[Music] hey good evening everyone testing there we go so I'm a former fied teacher and Coach so I have a really loud voice so it's hard for me to talk into this and not blow your eardrums out so thank you Jordan uh my name is Chris linquist I'm the director Community Education for St Francis area schools um I started here in 2007 and was a teacher and a coach in this building before becoming the athletic director activities director at the high school did that for three years and I've been in my current role for three years I'm entering year four this is the second time we've hosted a meet the candidates event we did One two years ago learned some valuable lessons from that event because um we we intentionally held that event later in the school year because it's really hard to pull this off early in the school year the disadvantage was uh early voting had become a real popular thing and we were so far past where a lot of people had cast their votes we didn't really do justice to the people who really wanted to do early voting so we move the event up uh which is why we're so early here tonight um we do this event is being put on by Our Community Education advisory Council that council is a voluntary membership and it is mandatory through the state of Minnesota so we have a really good one um Jordan's one of our leaders of that uh event Haley deel in the front row haly wave your hand thank you um you met probably Wanita who was out front uh oh there she is she's in here now Jerry etess he's in the back he's out there and Barb Anderson is also here Barb um thank you so much for all of your guys' help putting this event together uh we do encourage membership in our advisory Council and what we do is we look at ways that we can provide educational opportunities to our community that exist outside prek through grade 12 so we really do birth to birth what we call birth to death education that's outside traditional K12 education so we offer lots of classes in the evenings for adults we run camps and Clinics for the Youth um we've got some online stuff too guitar lessons there's estate planning there's AARP driving classes uh we just had Junes in the front we just had lunch Bunch last Tuesday last Monday excuse me which is a kind of a fun more casual play on CH and dinner theater if you will right yeah good idea so thank you for being here tonight um if you're interested in joining our advisory Council please send me an email it's chris. linquist isd15.org if you go on the website you can pretty find it pretty easily I'm going to let Jordan take over from here um we've got an hour and a half plan so we've got a lot of structure to tonight and it's a timed event so candidates haly delal in the front and she'll give you that she knows the timing and so she'll give you that 30 seconds to let you know when you have 30 seconds left if we get extra time at the end and have enough extra time we have budgeted a few more questions that we can ask um to help out um and then I'll give it to Jordan so thank you everybody for being [Music] [Applause] here all right good evening everyone thanks to all the candidates that are here tonight if I can figure out this microphone here quick I'll help no we're good I'll just hold it it's all [Music] cool all right like I was saying thanks for all the candidates that are here tonight to uh give us their thoughts and stuff on the school district and why to vote for them uh so the structure is going to kind of go we're going to give each candidate a one minute uh time period to give an introduction uh we then have five questions uh where each candidate will get 2 minutes to answer that question uh as Chris was saying Haley has a 30 second uh yellow flag piece of paper that she'll hold up when there's 30 seconds left so you know uh to start to wrap up your response and then after the fifth question we'll have a uh closing statement that each candidate can make uh and that'll be a one minute closing statement and then as Chris said if we do have additional time uh we do have a couple additional questions um that we could do if we do have that time uh so without further Ado we'll start off with the introductions uh so one minute introduction and we'll start with uh you Andrea uh for a one minute introduction hi my name is Andrea ansen uh I have lived in the St Francis Community for about four years now I have two young boys and I've decided to run the for school board because I would like to be more involved with the community and I like to make sure that we're bringing values um to the decisions that are being made um throughout the school and so looking at safety um um curriculum that's based in standard academics and also ensuring a um conservative budget all right thank you Andrea we'll move down the line uh to Jeff for your introduction hello my name is Jeff my name is Jeff Blake my family moved into Oak grve in 2002 we have three children they are adult children the youngest is in her senior year in college in Rapid City uh I decided to run for the school board because I saw that a lot of these School boards are becoming political I don't believe that being political should be part of the school board at all I think everything that's done should have the kids in mind all the decisions that should be made should be in the best interest of the kids and it should be very straightforward and easy some of the meetings that I saw it wasn't straightforward and easy thank thank you Jeff uh we'll move down to uh Tom [Music] Hall all right good evening everybody my name is Tom Hall uh my wife Lynette and I moved into uh East bethl in 1998 um right after we were married or we have three kids that have come through the through the district uh one's an adult 25 we also have a a ninth grader at the high school now and a senior at the high school and um you know the experience we've had in the St Francis Community overall has been outstanding and uh you know the reason I ran for school board is uh and I have been talking about the direction of the school board some of the things that are happening in the schools and you know a lot of it just is in alignment with our family values and what we see is the right way to approach education in this community and I think it's important to the students the parents the teachers H and the overall community that we have strong leadership and conservative values within the school board so that it be aligned with the community and that's why I decided to run thank you thank you Tom uh we'll move down to Jake for his intro good evening thank you all for coming it's really important to see people showing up like this I'm Jake Humphrey I've lived in Oak Grove since 1996 uh my beautiful wife Nicole and my son uh Jack is in the the 11th grade uh I have a daughter who graduated in 2021 both my kids had a fantastic experience in the St Francis School District my son is continuing to have the same uh I want to run for school board uh because I believe I'm the type of Representative that I would vote for um I actually was on school board from 2018 to 22 um as a Libertarian and someone who believes in term limits I stepped aside to hopefully have other people step up when I noticed so many people weren't uh weren't returning and that no one was showing up uh I had been courted by a whole bunch of uh people in the community students and other parents and so I decided to with the blessing of my family to step up and and do it again thank you Jake uh we'll move down to quadw am I saying that right close not quite there yet but I'll forgive you um my name is quo um I go by Coach K I think K is easy for everybody to say um I love live in East bethl we've been there for about 6 years uh with my wife Sarah been married for 19 years yeah okay um um I'm running for school board because education is important to me uh I have three kids that are in the district uh one in Elementary uh primary I mean uh middle school and then uh the others in uh high school and I believe when a community takes um interest in our kids education I think we're able to push that forward and I think uh we all agree that uh our district needs that and uh I believe I'm one of the candidates that will be able to help to get us there thank you thank you quell and we'll wrap up the introductions with Rob hi my name is Rob shonrock I've lived in the district for 20 years with my amazing wife Andrea we have four kids that we are raising Caleb who's a freshman in college uh Emily who's a sophomore in high school and Haley and Sophie who are in seventh grade I'm a small business owner and active in the community I'm seeking re-election to the board so I can continue to fight to ensure the kids are prepared for the real world I will continue to advocate for more program offerings and be fiscally responsible with the taxpayers money I've been on the board now for over eight or almost 8 years we have done some pretty amazing things things first the community passed a bond in 2017 and I was part of the bond oversight committee where we watched where yeah we watched over um all the construction projects um also as part of that um Bond we refinanced it and saved the taxpayers over $2 million on the life of that loan and that savings went back to the taxpayers it was not spent uh I was also on the board during the co um I'm very proud to say but thank you thank you Rob I did want to make a note too that we do have a few candidates that are running that uh we had Matt buma who had a prior out of town work commitment um so he's not here tonight um same with Ashley Mets who is out of town for work as well and then uh Chad Workman who had a family obligation tonight um and I believe there are some statements from those uh candidates that I will read later on so I just wanted to make note of that uh before I move into the first questions I just wanted to make the statement that uh the questions that we received uh were from the general public uh prior to tonight's event uh they were vetted by the St Francis uh area schools Community Education advisory Council um and yeah so they came from the public um and we're not going to accept any additional questions tonight so what we got is what we're working with so without further Ado uh the first question and we'll start off with you Jeff uh as the first want to answer the question uh in your own words what do you feel is the role of the school board here at isd15 uh I think the school board is to direct the direction keep the direction of the school going forward making sure that we provide the highest quality education for the kids keep all the programs we can going uh the district is going to probably have to pass a levy so that's going to be one of the main focuses because the funding is much lower than what is around most of the other districts um I think it's overall again is just taking care of the kids going that direction and going forward with them with that perfect thank you Jeff uh we'll move down to Tom for your response on the question I'll read the question one more time as well in your own words what do you feel is the role of the school board here at ISD 15 well I think the you know first and foremost the largest responsibility of the school board is to hold the superintendent accountable uh for his performance and role as you know guiding our schools um I think it's extremely important for the school board to represent the community the citizens the constituents that we serve uh in the community uh as it relates to education and I think that uh you know greater transparency Communications and Community involvement it's what's going to dve the success of our Educational Systems and you know quite honestly we can't get there without huge involvement from the community and um you know there's a lot of decisions that have to be made on that front you know everything from fiscal responsibility curriculum um you know teacher salaries um and and down the line but at the end of the day you know it all comes down to Communications collabor ation and you know good leadership as far as our Educational Systems in the community and and that's what you guys will elect us for you know you're putting your trust and your faith and our capabilities um and you know strengths experiences and a commitment to values that we bring to the table and then our job is to represent not only ourselves and our values but hopefully that you've seen through the electoral process that our values and what's important to us aligns with yours and and that's where the strength is going to come from in our overall Community because you know we can't do it alone we can't go hide in a room in a closet somewhere and try to make decisions on behalf of the community as it relates to one of the most important callings that we have it's teaching our kids the right way instilling values um and and preparing them for Life Beyond High School Beyond K to 12 success in college success in Career Success in family and and those are all you know important to the calling of the school board it's not just about uh what happens in the classroom thank you thank you Tom uh we'll move down to you Jake for your response in your own words what do you feel is the role of the school board here at ISD 15 so the written rule or the written role of the school board is to control uh the purse and approve policy that is sent up the lad from uh uh are the people that are employed under the superintendent the school board hires and oversees the superintendent but an important part of that flowchart that people need to realize is um above the school board is our public and our constituency that includes um our customers the students and the families in the school district it also includes those without um students like The taxpayers in the community who have a vested interest in this community so I would say uh the role of a school board on its surface is mainly to um listen to our experts approve or decline uh uh funding for projects and I also to uh look at policies and give feedback and work with our experts to implement um but then most importantly uh um to oversee and hold accountable the superintendent and in all the works below that uh one more thing um and this is of very much importance to someone like me who uh wants access to the people I vote for it's accountability to their public uh back when I was on school board uh from 18 to 22 um I answered every single call text email I'll meet with anyone anywhere um as I want to be the type of Representative that I would like to elect um and I believe uh there's a lot of times where our community um needs uh action Beyond uh the normal chain of command if that's not working and at that point uh the school board can bring those voices to the [Music] table perfect thank you Jake all right we'll move down to you uh quaw uh in your own words what do you feel is the role of the school board here at isd15 so just by the name School Board School comes first and so uh for me I believe the school board is uh sole focus is to uh support our district our school district um now part of that is uh what Jake talked about you know funding uh policy decisions you know creating oversight for uh the superintendent and all that um but I think there also has to be uh that Focus that you know the schools are responsible for our next Generation so to all the education that is going on what kind of education are we getting in that District what uh caliber of teachers are we having are we supporting our schools are we supporting our teachers are we supporting our kids with all the resources that they need to uh to have to be able to uh you know get to that next level so I think the school board is one of the most consequential um decision- making groups and that responsibility should not be taken lightly obviously there's a representation of the community and so we are going to be kind of a standing for the community as to what the community wants to see in our schools but there also has to be that Independence where we are able to just take the facts that are represented in the school uh uh board meeting and be able to kind of dissect and come up with solutions that we feel are going to be representative of what the community wants but then ultimately what is going to be in the best interest of all our case I am sure everybody that is in this room is very concerned and very um plugged into you know making sure that their kids have the best education and so that is why we are all here and anything outside of that I think will be sell in the school board short thank you quell and we'll wrap up the first question uh with you rob Andrew's the last one to answer yep sorry I got to wrap back around yes all right Rob uh you're up uh in your own words what do you feel uh is the role of the Schoolboard here at isd15 uh the main role of the school board is to watch the one employee that we have control over and that's the superintendent um he is the one employee that we hire or fire um so that's the main role we also set policy approve budgets but the main thing that we do is to oversee the school superintendent um another role that I I take personal is listening to all sides and going into the community and hearing what's going on and what their concerns or questions or comments are so that's what I feel is the role of the school board thank you rob now we'll wrap up the first question with Andrea sorry about that okay um so superintendent aside like so many have said I think there's the three main pillars that the school board is responsible for first it is our students we have to make sure that they are receiving the education they need to be successful in this world um it needs to be based in critical thinking and ensuring that when they get jobs and live in the real world um that that they can apply those skills um and that they have the basics of education so students come first they're the most important kids kids will grow up and they will one day be the leaders of this world and so we have to make sure that they are prepared um second is the teachers you know they have a tough job each day in the classroom and there's many challenges that they face and so we have to make sure that we're understanding where their needs are and where we can best support them and understand their perspective and then third it's the community and making sure that we're representing how the community wants the schools to function wants our students or their kids taught um and that we are um really the embodiment of that and fighting for that as decisions are made [Music] thank you Andrea all right that wraps up the first question uh we'll move on to the second question and this one uh we'll start with you Tom uh with the First Response what makes you proud of the St Frances area schools district well I guess for me first and foremost you know a significant portion of my involvement with St Francis schools has been in theth atics programs uh you know started with my son Mason who came through played football and wrestled for the high school uh my daughter Madison has been involved in soccer and track at the at the high school uh for all four years of her High School career and um you know the coaches and the mentors that she's worked with and that my son worked with in those situations have been invaluable and I think you know that's one thing that's really important that we can't forget is all of the extracurricular activ activities that are involved in the St St Francis academic Community uh th those those things cannot be undervalued and you know the life lessons that are learn learned learning how to take failure and learn from it learning how to be humble and success learning how to work as a team to collaborate to communicate to support to love one another you know in the toughest of times you know if you think back to your high school times and you know those big games that you lost together and a lot of te were shared and things like that and um you know those build character and those build a community you know and and you know again like it's been said you know uh those things translate into our children's lives you know forever I mean I have high school memories from Sports and Athletics and the classroom and training together that uh I carry with me today and I also think back to coaches that I had that have been invaluable and the person that I am today and you know most of the coaches are also teachers right so they're in the classroom they're spending all day grinding it out in a tough job and then they take on the extracurricular whether it be the debate team or Athletics or whatever and they continue to work with our kids and and build them and I think for me that's the community that surrounds all that is the is I think the greatest thing that we have in the St Francis school system thank you Tom uh we'll move down to J uh for your response to what makes you proud of the St Francis Area School District uh so what makes me proud is the preparation that the students are getting um if the students and the families um are receiving of that I I like I said uh it's kind of like a a drinking game take a shot every time I mention my kids but um I have my daughter who's uh uh a self-starter she's applied to all sorts of dental school without any she's 7 hours away she's well prepared she's living in a dynamic World she's going on to bigger and better things uh and uh you know we're kind of governing from afar with love and support um and then my son uh in 11th grade he one of the most proud stories I can tell you about just happened at the beginning of this year when a new uh student came in and sat down at lunch by himself and my son walked by and said hey are you sitting alone come join us so it's kind of the the the soft skills the things that aren't necessarily taught but it's uh I think they get that from the great staff and Educators we have here but they get it mainly from uh the family structures and around this area you know we don't wait around for people to tell us how to do things we are kind of self-starters lots of uh business owners uh and lots of uh people who uh go out and take Life by the horns um so the thing that makes me most proud is I really think we're hitting on that key of preparing our kids for life on their own in a dynamic World um if the kids uh and the families are ready to receive that and act upon it [Music] accordingly thank you Jake uh we'll move down to uh quell for his response to what makes you proud of the St Francis Area School District I think I'm a lot I'm proud of a lot of things and partly some of the stuff that has already been said here but I think for me um we me and my family we've been welcomed to this District right and I think for me that is one of the things that stands out to me about the district and that's the reason why I'm also probably one of the reasons why I'm sitting here because I feel like uh this community this district has given us me and my family so much that it's time for me to also you know contribute uh to that kind um um my kids consistently talk about the great teachers that they have and I think we we teachers don't really get the credit that they deserve you know what I mean all the work that they put and I look at it like going to war cuz every single time they enter the classroom with all kinds of behaviors and things like that but they still have to maintain their composure and still stay focused and try to still deliver the uh you know um prepare uh you know class material um they don't get enough credit they definitely don't get paid you know the way they need to be paid and so I'm proud of that but they still stick it out they stay in there because they know there's a higher purpose than just um you know what they currently doing and so they know they are definitely um impacting these kids life and so I am I am very very very proud of that and uh like I said it's one of the main reasons that I'm here to make make sure that these teachers and these Educators get all and when I say all I mean all the funding and all the resources that they are entitled to for them to be able to make those positive uh influences uh to to our kids like uh uh Tom said some of my greatest memories in my life are from teachers that encouraged me that regardless of what the situation that I'm going in I would I can't if I put my mind to it I can do it and that's the same thing that I'm seeing in this District thank you quell move down to Rob for your response um one of the greatest things we have here is our staff they're so knowledgeable and supportive I've got kids I got four kids and they range in different learning abilities and the staff here is able to accommodate all their different learning abilities um the community here is so supportive in 2017 we passed a bond that updated a lot of the buildings in or all the buildings in the district that were so far behind and needed so many updates um another thing back to the teachers is the tech ed Department we have saints manufacturing um the welding Department there the teacher steps up puts in so much extra work um I don't know how many people know it but mot hires the these kids to make parts for their snow plows it's amazing some of the work that is done in that teched department so just the community and the staff is just what is so great about this community thank you rob we'll move up here to you Andrea uh for your response to what makes you proud of the St Francis Area School District yeah so it reiterates what many others have said but I really think it's just that sense of community um it's what lays the foundation for for everyone especially kids to feel just supported um and to really Thrive and I think St Francis does a wonderful job with that I think my family's been here maybe the shortest if I remember right going down the panel and everybody in the community has been so fabulous and being welcoming and helping us find our way with different things and so I just think that speaks to the great um strength and and closeness of the of the community and you know my boys have participated in some of the Sports for the younger kids and the coaches have been fabulous you know not only are they teaching them these early skills of playing specifically wrestling but they also teach them you know strength and courage and you know when you're worried about something how you work through that so it's those daily living um kind of survival uh mechanisms as well so just great support great support all around perfect thank you Andrea and we'll wrap up uh question two with uh Jeff uh what makes you proud of St Francis uh Area School District I I think it the same as everybody else it goes back to the community the community in the district is so strong and so supporting of everything that's going on in here you see deep passion among the people in the community the teachers do a fantastic job with the kids and it just keeps rolling the youth programs for the sports there's great parental support for it and we just it's just a great Community to be in so many different things that support you see the kids that go forward from here and lots of success in high levels perfect thank you Jeff that wraps up uh the responses to question two uh and we'll move on to the third question and we'll start with you Jake with the First Response uh and that question is what prompted you to run for a Schoolboard member spot and what would your goals and objectives be as a member if you were to be elected so uh when I ran the initial time that I had was elected um back in the day it was uh my wife and I spend a lot of time with booster clubs and pto's and donating our time and our money to the school district and being all in with our kids um that was noticed by a bunch of our peers and they said hey you know maybe one of you should run for school board uh I drew the Short Straw because my wife works Monday nights um and uh got ran and got elected uh and I got a lot out of it um I really believe in uh strong Public Schools uh whether or not a person believes in public schools even if a person would be against uh the public school as a whole uh a strong public school system not only benefits Society but it benefits your property values uh and uh the community as a whole so uh this time it was that uh when I had told everyone I'm I'm out uh after last term and uh people kept kind of asking reconsider reconsider and then um I noticed that four of the seats were vacated um and at the time there were four people not running and so uh I was being uh um kind of you know asked by many different people in our community to consider running again and uh I believe that um the last time we dealt a lot with Co and I was uh glad to be a voice of our community in that because it was a time to be brave and to be wise and do what's right by the kids and uh now that we're kind of pass those things and back on to the focus at hand which is education I'm looking forward to again uh taking uh input from my constituencies that I represent and bringing those voices to the table think doing a lot more of what works well and doing a lot less of uh what doesn't work or shouldn't be done and is distracting us from the job at hand which is to educate our kids thank you Jake uh we'll move down to you quido uh what prompted you to run for a Schoolboard spot and what would your goals and objectives be as a member if you were to be elected um well I believe in um public school and public education and like Jake said um the benefits to a community is immense um I also really took this into advisement and I asked myself what kind of candidate I am am I going to vote for what are some of the characteristics some of uh you know the things that I would want to see in a candidate and do I possess that the number one thing that I I think about one of the things that I think about is independence in thought right and we need somebody that can just take the facts as they are make a decision from it and not be beholden to anything the only thing they need to be beholden to is the facts and the truth can I be that person I think I can check myself in there the other thing that I also think about is uh has to be a singular focus on the schools the teachers and ultimate our children what are the resources that we are being we are providing to the schools are the teachers really being uh you know given everything that they need for them to be successful because if the teachers are successful guess what our children are also successful I also believe in representation I know it's a lot that maybe a lot of people don't think about but if we look in the community uh the minority population is slowly growing and I think I'm uniquely positioned to be able to speak to some of the concerns of minority uh students as well as their families so you put all that three together and I think I would vote for myself and I think my wife said she would vote for me too so there we go two votes right there thank you quell uh we'll move down to you rob uh what prompted you to run for a Schoolboard position and what would your goals and objectives be if you were to be elected I come from a family of parents that were very um involved in the community dad was on the school board back at home in inkley finless in high school where I graduated for 32 years um on the Lions and still on the Lions there my mother's been part of the community ed there she ran the swimming department when I was in swimming lessons back in elementary school and she is still doing it to this day and she's in her 70s so it's just kind of in my blood to be involved in the community and on the school board um also I have four kids that when I first ran 8 years ago in the district and so I wanted to be involved in the decisions that were made in affecting [Music] them thank you rob uh we'll move back down to this end of the the road there and we'll go to you Andrea um what prompted you to run for a Schoolboard uh position and what would your goal and objectives be if you were to be elected yeah so I've chosen to run as I know I want to be more involved with the community but the reason I'm ring is really twofold so first um it's really looking at what school is intended for and that's to teach our children um you know math and English and all the things they need to be successful in this world unfortunately what I've been seeing is and not necessarily even at the St Francis level but even more broadly you know Minnesota higher government is looking to utilize schools for other purposes and I want to make sure that we are keeping school at what it is meant to be and that we are not utilizing it to in essence IND doctrate our children into um certain beliefs and so you know I think we need to protect the education system from that perspective the second piece is that I come from the corporate world um in my day-to-day role uh it's not uncommon for me to have to look at programs and how can we make them better um both from a budgetary as well as a process perspective and so I think um that's something that would greatly help me in the school Bo board role um you know bringing that fresh set of eyes and I'm being able to look at things from that perspective thank you Andrea we'll move down to you Jeff uh for your response to what prompted you to run for Schoolboard and what would your goals and objectives be if you were to be elected much like life we get out of it what we put into it and I believe if we want to make the district better we should be involved in it uh I helped with with my kids with coaching when they were younger even with Athletics that I didn't have any business coaching I coached um I think we need to make sure that we keep the school board completely transparent if we can find a better way to communicate forward whether whatever platforms we have uh just go forward with that uh I think that in decision making I don't come with a precon D Notions or ideas uh part of my job I do a lot of research and I know I can't rely on one thing to tell me what I need so I understand that I need to look at everything from a very broad window and I think that makes me very perceptive to new ideas or other people's [Music] ideas thank you Jeff and we will wrap up the third question uh with you Tom uh what prompted you to run for school board and what would your goals and objectives be as a member of the board if you were to be elected okay well uh like some others on the on the stage here uh Lynette my wife was probably the biggest influence in prompting me uh to go for the school board um and I think the reason that you know she had approached me on that is because I I've been uh heavily involved uh in lots of volunteerism you know throughout this community throughout the state um I've been president of the uh high school wrestling booster club the St Francis Gladiator wrestling club here locally I'm currently the treasur of the uh St Francis High School soccer booster club um I was the vice president for the governing body for wrestling in the state of Minnesota for six years um I sit on a professional board uh for a company that's outside of my core competency um I'm a very successful executive in business uh good solid decision-making capabilities I think I bring a lot to the table on that front as far as adding value to to the school board and really good critical thinking which was brought up in the past as far as looking at what our community needs as it relates to our Educational Systems and and I too like Andre I do have some concerns about the direction of Education in this state you know and I think you know it's definitely been demonstrated in our test scores and our student performance is we're seeing a decline and we're seeing a move away from Focus On Core Curriculum and uh on excelling academically and preparing our children for careers Beyond school and we're getting off into the weeds um with lots of confusing topics you know everything from in my mind you know pronouns to gender confusion to all sorts of things that are really should be dealt with in the home by parents and not dealt with in the schools by by teachers they need to focus on doing their job that they're excellent at and that's teaching Core Curriculum so that's my thoughts thank you Tom that wraps up the third question and we'll move on to the fourth question um and we'll start with you uh quaw for the first response on this uh question uh as an individual Schoolboard member how would you handle a situation where the board takes a position a position which you do not agree with what if that position was something you actively campaigned on uh I'll repeat the question one more time as an individual School Board member how would you handle a situation where the board takes a position which you do not agree with what if that position was something you actively campaigned on so what I believe in is uh I talked about the uh Independence in terms of thought right and so I might believe in something that you know truly passionate about uh one point or the other but I think at the end of the day it's a board not if I'm fortunate enough to be voted in not K's School Board it's a school board right and so everybody is going to come to this with you know different perspectives to whatever it is that we are talking about and so if I I will argue my case out and and hopefully the facts bear out that this is the reason why I think this is the direction that we should go now if the rest of the team um you know decides to go a different direction I think I'll be okay with it but I will um I need to be able to explain my position and I need to be able to explain my position not only on the board but also to the community and so even if the the the team doesn't go for it I'm okay with it you know what I mean I I will you know push uh you know for consensus on the team um but if they are passionate and strongly lay out their positions that this is not where we are going with I'll be okay with it at least I know I passionately fought from what I believed in and it it didn't it didn't come [Music] up thank you quao we'll move down to Rob for your response I can read the question again it's I know it's kind of lengthy uh as an individual School Board member how would you handle a situation where the board takes a position which you do not agree with uh what if that position was something you actively campaigned on uh being on the board for eight years there's been a number of votes that I've been on the losing side of it um I go into the meetings and I advocate for my side and I push for it um but I don't always get what I want but after the V board has voted um we are of one voice so I go with what the board votes on so even though I don't like some of the outcomes I go with what the board has approved thank you rob we'll move up here to the front of the the row here to Andrea do you want me to repeat it again are you okay yes similar to the others I mean I'll make my perspective and stance clear on whatever the topic is but at the end of the day it is a joint decision if the majority has decided to go one way you know if it ever comes back back around of course make my perspective clear again but at that point the the majority have spoken and so we'll have to go that direction in some ways we're a team even if we don't [Music] agree thank you Andrea now we'll move over to you Jeff for your response well we're not all going to agree on everything but we just have to accept that sometimes we don't get our way and we just need to move on we can make our points for what we believe in but it's not one it's seven so we just have to move forward with the decision and accept it thank you Jeff uh we'll move down to you Tom for your response would you like it repeated again okay as an individual School Board member how would you handle a situation where the board takes a position which you do not agree with what if that position was something you actively campaigned on well I mean that's I believe that you know if elected to the school board I'm I would have been put in that position to represent you know the values of the people that put me in that chair and um that's going to be a difficult situation for me because you know part of my role is potentially to change some hearts and some minds and it's going to be very difficult for me to compromise you know my values and a position in something that I'm 100% committed to I'm a little bit of a rock that way and and and quite honestly I think that's exactly what the School Board needs I'm not I'm not going to roll over easy if it's something that I'm extremely passionate about and believe in it's probably going to be a fight and it's probably going to be a difficult meeting and it's probably going to be uncomfortable and quite honestly I'm okay with that I'm not going in I didn't volunteer or sign up for this role to go be the popular guy on the school board I I I'm running for this to bring my values and what I believe in into that room and if it's going to be a little bit of a fight it's going to be a little bit of a fight you know I grew up on the Mean Streets of Rapids that's a joke um so but no and and that's what we want at the end of the day yes decisions will have to be made but you know uh and I will support the decisions of the board I will be a team of the board however um it is extremely important that the positions that I hold strong and true to my heart that those are fully understood and comprehended by everybody on the board and and maybe some maybe there's somebody in another chair that's saying you know I kind of like where Tom's at on this all of a sudden right and all a sudden you move one person and all a sudden things shift 12 Angry Men right so I mean uh I'm going to hold to my convictions and we'll work together to get the job done thank you thank you Tom and we will wrap up the fourth question with uh Jake's response would you like it repeat it again no thank you okay so like everyone had said and like it's known once a decision is made you fall behind that as a board but uh if your side that you have brought to the table the voices of the people you're representing either if it's some sort of disgruntled employee faction or if it's some concerned parents over this or it's something that's wronged or something that's right uh and that needs to be brought you fight fiercely and you fight smartly uh and uh you you keep at it um and we we change Minds uh and you uh compromise on your own on your own situations uh to come to a consensus that's good for uh the students and our customers which is uh the beneficial uh education that they're receiving so you know we live in an area that's like probably 60 40% conservative majority maybe 703 at times uh and so the boards that are elected are usually uh conservative in that matter and I I believe that's that's important you know it's that's why it's hard to take some of the mandates from the state and and enact them just blanket wise because I mean you know I believe in local control is the best control in politics um you know closer to the that that's why things like No Child Left Behind and whatever and all these uh tests that are just blanketed uh often fail and don't really mean much they say because um it's you know set up by a bunch of suits in Washington so we need to listen to our experts which is our families uh the parents of these kids the Educators that live in our community um you know the people from our area and uh and we take those voices to the table and we fight like hell to get uh what we feel is right thank you Jake uh that wraps up the responses to the fourth question uh we will move on to the fifth question and we will start with you rob for the first response on this one uh what is the most important aspect of what isd15 does for our community saving the best question for last year um I don't know that I can pinpoint it to one because the school district serves all ages so the main thing is I mean what's in the school buildings during the school day but we also have early childhood and Senior involvement um so I don't know that I can pinpoint one thing so can you repeat it again one more time sorry what is the most important aspect of what isd15 does for our [Music] community yeah I'm sorry I am just drawing a blank as far as the aspect so I'm just gonna go with what I just said sounds good all right we'll move to you Andrea uh what is the most important aspect of what isd15 does for our community um I would say I mean it's what they do for our children it's the education they get the team um involvement they get the life skills they get I mean everything that makes them into the best human beings they can be um while they're in school but then [Music] post thank you Andrea uh move down to you Jeff for your response uh what is the most important aspect of what isd15 does for the community I think ISD 15 provides the anchor for the community it brings everybody together from youth to grandparents whether it be athletic events school school events it brings everyone together I think that's the most important part and then there's other facets that come from it from the continuing ed to the shop classes in high school to the Early Education that it provides I think it the best way I can put it is that it provides the anchor for the [Music] community thank you Jeff uh we'll move on to Tom uh for your response to what is the most important aspect of what isd15 does for the community yeah so isd15 you know in my mind we're not talking about the school board anymore we're talking about the the schools the school system right and so it's educating our kids it's creating opportunities for our kids to grow through extracurricular activities it's engaging uh with the community it's um it's you know helping to develop you know our you know providing a safe place for our children you know when they're at school what greater calling is that um it provides uh excellent employment opportunities for folks that want to go into teaching and developing kids um you know the schools are really the heartbeat of the of the community in many ways you know you go to Friday Night Lights go to the go to the football game you see people from all you know all aspects of the community coming together cheering on the team um it's about Community um and you know I mean like Rob had said it goes beyond just the kids it's the seniors it's uh it's uh early childhood education um and it's you know hopefully it's a foundation for mirroring our values and I think you know ISD 15 you know from what I've heard that people that I work with uh I'd like to commend the school board for really how we dealt through covid I think we were able to move through some of the protocols that uh weren't helpful relatively quick ly uh we got our kids back to school uh you know sooner than many of the folks that I knew and um I think we place a lot of importance on that educational experience that the kids are getting at school and boy did they miss it during covid when the kids were home what a huge loss and so that what this school systems provides to our families and our kids throughout the community is is completely invaluable thank you Tom uh we'll move down to Jake uh for your response to what is the most important aspect of what isd15 does for the community the thing I like about our school district and what it does in our community is it seems It's a good finger on the pulse of our community uh like Robin mentioned earlier with Saints manufacturing and now there's like an uh auto mechanics class uh we're looking at moving things or they're looking at moving things into to the trades uh realizing that college isn't for everyone uh it's being responsive to your customer and your customer is the students and the families uh that are attending uh I know I'm I'm an electrician I'm an electrical contractor and I could be the greatest electrician in the world with the best prices selling things that nobody wants and that's not going to do anyone any good um I like how uh you know if you want to be in sports we have many many opportunities for both the student athletes but then their families and their grandparents and the community to enjoy uh likewise if you're more academic there's things like speech debate um or if you're in things uh like if you're more artsy there's the we have a fabulous theater program I'd highly recommend anyone checking the plays I've seen plays here that rival anything I've seen in cities um so I just like how uh we're a true test of the surrounding community community um I don't think we're I I think a lot of the political stuff back and forth uh if people take a step back and look at how things are going in the schools and on the school board um it it seems like it can be fairly representative and uh uh good for what uh you're looking for um in that angle uh so I just I just appreciate I think we're really focused on the students and then that extrapolates across the board into the families and then even those uh constituents that are represented um and not part of uh the families in the School themselves thank you Jake and we'll wrap up this question with quell's response to what is the most important aspect of what isd15 does for our community so I think it's a lot of important thing I think the list is very long but I think at the top of that is education I mean no two ways about that um but I think leaving education I think that for me I think creating a welcoming and safe space for our children to be able to learn I think is very very high on my list because if kids feel safe they feel welcome it opens up a whole bunch of stuff right teachers feel safe they feel welcome that the school district and the schools actually want them it opens them up to a lot of different things now they start to take ownership of the things that they doing in school as opposed to I'm going just teach what I need to teach and walk away from it so education education education is is the the biggest but kind of creating some of the safe spaces for kids to come and be themselves and be able to be open for teachers to pour into them and uh that that goes a long way because an educated Community it's a good Community thank you quao uh that wraps up our fifth question um I think we got :00 right on the money right now do we want to do do okay uh we'll move out well sounds like we got time for one more question and then we'll do a closing uh statements and then we'll probably be right on time to wrap up all right so let's see where did we so we'll start with you Andrea on this question how would you plan to connect and communicate with older adults within the school district community I can repeat it one more time too sure okay how would you plan to connect and communicate with older adults within the school district Community yeah um I think probably the most important thing is getting out into the community um going and meeting with them uh where they are to be able to have conversations on you know what their expectations are and what's important to them and where they think there's opportunities and what's going well and um making sure that there's representation there thank you Andrea uh we'll move to you Jeff uh how would you plan to connect and communicate with older adults within the school district Community I think today we have to figure out a different way to communicate with every different group that we can there's people that communicate with Snapchat Instagram Facebook a multitude of different places we should have stuff available in print uh we should find if there's local senior groups that we can connect with uh if we can provide some context for them uh it's we just have to get out there and figure out where we can figure out find everybody we can't just communicate on one platform or we'll never reach [Music] everyone thank you Jeff excuse me thank you Jeff uh we'll move down to uh Tom uh for your response to how would you plan to connect and communicate with older adults within the school district Community thanks a great question I definitely didn't predict this question or think it would come up but it's extremely important um and I guess depending on your definition you know I may I may be in that category I mean my kids probably say that I would be so um you know I think I really like what Jeff said think Communications with seniors is is extremely important we need to find ways to be as transparent as possible as a school board and to bridge those gaps whether that's newsletters or flyers or you know going having Town Halls at different locations that are convenient those would all be awesome but but internet like say uh Snapchat Instagram Facebook um public forums and you know Communications is going to be one of the most important things that we do as a school board because that brings transparency and then that readings you know collaboration throughout the community and that's where our strength is going to come from collectively so that I'll pass to Jake thanks thank you Tom uh we'll move on to you Jake uh how would you plan to connect and communicate with older adults within the school district Community yeah like Tom said I'd have to meet some younger people um but uh you know I consider Wanita a friend I've been on boards with her uh huge in this community um in contact with a lot of people and uh you know she had always said you know hey we need the communications too uh I I find there's a lot of empty seats at a lot of different venues that be being because uh you know most the district emails are going out just to the people involved in the theater or the band or whatever when these are actually uh quite entertaining and you know a cheap date night uh out and about so I'm very enjoy uh so something I did back when I was on the board was we would invite groups um like uh that are you know either from daycares or on the other end of the spectrum as well to uh either you know we purchase from a as a booster club a bunch of tickets and donate them and say hey come on you're welcome as our guest no cost to you and I believe something like that uh you want to build community Beyond uh just the people that are involved in the uh activity itself thank than you Jake uh we'll move down to you quao for your response to how you would excuse me how you would plan to connect and communicate with older adults within the school district Community well I I wish I had a novel answer or something you know strategic to say outside of what everybody has already said um but you know you invite the community you send things out and people don't respond then you know you're not communicating it the right way so testing things I mean emails not a lot of people open emails is it Flyers is it actually you know pounding the pavement really going out and talking to people is it making you know these communication things available when there's a football game things like that I think I think there has to be a lot of different things that get tried out and then see what the community responds to and uh that's basically what we go with because uh we can't just assume that everybody is looking at emails or going online or opening a mail or things like that thank you quell uh we will move down to Rob for your response to how you would plan to connect and communicate with older adults within the school district Community yeah we used to have The Courier when I was first on the board which was a monthly newspaper that the school district actually printed um but due to financial stuff we had to get rid of that and now we do a newsletter but it's not as often U but in there has updates from the schools and Community Ed offerings and I think the community ed is a great way for those in the community to see what's going on here I mean Lunch Bunch even though I've never attended one everybody that I talked to that has been to one just Raves about it so I'm hoping that word spreads through just how great the programs are through Community Ed that people realize how many different offerings there are here thank you rob uh that wraps up the sixth question do we want to oh there you are should we do should I read these and then do closing or okay okay okay so we got a couple uh typed up responses from some of the candidates that couldn't be here tonight due to uh prior obligations uh so I'm going to read through uh here's a response from uh Chad working he says hello I'm Chad working I appreciate the opportunity to run for school board in the great isd15 I was born and raised in the northern metro area of Minnesota a 2011 graduate of Spring Lake Park High School and have a bachelor's degree in corporate finance from the University of Minnesota Mano I'm a family first man of Faith St Francis St Francis is a community where my wife Destiny three children and I have called home for the last 10 years I have volunte appeared for multiple events in isd15 which include track and field day classroom mentoring and field trips I've also been a youth football soccer and basketball coach for seven years it's a mentor and Leadership role I take very seriously and and is the person for the reason for my absence tonight I am personally invested in isd15 because of my second Sixth and eighth grade children I want the best education for them and all students I will be committed to advocate for building Community School Safety and posteducation Readiness through communication and feedback I will consider the wants and needs of our parents teachers and staff when making decisions I will stand for what's best for our students and make difficult decisions unbiased to what other districts or the state may be doing I will be committed to represent you thank you and God bless Chad working was there one okay all right so we'll move on to the uh closing uh statements from each of the candidates that are here tonight um and we'll start with uh Jeff uh for your uh closing statement and these will also just be uh one minute uh closing statements I think there's a lot of stuff we need to look at for the district going forward uh there's the levies that are probably going to become president we have many mandates from the state going through the education that the teachers and the district have to follow uh when we don't like those mandates it's not necessarily our best process to fight them but to work within them um we need to just continue working forward and working together as a school board instead of against each other it seems that would be the best way to go forward I believe it shouldn't be a political position it should be just a common sense position use the kiss method keep it simple leave out the other [Music] part thank you Jeff uh we'll move down to uh Tom for his closing statements uh thank you for coming tonight everyone appreciate it it's good to see you know the community involved and seeing what's happening with the school board uh you know personally I'm proud to be running for the school board I think that um I do bring a lot to the position and you know when you look at the concept of high performing teams you know um you have a lot of dynamic personalities uh that um have excellent strong backgrounds uh you know Integrity in a work ethic that is second to none and um you know with me you know I'm going to bring you know sense of faith and a sense of values and integrity to every decision that I'm involved with on the school board if elected and um you know work tirelessly you know on behalf of the academic Community the families the teachers and and the educational system in this community and um you know so I'm asking for you know your vote the community's vote so that we can uh make the school board the best one in the state [Music] thank you Tom uh we'll move down to you Jake for your closing statements so I'd like to start with a quick story my wife was a girl scout leader from when my daughter Tess and her friends a couple of friends early on all the way through like 10th grade when there ended up being 30 kids um in that girl scout grp uh group uh and um I say this a lot but 24 of them 22 or 24 of them were National Honor Society kids it's not that we got lucky and this was like some super smart group what I think it was was these kids all had in common families that showed up love of their kids and support um through all good times and bad I I've raised successful kids um I think a lot of us have and We Know What It Takes and uh I am the type of Representative that I would vote for and that um you could count on uh whether we agree or disagree I will answer your phone call I meet you I will have a a text I'll have an email uh your voice is important to me it's got barely anything to do with me I'm serving as a vessel to bring your voice to the table I humbly ask for your vote thank you thank you Jake uh we'll move down to you quell for your closing statements uh well yeah I just want to thank everybody for uh making the time uh for this I think is important um I think also by our answers here I think you guys pretty much have a good understanding and I a of what kind of candidates that you have um obviously you vote for who has uh passions and whose uh you information that we've given more Alliance to what you believe in I think when it comes to me I like I said it's a very singular process for me and a singular Focus the schools our teachers our children that's it everything else it's sideline I um none of that stuff comes in and once we focus on these three I think we'll be able to make our district rival any of the better districts that are everywhere we are able to attract the best teachers and we are able to keep them in this district and that will be a benefit for all our children thank you thank you quell we'll move down to Rob for your closing statements yeah I also would like to thank those in the audience those at home for coming and trying to be part of the process and being involved and knowing who the candidates are um it's you out there that is going to decide who gets on the board um I would appreciate everyone's vote as I have done a good job over the last eight years with communicating with the public being very um involved in what's going on in the district being a good Steward of the taxpayers money by building a healthy fund balance so I would appreciate your vote um my information is online if you want to call text email anytime thank you thank you Rob and we will wrap up the closing statements with Andrea all right so I'd like to thank all of you as well and you know something that I did uh with my job here recently is we all took personality tests I'm sure many of you have taken them before just understand how you function within a team and where I rated highest was as an observer so I sit and I take all the content in all the facts in and then I um make decisions and help um figure out the best path forward and I think that's something that would be very helpful on the school board um in making tough decisions and making sure that we're taking into account what's best for the students what's best for the teachers and what the community um stands for and so I think that's a unique characteristic trait of myself so thank you again wonderful um we're a little bit over time but but we were doing really well there so I wanted to just give it a little bit a little bit extra um Barb would you raise your hand please Wanita would you raise your hand please Haley would you raise your hand please Jordan's Z be say up here this uh event wouldn't be possible without the help of other you and others who sat on our committee um Dax our Communications guys is in the back he was an integral part uh Nancy was here I think she may have left just a little bit ago um she had a prior engagement when candidates filed we gave everyone a save the date paper to remind them of this night um we've worked really hard since last even last uh October we started this process or excuse me two Octobers ago we started this process planning for this so a lot of work has gone into this um we vetted questions from the community we've updated uh we emailed all of the candidates several questions to answer they were three maybe four um those are on our website those that have answered if you you haven't answered or other candidates haven't answered they want to send those in we will gladly update the website as those come in and then we prepared for tonight um a recording is will be available on our website it's saved on our YouTube channel but you can get on the recording and you can send other people to that link to watch it if they'd like uh school districts for obvious reasons have to take a nonpartisan stance in this whole process and so that's what we've done here we believe we've done here it's what we've tried to do here is to give you all the platform to access information on um the candidates that are up here one of the questions that we asked in our email was where can people find more information out about your candidacy so please go to the website if you want to learn more about any of the candidates their information is available on the Secretary of State website so if you feel like you need to cont contact them directly to Ask some additional questions um I I'm just telling you what your legal rights are right uh feel free to do that this is a one wonderful wonderful country we live in and the right to vote is just imperative that we um teach that to our kids and we proactively cultivate that in our community but please vote in a way that um you're educated in don't just blindly cast The Ballot get educated find out what you believe in what you value we've heard a lot about values today and uh one of the values in our community is the right to vote so please encourage people to get out and do that and engage in your constitutional rights that you have as Citizens in this great country thank you for coming we would ask everyone if you wanted extra time candidates feel free to hang out in the lobby um members of the community feel free to mingle feel free to ask questions uh we will push you out at nine o'clock so that gives you that gives you a little bit of time thank you all for coming a round of applause for our candidates tonight a