, if you build it they will come. I do believe it is in the best interest of our community to continually monitor capacities and future “what if” scenarios to ensure each plan is well thought out if and when change is necessary.
As a STMA School Board member this community can expect me to be a voice in understanding the data, anticipating the future needs and looking for solutions and opportunity when our district is forced to do so. This type of responsibility should not be expected on an annual basis but should be expected monthly at a minimum. I am committed, in partnership with the current board and our administration, to upholding the best path for the STMA district moving forward.
4. With no incumbents running, it can be said the board is losing a lot of experience. What do you bring to the table?
As a candidate running for STMA School Board I have a high level of respect for its current members and those who have come before. The school board role is not a responsibility that is taken lightly nor is it a position that can be executed without true commitment from those who engage. For those reasons, I agree, the board is losing experience.
However, as I look to the future I do believe with change comes opportunity. I strongly believe my past experiences, my current involvement in the district and my commitment to ensuring the success of the STMA School’s going forward makes me a strong candidate for the role. As I have shared with numerous people along the way, I am not running for the board because we have a broken model. I am not running because my beliefs are more important than someone else’s and I am certainly not running because I know better. I am running for STMA School Board because I strongly believe in our youth of today and the opportunities that can and should be created for them to become the best generation ever.
I have been a member of the St. Michael-Albertville community for 24 years. My wife Sarah and I have been married for 18 years and have two wonderful children in the STMA schools (Brant – 9th grade & Cecilia 6th grade). For 19 years Sarah has been a teacher in the STMA School district where she has split her tenure between St. Michael Catholic School and Big Woods Elementary. As a Partner in a financial advisory practice, my tenure spans more than 22 years in professional services as a licensed financial advisor. As an alumnus of Totino-Grace High School and an Accounting Degree graduate from St. John’s University, my values and beliefs remain extremely important in defining who I am and what I believe. When I am not at work you can find me in the boat fishing for walleyes, watching youth sports, coaching our newly created STMA High School Fishing Team and spending time with my family. For those who know me, I have a passion for the outdoors and more importantly, engaging youth in the outdoors.
As a candidate for the STMA School Board my goal is simple; To continue the march in looking for innovative ways to remain a top 10 percent ranked school district in the state of Minnesota. As the district moves forward, we do not have a broken model, rather we have great leadership, excellent educators and a strong district Strategic Plan. So why run for School Board? As soon as we settle for yesterday’s success tomorrow will pass us by!
I have:
• Demonstrated experience on an elected Student Advisor Committee
• Proven experience as a youth baseball coach in this community for seven years and a current STMA High School Fishing Team coach
• I am a financial services professional who understands the importance of seeking to understand, asking the right questions, identifying issues and most importantly, focusing on solutions.
• I bring a strong understanding of what it means to be married to a dedicated teacher, the work she and her peers do and the commitment each of them make to teaching the youth in our district
In closing, I would like to share what you can expect of me in earning your trust and support on the STMA School Board:
• A champion to increase our battle for fairness in equity and consistency in funding for our students.
• A champion in pursuing our commitment to be a leader in hiring the best, retaining and providing a district leading compensation and benefits for our faculty.
• A champion with an openness to listen, willingness to learn and the ability to make recommendations and most importantly make tough decisions when the time arises.
• And finally, as a Financial Advisor, it is my role each day to assess, evaluate and make recommendations that best suit the needs and expected outcomes. It is my belief these skills will enhance the consensus with existing board members and allow the board to continue its focus and execution of the Strategic Plan.
Larry Sorensen
Age: 54
Address: Albertville
Family: Wife Karen, and two grown children (Jon and Andrea)
Years in St. Michael community: 22
1. Are STMA Public Schools on the right track? What would you change?
Yes, I believe STMA Schools are on the right track. Academically, we rank in the top 10% in the state of Minnesota. We are the envy of many school districts and people choose to move here because of the reputation of the school district. This hasn’t happened by accident, it is the direct result of talented teachers and staff, hard-working students and parents, and a supportive community. We must never forget that our focus is first and foremost on the kids. They are our future. As good as our ranking are, we need to keep challenging ourselves and look for ways to continually improve.
2. With facility improvements in place and new athletic amenities, what is the next challenge (other than growth) facing STMA schools?
Equity funding continues to be the main challenge for this school district. Currently, STMA is second lowest in the state (329 out of 330 districts) in per pupil funding provided by Minnesota. We need to continue to work with legislators to attempt to level the playing field. At the same time, we should be prepared to keep doing more with less.
3. How can STMA stay ahead of the growth curve, as record housing numbers again are part of the landscape within STMA boundaries?
Currently, our superintendent works closely with the cities of St. Michael and Albertville, looking at new and future housing developments in order to project student growth in the district. By keeping the school board and community informed on future enrollment projections, we can be prepared to find the right solutions that will benefit our district and community.
4. With no incumbents running, it can be said the board is losing a lot of experience. What do you bring to the table?
My past experience includes being elected to Albertville City Council in 2008 and re-elected in 2012 before choosing not to run in 2016. Having two children go through STMA Schools from K-12, I was active in volunteering for school functions and coaching STMA youth athletics. I was also a part of numerous committees over the years, at both the city and school level. The STMA Finance Advisory Committee is one that I served on for many years that gave me a thorough understanding of the school district’s budget process. During my two terms on Albertville City Council, I have seen the value of the strong relationships that have been established between STMA Schools and the cities of St. Michael and Albertville. If elected, I will work to keep these intact. The joint partnerships and resource sharing are in the best interest of all three entities and advantageous to taxpayers. We can accomplish much more by working together, especially as we continue to grow.
I would be privileged to serve the residents of STMA school district. If elected, I will represent you with honesty, integrity, and fairness. I will work hard in the spirit of cooperation and will solicit your input and encourage you to get involved in helping continue STMA’s tradition of excellence. I kindly ask for your vote on November 6th.
Carol Steffens
City: St. Michael
Family: Husband Peter, one son and one daughter
Years in St. Michael community: 40 years
1. Are STMA Public Schools on the right track? What would you change?
Yes I believe that we are on the right track, We have excellent test scores ranking in some cases the top 10% of the state, but in all cases way above the state average. We have 98% graduation rate which is outstanding. We have a low turnover for teachers and staff which means STMA is great place to work. So yes our district is on the right track, What would I change, If I had a magic wand I would increase per pupil student funding. What I would like to do is make sure that STMA continues to stay on the right track, keep what is best for kids at the forethought of every decision that the board makes.
2. With facility improvements in place and new athletic amenities, what is the next challenge (other than growth) facing STMA schools?
The challenge will continue be to continue to provide the excellent services that we do even though we are one of the lowest funded districts in the state.
With all the new families coming into the district I am sure that open enrollment will be addressed sometime in the future
3. How can STMA stay ahead of the growth curve, as record housing numbers again are part of the landscape within STMA boundaries?
The school district and the cities of St Michael and Albertville have always had a wonderful working relationship, STMA will need to stayed focused on what is best for kids and relay that message to the cities
4. With no incumbents running, it can be said the board is losing a lot of experience. What do you bring to the table?
As you may recall, I was previously on the board for 14 years. So I am bringing that experience to the table along with my passion for what is doing best for the students of STMA. I also bring my commitment to serve the residents of St Michael and Albertville.
Our students are our future, We need to make sure that our students have all of the education and skills they need to enter this ever changing world.