Good evening and welcome everyone to the St. Anthony Public School Candidate Forum. My name is Grace G. I'm president of the New Brighton Area League which includes the communities of St. Anthony, Mountains View, um Columbia Heights, and St. Anthony. Um the League of Woters is a nonpartisan organization. That means we neither oppose or support any political party or candidate. Our mission is to encourage informed and active participation in government and to increase the understanding of public policy issues. Tonight's forum is designed to give you the voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates to hear about their priorities and to help you make an informed choice this election. It's now my pleasure to introduce tonight's moderator, Linda McLoon McLoon, sorry, a member of the Roseville Area League of Women Voters, who will guide us through the forum. Thank you. Good evening and welcome uh to the candidate forum for the candidates running for school board in the St. Anthony Brighton Independent School District 282. As she said, I am a member of the Roseville Area League of Women Voters and I live in Roseville. So, I will be your moderator for the Meet the Candidates forum tonight. And so on behalf of the League of Women Voters, I'd like to thank you for agreeing to participate in the candidate forum. I will say that two of the individuals who are running for the four year term will not be here tonight, and I will read their opening and closing statements, so you're stuck listening to me quite a lot. So, I apologize in advance. I'd also like to remind everybody that the views expressed in this form are those of the candidate candidates and not those of the League of Women Voters. and sponsorship of the forum is not an endorsement by the league for any candidate. So, we received a lot of questions uh beforehand and I see I have at least one from the audience which I I will try to get to. Um and we but we only use questions that are addressed to all the candidates and we don't use personal or attacking questions. They're not allowed by league uh rules and all of the questions then become property of the League of Women Voters. So uh we need the questions the answers to the questions to focus on the questions and the issues and not on individual candidates. So uh and I will enforce that rule. So let me introduce the candidates for the seats on the St. Anthony New Brighton School Board District 282. There are three candidates running for the full three year the three candidates running for the four-year term on the school board. They're Annie Bosman's who is here with us tonight, Laura Hos and PJ Striker. There's a special election to fill a two-year term on the board, and there are two candidates running for this single position, and they are both with us this evening, Daniel Turner and Michael Overman. So, the agenda will be the as follows. All the candidates will have two minutes for their opening statements. I will then ask questions and using a random generated method I have. They'll switch all around. So sometimes you might be last and then you might be first the next one just so you're mentally prepared. Um so there are also two minutes for each of your responses and I will rotate the order randomly. At the end of the question period, you'll again have two minutes for your closing statements and I will again read those from the two candidates who are not here. So we have our wonderful timers sitting here in the front and they will they have signs that will indicate 30 seconds and 15 seconds and then stop. So I ask you to please finish your sentence because I hate to you know keep saying please stop stop over and over over again and we do this just to make sure that everybody has equal time. So uh we are now ready for our opening statement. So we will start uh with the uh person who is here who's running for the 4year term and that is Annie Bosman's. >> Thank you. Uh good evening and thank you for those of you who are here tonight watching watching from home and also those who may be watching the recording later on. You care enough about our students and our schools to be a part of this conversation and I appreciate being in this space with you. My husband and I moved to St. Anthony in the spring of 2020 from 33rd and Benjamin Street in Northeast Minneapolis to 33rd and Beldin four whole blocks. We have four children. Cal a sixth grader at Sam's. Alma is in fourth grade and Loretta is in second grade at Wilshire Park and Pippa has uh one more year of preschool at Nativity. Over the past 5 years, our community has become this community and we're thrilled to be investing in it. I have a degree in early childhood education with most of my educator role focused on supporting our youngest learners and their caregivers. Over the years, I found myself in spaces where building trust and connection was essential, and that has been the thread that ties my work together. At my core, I have deep respect for those educating our children. I've seen both the incredible dedication and our teach of our teachers and the challenges that make their work harder than it needs to be. As I've become more engaged over the past several months, along with many community members, we've been asking questions. Why are so many teachers leaving? Why are they feeling unheard and unable to share their concerns? What could we be doing differently? What started as curiosity has grown into a calling to help rebuild the trust necessary for our district to thrive for our community, for our teachers, staff, and administration, and ultimately our students. I've seen firsthand that when we bring more voices into the conversation, we begin to uncover not only the problems, but also the path forward. I'm running because I believe in the potential of their tiny little district in the city. My pri priorities center on rebuilding trust and transparency, supporting and retaining great lead teachers, and centering student learning and well-being. Um, please know that as I respond to these questions, my preference is for one-on-one dialogue with time to process and to truly hear one another. If I communicate something that doesn't feel clear or doesn't sit well with you, my door is open. Our kids and our teachers and our families deserve that level of care and collaboration. And that's why I'm running. And that's why I'm grateful to be here tonight. Thank you. So I will now read the opening statement for Laura Haz and I will watch the time. Good evening everyone. Thank you for being here and for your interest in engaging in your community's future. I'm Laura Haz. I regret that I am unable to be here in person tonight. I'm attending a work conference in Poland with fellow international educators discussing global collaborations and ways to keep our world connected with through student exchanges. But I wanted to share a few words with you before we begin. I'm running for the St. Anthony New Brighton School Dis School Board District 282 because I believe wholeheartedly in the power of public education to strengthen communities and transform lives. My background and values are rooted in education. My father was a public school teacher and superintendent and my mother served as a teacher, education faculty member and a schoolboard member in southern Minnesota. Those experiences taught me early on that the strength of our schools comes not just from policies and budgets, but from caring relationships, trust, and listening, especially to those working hard every day in the classrooms and hallways. If elected, my guiding principle will be this: We must listen first. I want to hear from our teachers, our students, our families, and our staff. Their insights, challenges, and vision should shape every decision our board makes. I believe that open, respectful dialogue is not optional. It is essential. I also believe that conflict handled well can lead to growth and innovation. We don't have to agree on everything and in fact healthy disagreement often surfaces better ideas and stronger solutions. What matters is that we approach conflict with civility, humility, and a shared devotion to our children's success. My priorities are equity, listening, and mental health. Equitable access means ensuring that every students gets what they need to thrive. Listening means valuing frontline experience in decision-making and mental health means supporting the whole child in safe responsive learning environments with the support needed from leadership. Though I am not with you tonight, I'm committed for being a steady voice grounded in community for our schools. I'm grateful for this opportunity for can for candidates to share with you and I look forward to carrying your voices into every board discussion. I will now I got it in. Okay. And now I will read the opening statement from PJ Striker. My name is PJ Striker and I'm honored to be running for the St. Anthony New Brighton School Board. I am so sorry to miss tonight. I have been battling a sinus infection and I am still fairly ill. I'm open to any questions via email and happy to talk in person when I'm feeling better. I grew up in New Brighton and my husband and I are raising our five kids here. We have had kids in Wilshshire Park, Sam's, Savvhs, and Ying Hua. We moved here for the schools and have struggled in feeling disappointed at various times in the last several years. Like so many of you, I care deeply about our schools because they're at the heart of our community and amve invested in ensuring our schools are an example for highquality education and graduating well-rounded students. Professionally, I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist and medical director at Children's Minnesota. I see every day how education, stability, and access to support can change a child's life. I've spent my first year on the board learning, asking questions, and working to make thoughtful student centered decisions. I voted for a balanced budget that protects classroom learning and supported cell phone restrictions in our high school to help students focus and relieve pressure on teachers. My priorities are simple. Make sure that every student leaves our schools ready for success, whether that's college, trade school, or a career. Two, support our teachers and staff with fair pay, resources, and respect. Three, protect what matters most, student learning, mental health, inclusion, and safety. Four, spending wisely, cutting non-essential costs before asking more of families or staff. I believe in listening, in transparency, and in leading with both compassion and common sense. Together, we can keep our schools strong, inclusive, and focused on what truly matters, helping every child thrive. Thank you. And that's from PJ Striker. So, we are done with our uh four-year term opening statement. So, we will now move to our our two candidates for the two-year term. And we will start with Michael Overberman. >> Okay. Uh thank you. My name is Mike Overman. Uh I'm running for reelection to the St. Anthony New Brighton School Board. Um first off, I want to thank the League of Women Voters in the Chamber of Commerce for putting this event together. Um, I really appreciate a chance for the candidates to talk about what they want, you know, their point of view and give you voters a chance to, you know, learn more about each of us. Um, so I want to thank all of you here in attendance tonight. You, we're all busy, but you've made the time to come out. Uh, we've got a full room here, which is wonderful. And to those of you watching at home tonight, if you're on the live stream right now, thank you. And if you're going to watch this over the next month, I really appreciate your involvement, engagement, and that's something that I really value about St. Anthony. I think it's a place that has shown commitment to being involved uh the entire time I've lived here. Uh I moved here in 2014 with my wife Marne and our two kids, Ma and Malone. They were three and one when we got here. Uh now Malone is a seventh grader at the middle school and Ma is a freshman at the high school and she got to go to her first homecoming dance um last weekend. So we took all the pictures ahead of time and it was a really special night. Um and I'm even getting a little choked up. Sorry. Um the time's kind of flown by, but it's also we have this lifetime of memories and most of those have been centered around the school um and around what we've built in this community. Um I'm a strong believer in public education. Uh I was publicly educated. My mom is a public school teacher. She was she's retired now. Um and my kids have gone through the St. Anthony programs every step of the way. Um they were over there in ECF and I was in the room with them learning how to try to be a better parent. Um they went across the hall to the community center. uh preschool here and then they were at Wilshire Park where I was a classroom volunteer and subbed in the school for a few years while they were there. Um and now they're at Sam's and Mods at the high school. And you know, as cheesy as this sounds, I think public education is vital right now. It's a pillar of our democracy and we have to have it to have a civil society. Um there's so many things that we are in front of us that we have to hurdle. Um, and my school board term has been one of the most challenging things I've ever taken on, but I've tried to approach it with humility and great care because I know how important this school is to the community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. And uh, our second candidate for the two-year term, Daniel Turner, your opening statement. >> Thank you. Thank you for everyone for being here tonight in the audience and watching online. Thanks to the league and the chamber for hosting the forum. And I want to thank all the past and present school board members, many of whom are here, uh, for their public service. I'm running in this election because of my belief in public service and in public education. Strong Minnesota public schools are what allowed me, the son of a school custodian, to move on to MIT, earn a PhD, and become a professor at the top, one of the top private universities in the country. My time as a professor has given me expertise in all three of the crucial roles of a school board. In terms of policy, I've sat in curriculum reviews, safety committees, and a whole bunch of other committees to develop different policies. In terms of budget, I have earned over $10 million in federal grant funding to support my research and my students. um and that funding is tightly restricted uh and controlled um much like the funding of a school board. And finally, in terms of leadership accountability, I've served on a number of recruiting and hiring committees in higher education to identify and recruit top students, faculty, and other administrative officials. Uh I'm running in the special election as the result of three key events. The first was that concerning email on April 8th. This motivated me to learn more about what was going on in the schools. Second is hearing about teachers resigning in the middle of the year. As a professor, I know that that's a red flag that something is a miss. And finally, on the June 3rd schoolboard meeting when Chair Phillips announced his resignation, he called for someone with a fresh presence and fresh energy. Um, and that motivated me to run. I'm truly impressed with the diversity in this community. and if elected, I promise to give you the best of what I offer as a professor uh and a scientist, which is an objective evaluation of data and information. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. So, we're now ready for questions. I will just let everyone know that we received almost 60 questions in advance and so I took all of those questions and I put them together into themes and so I'm going to try to ask everything from the different themes. So if you submitted a question and it sounds sort of like your question but not like you know I did my best to get the essence of it and these were also sent to the uh members of the league here. So to to look at the way I had organized them I also received at least one from the audience. So thank you and I am actually going to start with this one because why not. Okay so just I'm flexible. So uh so for the first question we're going to start with Annie Bosman. >> Okay. What is the and it's long there's two parts to it. Okay. So, what is the most foundational change you'd like to see in the district and can you give an example of what that would look like at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels? So, Annie Bosman's >> um yeah, that's a that's a great question. Um, I think the biggest thing I would like to see right now is that our teachers are happy and they're staying and they want to stay. Um, I have seen in my own personal world and also just in communicating with other um other teachers, former teachers that they're leaving and they're not happy. And so, how do we how do we get our teachers to want to stay? We are such a vibrant, beautiful community here. Um, and many of our teachers live here and so I want them to be happy and um being be taken care of. So what does that look like? I think that looks like they're having the support that they need in the classrooms. Um when they call to the office, somebody comes, they have good um structure in place for um their the policies are upheld and they are followed through so that whenever there is a need, they are able to reach that and I think that that would carry over to all of the all of the different schools. Um, I would love to see a vibrant community where uh we as community members are coming in and we're supporting our teachers as they need it so that they can have some of that weight taken off and then they are um able to do the job that they need to do. So, how can we as community members do that? whether that's meeting basic needs for children, coming in and volunteering, um just being a present and a support to them however we can so that they can really make our students thrive. I think that when teachers are happy, our students are happy and um that's what we really need to have kids that are thriving and moving forward. And um yeah, I would love to see high support and teachers that want to stay and want to come back and are just driving here in droves. So, >> thank you. Uh next, Michael Overman. >> Okay. Uh the biggest foundational change I would like to see, um I want us to be able to say we've closed the gap uh in our student achievement results. Um, if you look at our test scores and our success metrics, you know, we've tried to come up with uh ways to analyze our student body because we have a very diverse population here in St. Anthony and you can see differences um in how students perform and we want to eliminate that. Uh I don't want to be able to predict uh any type of outcomes and I want to see that you know you can't tell by race or by gender or by anything like that how kids are doing. They're just all elevating at the same time. And that's not bringing everyone to the middle. That is elevating everyone to get to grade level standards. You know, we have success metrics in place as a board that say, you know, we need to push this. We need to show year-over-year improvement. And what I think that looks like, it's, you know, it's hard to do because kids come to us in so many different ways, so many different ways of learning and readiness for school. Uh, so that's a challenge for teachers to meet and that comes from differentiated teaching. Uh, so you have to have an approach that matches, you know, if you have a kid that's a little bit behind, we still have to get him to the finish line. Like if he he comes in and he's still at a second grade level in third grade, he still needs to get to a third grade letter level. So how do you bring that kid along at the same time? How do you have the kid who, you know, is in third grade, but maybe he's already rated for fourth grade, but let's not slow him down either. So that is differentiated teaching, and that's hard for teachers to do. It's takes a lot of support and a lot of training and a lot of skill. Um, but it's one of the toughest things we face. So, how do we differentiate? How do we use scaffolds to support kids? Just, you know, the whole like, you know, I do, we do, you do to support them, to show that they know because I think that's the number one thing. If I come out of our school board and we've closed uh my term here, if we've closed some gaps down the line, um I will I will be proud of that forever because I think it's one of the biggest things facing um us as a district, the state of Minnesota, and and I would assume the country as well. Thanks. >> Thank you. And Daniel Turner. >> Thanks. Um, I I I agree with Annie that it's very important to support our teachers. Um, and I also selected test scores to discuss. Uh, as a scientist, I feel like this is something I can I can get my hands on, and I've done so over the last few months. I've had countless emails and telephone conversations with the Minnesota Department of Education to learn more about test scores. Um, as well as reviewed some of the different assessment uh tools going on in our district. Um, and I want to just clear up a few sources of common confusion as I've gone through the community and talked to people. Uh, the MCA scores matter. They're almost perfectly correlated to ACT results. uh and they're also predictive of firstear college readiness. I this was studied by the Minnesota Department of Education a number of times and it's always come out as a correlation coefficient of positive.8 which is almost perfect. In addition, the opouts are not counted as zero. When you see a common news story about percent proficiency, uh they are turned into zeros for a federal report as well as one particular state report called Northstar. Uh, I think the reason I'm using these two minutes to talk about test scores is that's the primary purpose of our public schools, which is to educate our students. And for example, in terms of reading, it's known in the literature that 95% of humans generally are capable of reading fluently. And I feel like that should be our objective target. Um, as a as a district, we should aim to achieve what is realistic. Um, I think our district is doing an excellent job of monitoring these things and we need to evaluate other methods that other districts are using and seeing success with. >> Thank you very much. So, we're ready to go on to the next question and with this we'll start with Michael Overman. Uh the most important role of the school board is governance and oversight of administration. Such oversight can be hindered by pre-existing relationships. How will you separate your potential business and personal relationships with district administrators from board duties? >> Well, that's a great question. You're right. The uh role of the board is governance. Um, the board hires one super, you know, one employee, supervises one employee. Uh, ours is, uh, Dr. Renee Cornet at this time. Um, I have no professional business with her that, so that, uh, is easy to clear up. Um, so, but if I did, there's ways to disclose that. I, um, you know, you can, Renee has to file a report every year kind of talking about the businesses she's in, so we're clear on in that her husband's in. so we have some understanding of kind of what that orbit is around her and make sure that we're all aware of it. Um, as far as personal relationships or things like that, you know, I'm on the board to serve our kids and our students in our school. Um, you know, I'm I'm a professional. Uh, I have managed friends of mine. I'm friends with people at my work. Uh, so, you know, I know how to separate personal from objective and business. Um, you know, it's not easy. It's not fun, especially have a tough conversation, but I can tell you I have had difficult conversations with Superintendent Cornet. Um, you know, I've given her direct feedback. I've given her feedback in public and also in private and we've had very, you know, honest back and forth about that. And I think the whole thing is having a level of trust and respect. And if you also um you know like each other because you have kids who are similar ages and maybe you've hung out watching them play sports, you can like someone and still be objective about how you manage them. So um I think it's all about kind of a commitment on what your goal is and kind of what your north star is and you kind of set the rest aside and say, "Okay, what do we need to do to get our goals done to, you know, if if you're not doing the job properly, let's talk about what that means and how we're going to get that done." >> Thanks. Thank you, Daniel Turner. >> Sure. Uh, we've moved here just a few years ago. I don't really have any relationship with the current superintendent and wouldn't anticipate that going forward. As well, uh, what I can say is that at the university level, uh, relationships between supervisors and supervises uh, are tightly controlled. uh upfront transparency is required and encouraged uh so that the review process is unbiased. I for example in in a department that I was in uh one faculty member could no longer be reviewed by the by the uh departmental chair due to an existing relationship and his review was conducted in an outside department. Somewhere there's a line between being friendly and collegial and allowing personal ties to influence our judgment that's difficult to see our own biases. Uh in terms of the board superintendent level, uh I think if if one were to have a a close relationship with the superintendent, I I think I think actually that could be helpful in many ways. um except when it comes time to maybe have a vote on the review process um or as well as on contract renewals. Um probably the appropriate thing that I would imagine is to abstain um from those votes. Thank you. >> Thank you. and Annie Bosman's >> uh yeah I think you know recently I read um talking to strangers by Malcolm Gladwell and he tells multiple stories of times when people have trusted the more time they spend with somebody the more that they trust them which generally we would agree and there's this bias towards trust the stories that he told were when people were duped doing things like this head CIA A that was like the biggest double agent. Um and so his point was there we we sometimes bias towards trust when because we think we know them and sometimes our our relationships don't always prove correct. And so there has to be and then there's also the other point of as a a leader and when you're you're balancing somebody um that you're in charge of you have to find that balance of collaborative leadership and how do we work together to make things happen and also balancing that I have to be mindful of my bias so that I'm making the right choices for what's best for everybody. So really trying to take both both things in mind and knowing that sometimes we can think the best of people even when we shouldn't. Um and so and you want to lean to trust. So how do we navigate that? And I think it takes some um intentionality and um hearing other voices outside of just the one right in front of you. Um, so finding finding all the different uh hearing all the different voices and perspectives so that you have a a full broad spectrum of what you're looking at. Thank you. So we the next question we will start with Daniel Turner. How do you see the school district partnering with local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, and community organizations to provide internships, career exploration, or real world learning opportunities? >> Can you repeat the first part of that question? How do you see the school district partnering with local businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, and community organizations to provide internships, career exploration, or realworld learning opportunities? >> Yeah, I think I think this is a great idea. Whoever asked this question, um it's pretty common in my experience to see uh partnerships such as those. In my own school growing up, we had a some manufacturing companies in in our town and uh they partnered with the school students in a number of different ways including providing uh interesting technology uh machines I guess at the time. Um so here in our local community our we don't have so many manufacturing companies. I don't my mind is going completely blank actually right now in terms of what uh what uh companies are are in the community um to even create an example right here on the spot. But I I think overall this is a great idea. Uh there should be internships. Um I think this is manageable work study type programs. Uh >> yeah, I'll leave it there. I think it's a great idea. Thank you, Annie Bosman's. >> Uh, I love this. This is like this is all of who I am. Such a a foundational part of who I am. When I when I was home part-time with my kids, um, I childcare shared I believe that we I shared child care with a friend so we could both work part-time. Um, and I think there's such value in the village. I know that we live in the village, but the village of like we all we need each other to support one another and the perspectives that I have in my family is so different from another perspective. And so how can we as a community with various businesses and all kinds of different ways um support our children to understand the breath of options out there. Um and I think it would be beautiful. I don't I don't really know currently what's happening in those spaces, but I think it would be amazing to have some sort of system where we are offering them opportunities to find places to understand, you know, what is it like to be in like work in the restaurant industry? What is it like to help with housing or have rental properties or just any varied number of of ways that they could do within our our little space here? and how can we learn from one another and really grow um and be that community that I think is so lovely about this space that we have here. >> Thank you. And Michael Overman. >> Yes, I agree. This is also a fantastic question. So, whichever of you submitted it, a number of people maybe for the theme. Thank you very much. Um, and it's actually a great time to ask it in our community because, uh, Cody Holidayiday is in here and the Chamber of Commerce has been kind of reinvigorated, uh, over the last few years. Uh, so it's really healthy and very strong right now. And Jason Johnson is a business teacher over at our high school who uh, this was more of a a second career for him and he is really just he has jumped in with so much enthusiasm. I don't know if you guys have seen the merchandise that he sells uh, through his students that they design, manufacture, and sell. Uh I we put it up for sale at the uh Village Fest booth and I think we did like $800 of business. Uh that all is going back into the school and right back into that program. So um we've got two really energetic people that could help lead the charge on this. I think it's wonderful for kids to be able to pursue uh their interest at an early age and find out, you know, is it right for me? Do I like busting tables? Do I like working in a restaurant? Or is it terrible to interact with the public? But I also think that's a really important thing to know. Um, you want to I I think every person should have to uh work as a waiter or server at some point. Um, you know, it should just be part of graduating. Um, but so they can explore things they're interested and passionate about. And that's how you learn is, you know, you can study and talk all you want in a classroom, but when you get in and you see what a business is like, uh, you know, you kind of get a real feel like, is this something I want to be doing? Where does this lead to? uh you get a feel for like what it's like to do low-level work which is important because you know you come out of college with hopes and dreams and sometimes it's kind of boring at first but if you have that lesson upfront oh this is what it is and this is what it can be because you have someone kind of mentoring you and paying attention I think that's a great thing to learn at this age and I'm really excited that uh you know we've got a great setup for it so and I I hope that's getting explored more I know we've talked about it as part of the school so um I'm looking forward to see how that plays out >> thank Thank you. So, uh, we received a lot of this question and it's was kind of put together into one rather complicated question. Oh, wait. And it's one of those yes no tree things. Okay. So, um, and with this question, we're going to start with Michael Overberman. So, there are candidates uh, uh, for the school board who are currently part of a parent group in our community known as the St. Anthony New Brighton Parent Coalition for Teachers and Students. So the question is, are you a member of this parent coalition? And what is your role if you are? And if you're not part of this coalition, why not? Or why didn't you or wouldn't you? And if elected, would you maintain your position with this coalition? And if yes, how do you see that as a potential conflict of interest? So did you get that? Are you a part of this coalition or not? And and why either way? And if you are if you're elected, does that how are you going to deal with your basically potential conflict of interest if >> I don't know? No, I you know some of the question 15 second warning on the question. This is the shorter version. So you you got that you got the gist and I wasn't familiar with this organization. So I don't know. >> What was the end if if elected? If you if you're if you if you are part of this coalition and you are elected, h >> uh would you stay in that in the coalition or would you leave it or how would you deal with it as a potential conflict of interest relative to your role on a schoolboard for as in governance? So it's kind of complicated. So and you only have two minutes to answer. So there you go. So Michael Overman. >> Great. Thank you very much. Uh well to answer uh step one of this choose your own adventure question um no I am not a member of the uh Sammy coalition. So I guess I get to take a slightly different route on this. Um you know that is a group that was formed last spring. Uh it was a community group that was uh upset about some things that happened in our district and it's completely fair that they were upset. Um they have a right to be because their kids were involved. um you know it's concerned citizens and they have questions and they've wanted to you know get answers and advocate for transparency and I think there are some you know great points that have come out of that group and great questions and some work has been done um but also you know it is a group that uh you sometimes has been a little aggressive with data requests uh we feel like as as a school board uh member um and they have you know but data requests are part of transparency so that's fine Um, so no, I'm not a member. Um, if I was a member, I would resign from it. Um, I was on the CNB Foundation, which raises money for grants for schools. I was the treasurer. Um, you know, it felt a little weird being the treasurer of that group and the treasur. I was going to be the potentially the treasur of the school board. So, I went ahead and stepped down um as the CMB uh from the CMB Foundation as treasurer because I just didn't want to have any perception of any sort of bias at all. uh coincidentally PJ Striker took over for me. Uh so we've been kind of following a similar path but you know I think it's important to uh appear neutral and you know just especially when you're doing public work and publicly elected work that you know you have a nice clean path to work in because you don't want to have a conflict of interest. You don't want to even have that kind of in the back of your mind even though you know you know you're doing the right thing but you know as as Annie said you know when you're around people sometimes you might develop a bias so I think it's important to you know separate ourselves and you know go it alone. >> Thank you Daniel Turner. >> Yeah thanks. So I so I'm not a member of the coalition leadership. Uh I do receive the coalition emails. Um I uh over the past couple of months I've had two meetings with people on the coalition uh leadership team and uh about two or three phone conversations and associated text threads to organize those events. I'm not sure if that makes me a member of the coalition or not. Uh to be honest, uh the coalition has endorsed me because uh we have some common interests, a a strong support uh for teachers and students uh in our district uh and an emphasis on transparency in deci decisionmaking and I am grateful for their endorsement and support. Um, more broadly, I'm impressed with any grassroots political organization, and I see tremendous value in community members coming together for a common cause. It's truly impressive. Um, and even more broadly, I think it's important for school board members to engage and chat with people in our district. I don't think it's a bad thing that schoolboard members would meet with any particular community group uh or individual person. Uh, of course there's straightforward constraints of the open meeting law, but other than that, I think it's good. So, I it's important to be mindful of bias for sure. Uh, I don't think I have a conflict of interest in this case, but I do appreciate the endorsement of the coalition. Thank you. >> And any Bosman's? Well, um I am on the leadership team of the coalition, so I feel like this question was maybe directed towards me. Um which is fine. Uh I w I entered into it into the group not because or it was formed yes because of one event for many children but not my children. Um, when I first heard that a teacher left in um, April or February and it was a Friday and the kids came back on Monday and she was gone, um, I knew right away that there was something wrong and I got my red flags up and I was like, what's happened? that teacher did not feel safe and she did not see a path forward. And so I got curious and I asked a lot of questions and all of these other parents were also asking a lot of questions. And you know the more questions that we um we asked and the answers often we were not enough and it didn't feel like it it created a um it created enough understanding to be like okay it created more questions actually. So um I am in it. I've really thought a lot about what that looks like uh when I'm on the board. Um and I don't think that there's anything wrong with parents asking questions. Um I also will be completely vocal about I want to talk to people. I want to hear every voice that I'm not hearing and if I'm wrong or if I say something that you don't agree with, please come talk to me. Let's have a conversation. Let's talk through it. Um, but I I don't anticipate changing my plans. I I anticipate um probably taking a bit more of a observational space as I'm in that um rather than being quite so fully into it, but I think it's there are are providing voices for people that have not felt heard for a long time. Um and so I think that's really beautiful and like Daniel said, grassroots. There's nothing wrong with the democratic way. um and I'm really proud to be a part of it and I've learned a lot and I've um we've really made some good progress. >> Thank you very much. So we're ready for the next question and for this question we will start with Annie Bosman's. Uh change of topic. Considering the current political climate in the country, where do you stand on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and why? And similarly, what are your views on ICE entering school grounds or buildings? >> Yeah, that's a a good question. Um, I have done as much work as I can within my capacity to try and understand equity and I came from a space where it wasn't it it wasn't diverse and so I'm learning a lot. Um, and I I think that every child deserves to be in a space that they feel safe um, and that they feel that they belong. And so what does that need to look like? That needs to look like our curriculum is aligned with equity. And it looks like teachers that have done training to understand their own biases so that they are um they are able to best create spaces for our children. Um and it looks like trying to make our our staff look how our students look and make that proportionate. And um I think it's valuable and it's important and it's necessary and it's hard work. Um so I am fully aligned and I will always be learning more and I always want to do better. Um and with that um with ICE I think that and I I know that I've I've read through I think our policies um to keep children safe here. This is a safe space for them. And so doing whatever we can to make sure that our children are not um are not met with ICE agents in our schools. Um I think that's highly important and we'll do what I need to to help make sure that happens where we can. >> Thank you. And ne uh next Michael Overman. >> Sure. Uh I'm I'll start with just the ICE part. Uh kids need to feel safe at school, period. Um, I shouldn't be in school buildings. Kids need to feel like that is an okay place. Um, I think that any child who feels threatened by the concept of ice in general is probably a little bit on edge and school should be a safe zone for them to feel comfortable for them to be able to even learn. You have to feel safe in the room. So, I'll just that's that's my take. uh you know, we'll see what the federal government does, but if as far as you want to know if if I get a vote in it, that's how I'm voting. Um as far as DEI initiatives, you know, I kind of talked earlier in one of these questions about foundational change and you know, I view equity as let's make sure every kid gets a chance uh to get where they need to go and that is meeting them where they're at. Uh and kids arrive at all different phases. So, we want to make sure we support them to get to their grade level, to learn what they need to learn so they can graduate, so they can be successful, you know, whatever they want to do. If they want to go into, you know, a career path right away or they go to college, uh let's make sure every kid has that chance. I do think um kids do better when they can see someone who looks like them in a leadership position. Um that is something that I value and I think we have a diverse student population. I a quick aside, one of the best nights of the year uh being on the school board is graduation and you see the senior class coming in and it is is really amazing to to see just you know how diverse a community we have um because it doesn't always line up with the neighborhoods we live in but it's amazing you hear the families cheering from the side. So to make sure that those kids get to see people in leadership roles so they see what they can aspire to be I think is important. Um, and however we can support that through different methods of education, even if it's just posters up on the wall, uh, as a low bar to say, "Oh, look, there's someone like me who is successful. I can I can feel inspired by that." Thanks. >> Thank you. And Daniel Turner. >> Thanks. Uh, I'll also take the ice question off the top. Uh, it's very important that our schools feel safe for all students. And I could talk for a long time about my own experiences. I I serve on my church's uh it's called a risk assessment team which is a safety team. I chair that and we've worked with our attorneys to create uh good documentation and posters in our church for private spaces which uh should from what I've been told legally uh prevent ICE from proceeding further. So, I don't know if the district has considered that um or if the attorneys in the district have considered that as well. Uh in terms of uh equity, I would say in the current zeitgeist, this is an important topic and yet it remains fairly divisive uh in terms of policy decisions by the board. Uh we may come up with choices to make uh that would put our federal funding at risk. Um and that's somewhat worrisome. uh and it puts the board in a difficult spot um so that we can effectively serve all of our students. Um I've participated in education at the highest levels in the world and I've seen how people of every origin and background and shape and size can succeed academically if given a chance. Uh also in terms of equity, I've seen that this word is tossed about often without definition and it means different things to different people. But if the term means something like giving students what they need to succeed and recognizing that some students need additional support to get there, this seems completely unobjectionable and I can't imagine anyone disagreeing with that. We should maintain our high academic standards and give everyone what they need to bring them up there. Um, and we also need to ensure that our brightest students remain challenged yet at the same time. Uh, thank you. >> Thank you. So with the next question, we will start with Daniel Turner. There's such a thing as economy of scale. So, has the St. Anthony uh New Brighton School District ever considered merging with a larger neighboring school district because of that economy of scale? And if and would you support it or not? >> Interesting. Um, it sounds like this is more a question for Google. Um, so has St. Anthony? Yes. So from what my limited knowledge is sometime in the 1990s this was considered and it was turned down. Um, and I agree with that. I think small school districts we're we are small like geographically but in terms of student body we are not all that different from many other school districts in the state. Um, and so, so I think, uh, whoever asked the question may wish to clarify if they meant which of those meanings they were most concerned about, but I feel like the small geographically is actually a bonus because we have awesome groups like the bike bus who can like bring a huge number of our students to Wilshire Park. So, there's advantages to being small if in terms of geography. Um there is certainly an economy of scale and I think we do participate in that like with the intermediate school district 916 that allows us to sort of um loop in with what 10 or 12 other districts there um for uh uh special education purposes. I forget the last half of the question but something about should we stay as our size and yes I would support that. >> Thank you. Uh, Annie Bosman's. >> Yeah. Um, it I believe was the 90s. Um, and I've talked to some people who were a part of keeping the district intact in the '9s. Um, and so as part of some of our work of just kind of getting to know the community and asking questions, um, they fought for us then and I think it's worthwhile to fight for us now. We are, I've said, you know, a a small but mighty community. And I think there's so much potential in this sweet little space that we have where our kids can ride their bikes to any of their friends houses. Um, and uh, we have opportunities to to collaborate with other districts. It's not perfect, right? Um there's there's there's things that are hard when you are in a small district in comparison to some of the bigger thing bigger schools that can that have opportunities. Um but there is something magical about here and I think it's worth fighting for. That's why we're all here. Um, and so yeah, if if that came to to a head at one point and we had to discuss that, I think I mean there's probably a lot of things to weigh, but I think it would be worth fighting for and I would be happy to to keep us there. >> Thank you. And Michael Overman. >> Uh, sure. It's kind of a shame Barry Kinsey is not here. He can tell the story the best. Um, so he's still serving as his interim board chair right now. So, if anyone wants the full story of how we almost lost our district, uh, call Barry. He'd be happy to regail you if you buy him a diet coke and a slice of pie. Um, yeah, it'd be easier if we were bigger sometimes. Uh, there's resources available at bigger schools. There's, you know, sometimes there's more student support. There's a better office. There's, you know, we have to outsource our communications to CESO because, you affordable option for us to do that. And thankfully, there's resources like that. uh there is 916 that can handle uh a lot of things that we're not able to take on and we're grateful for that relationship. Uh Laura Oxenbod's done a wonderful job over the years being leazison to them and it's really a truly great resource that we have so we don't have to carry that on our own because we couldn't afford to do it. Um I think this place is great. Um we complain about the taxes a lot. You know that's just part of the fun of talking about St. Anthony is how high our tax bill is, right? Um, but part of that is we don't we didn't we don't have businesses to tax. That's part of the issue. The residents carry the burden. And we've fought at the legislative level at the state to say, "Hey, this isn't fair to our residents." Um, we don't like to carry this put this much load on them. You know, we don't like to keep going back and doing a song and dance to say, "Hey, pass our levies so we can keep our school going because we're carrying more weight." But also, my daughter can walk home from a football game and she doesn't walk past a closed down business shopping mall that, you know, that's unguarded and maybe unsafe. She gets to walk through residential neighborhoods, which is really something that I try to always remember every time, you know, I get my tax bill. It's like, I am paying for that. We have fast fire response. It's one of the fastest, like it's insane, like two and a half minutes how fast they get to you. And I'm I'm off topic from the school a little bit, but I'm just talking about St. Anthony as a whole. Small and mighty is wonderful. And yes, I I would fight like hell to keep us independent if it came to it. >> Thank you. Uh we'll have the next question start with Michael Overman. Uh how would you improve communication and engagement between the district families and the wider St. Anthony New Brighton community? >> How would I improve it? >> Improve communication and engagement. >> Sure. Um well, we actually talked about this at a recent board development meeting. Um like I said, we don't have a communications department of our own, so we've been relying on CISO to help us bolster that. Um because a lot of times it's just been the school secretaries doing their best to get emails out and organized and that's hard for them to do. That's not their background or their training. So the board, you know, gave administration, talked to administration, they said we should outsource this to professionals. And I hope things have gotten better. I know it's not perfect. I know you don't get all the information you need all the time, but there has been a plan to make it better and have more straightforward communication and more regular path from the district. Uh the board looked at a comprehensive communication plan. Um like I said on the 9th September 30th meeting uh that will you know we have listening sessions the first meeting of each month which is 20 minutes you kind of talk to the board. Sometimes it's awkward and weird because we don't talk back. We just listen and nod and we take notes but that's what it's set up to be. It's not set up to be a back and forth. So we have that. We're looking to add uh some smaller group sessions where it's two or three board members because that way we can avoid open meetings and it's a little more casual and comfortable so someone can talk and come with more specific questions. We're going to look at where we can set those up. Like, is it going to be at the library? Are we going to go into some of these apartment buildings from underrepresented communities that we haven't heard from as much? Can we go to them and get more information? And then, you know, we will do kind of more of like a bigger town hall setting like we did uh this last spring, which wasn't what everyone wanted, but it was a a first step finally for us. Um, and that's also a place where some other people might feel more comfortable in a larger setting because some people don't like small group conversation. It's, you know, sometimes it's weird to sit with six people in a room and talk about things. Um, they want something a little more um, you know, a little less personal, a little more anonymous. So, uh, we are looking at plans as a board to roll this out. Um, and it's nice to see it actually take shape and see it on a piece of paper and laid out and we know that we need to do better and we have a plan to actually do better. >> Thank you, Daniel Turner. >> Right. So when when I hear this question, my mind lights up with a whole tree. Uh because communication and engagement is a a two-way street. It goes both ways between the district as well to the parents as well as from the parents and community members to the district. Uh and it also uh is two additional parts. one is the channels of communication and the second part is the content of those communications. So that's a lot of little boxes to check. Um I do feel like the district communicates really well. In fact, sometimes it's overwhelming. I'll get a a notice on Parent Square. I'll get an email and a text all the same topic. So um I I feel like the and in fact it happened today, right, with the incident at Wilshire Park. Uh I got all three of those. So, I feel like the the school is very responsive when it comes to like safety events and and so forth, which is good to see. Um, another advantage of being a small district is that we're able to easily communicate with members of the board uh or school leadership. I've sent a number of emails over the past few years and have received a response pretty quickly. Sometimes nothing happens as a result of that response, but at least I will receive a response. Uh, I do feel like these channels of communication are quite good. I think the content of the communication could be improved. Uh, I've knocked on a lot of doors this fall and there's a lot of mystery about uh the the district budget and finances. I feel like people are confused about a number of things and so that indicates that the onus is on the district to better communicate those details. Uh, just as one example of several that I could go into. Thank you. >> Thank you. and Annie Bosman's. >> Uh yeah, I I was at the meeting when they talked about uh the communication plan and I really like a lot of their community engagement ideas. Um a couple additional things I think that you know, yes, we do a lot of really good outward like outgoing communications. What I would love to see is more engagement from our community and how do we um bring everybody into the fold? How do we hear the voices of people that we haven't heard? Um, and so I think a lot of that comes from the underlying idea of feeling ownership. Um, how do we, and that's I think a bigger conversation that we can have, but how do we help families, maybe families that live out of the district, maybe families that aren't coming to things, maybe that have language barriers, how do we make them feel ownership of the space and get them to want to be a part of it, too? And how do we help them find the space that they can be helpful in? Um, and so sometimes that takes a little bit of work and maneuvering to find the right places for them, but everybody can have a a place. And so, how can we be mindful of bringing everybody into the fold? Um, I would love to have like as a a board member, I would love to have office hours. I've talked about, you know, how do like, you know, again, speaking to bringing people into the fold, like maybe it's every other month I go and sit at one of the apartment complexes or at Caribou or Starbucks where everybody is or that people have access to and I'm just there and sometimes I'm working on my work and sometimes I'm there talking with people and it's just a space to be that people know that I'm there. um you know, being able to schedule something online and just book it on my calendar and just being accessible I think is really important for people to feel heard. Um I think ultimately even if you can't give them what they want um because it doesn't make sense for the whole thing if they're heard I think people can generally be um more content. And so how do we give a voice to people and find help them find their way here in this space? >> Thank you. So with the next question we will start with Michael Overman. And so we are I'm going to take a question from the audience. So please tell us about your experience with laws governing student and staff data privacy and a time when you had to maintain confidential confidentiality on a controversial topic. Sorry, could you repeat that one more time? >> Absolutely. Please tell us about your experience with the laws governing student and staff data privacy and a time when you had to maintain confidentiality on a controversial topic. >> Sure. That's um one of the challenges of being uh in a schoolboard role. Um, we fortunately the district, the school board has an attorney to help guide us with this. Um, because we will proceed with the utmost caution first. Um, we're not going to give out any specific uh personnel, employment data, student uh individual student information. We try to be as careful as we can uh about uh you know saying any sort of name in public where you know so you're trained part as that's part of the training is being on the school board is just learning that you know air on the side of caution and try to protect everyone uh first and then you can think about what's this what's okay. You can talk to your your attorney and that's one of the few times that we are allowed to have a closed session is if we have to talk about something specific um it's a closed session to protect the privacy of those involved. Um there's pretty strict rules about closed session, but that's one of them because you're trying to protect people and it's sensitive information. Um so I'm not an expert in it. I've got some experience from my four years on the school board and we have an attorney that helps guide us who is an expert on it and we go to him first uh with any sort of uh doubts or questions. Um, and there have been a number of times where it would be easy to say, "Yeah, you know, it's unfortunate something played out this way. I wish I could, you know, and I wish I could tell you more, but I agree it's unfortunate and it's too bad." And that's going to have to how I have to end the conversation because, you know, I'm not allowed to share, you know, any insider information, anything that I might have um heard because of my position on school board. Um, you know, I can't have a conversation saying like, well, you know, if I could really tell you what went on, you know, that might be easier. That might, you know, I might be able to explain things a little bit better, but it's not something I'm allowed to do. So, it's something I take really seriously to protect the district and protect those who are involved in sensitive situations. >> Thank you. Any Bosman's? >> Yeah. Um, so I have not I have not been on the board. I have not been in a a situation where I would need to um handle these things. However, um I am generally a person that will wait and watch before I would do something. And so it would be what do I need to know and how do I um do the right thing and I don't say anything until you know what you can and cannot. And so finding the right people that are experts in those things and can, you know, speaking with the attorney or leaning on other um other board members to just manage what we're supposed to do. And so you figure out those things when when you need to. >> Thank you. And Daniel Turner. As a professor, I have gained much more experience with the laws governing student data privacy than I'd ever wanted to imagine. Uh, Furpa, HIPPA, you just go down the list. Uh, one of the most difficult conversations I've ever had on the phone was a parent who was wondering about their own student and the situation was very difficult and awkward and I couldn't tell them and that was terrible. I've ridden in ambulances with students who needed to go to the hospital so I could help. Um, they had nobody else. Uh, and so I've been in these situations before and handled them. Now it's kind of rushing back to me. I'm sorry. Uh, but yes, uh, it's it's super important to maintain confidentiality. Um, uh, and like the others have said, it's very important to respect uh, what the laws are even when it makes us uncomfortable. Uh, I'll leave it there. Thanks. >> Thank you. So we are now ready to go on to the next question and for this we'll start with Annie Bosman's. So artificial intelligence or AI uh is here and so uh what is your feeling about its use by teachers and students and how is the district developing a policy on its use? Yeah, that's a that's a good question and um of course it's in conversations everywhere. Um I'm in in my own in my own self I'm trying to figure out what am I willing to to use this for and what am I not and I try that and I don't like that that doesn't feel good to me. Um and so I think there's an there's a you have to find a balance of um you know the same with internet and like social media like there helping our children or students learn in a space that is safe and um so that they can play with it a little bit while also understanding the the vast potential of what it could bring both good and bad. And so I think it is finding that balance and I think that's it's going to take some time for for leaders to make those decisions on what makes sense. Um I think we need to be very cautious um because you know I I don't know if you guys have seen the pictures of how your brain looks when people using AI versus not using AI. That's really scary to me. Um that we're maybe losing some of our creativity and our ability to critically think because somebody else is doing it for us or something else. Um so I want to be very cautious um and mindful and know that it's also a really great tool. And so how can we how can we parse that out and figure out what's best for for our students um in this everchanging ever evolving landscape of AI? >> Thank you. Uh Daniel Turner. Great. So I have some experience with AI. I've written neural nets to with my graduate students for doing things in our in our lab. Um and I've published research par papers in this area. I personally I'm not too impressed with the AI tools that exist. Uh chat GPT can't do basic math. Um, I was happy to see that goo Google AI, I think it was the one that had the cheap button that they removed. So, that was good to see. Um, in the academic setting, it's still fairly easy to tell who's been using AI. It sticks out like a sore thumb versus original thoughts. Um, I think in terms of the school district, uh, we do have some choices to make in terms of policy, right? One of the three key areas of school board is setting policy. And so we need to get ahead of this um and figure out where it's appropriate to use in an academic setting. Um and also this maybe is not directly in the area of the schoolboard, but I think it should inform our students in terms of their future career choices. Um because it it will have a transformative effect in many careers um or jobs um as our students um uh advanced beyond uh once once they graduate. I can say more but I guess I'll leave it there. >> Thank you. And Michael Overman. >> Sure. um AI, how do you how do you write policy uh on something that is spreading like wildfire and evolving I mean every second of every day? Um you know yes it's got flaws uh but it keeps getting better you know all the time. So you have to think broadly about that because you specific policy is going to be obsolete by the time you've got it through three readings and a commit you know passing it. So you prioritize safety number one uh because our kids are going to use it and we want to make sure that uh it's introduced in an age appropriate manner. So you know and you want that to come from you know you want our kids to learn about these things through trusted resources. You don't want to hide it from them. You want your parents you want uh the school teachers that you know and trust to introduce this and do it in a way that fits. you know look a fifth grader getting introduced to AI will be different than you know a junior in high school getting introduced to AI. So let's make sure the policy first, you know, that it's safe and age appropriate. And then we want to have some just some basic safeguards in place with whatever vendor we select. You know, it's, you know, do you some questions to answer like do you train on our data? What are you doing with our data? Do you have logs? So we can see what rabbit hole this kid went down um that now, you know, might need some extra support. Uh, so we need to know that we can see what they've been doing and we need to think broadly and broadly and specifically about what safeguards need to be in place. I'm no expert on it, but I think, you know, when we're talking about setting policy, we want to bring experts in to say like how do we make this safe and how do we make sure it's okay? And then there's a whole thing, you know, I worry about the loss of thinking as well. Um, because, you know, and does what does that mean for assessment? Are we going back to blue book tests? You know, are we going to sit down and have to write everything out? And maybe that's the right answer. I don't know for testing because you know think you know writing is thinking putting your thoughts together and putting in one place that is thinking and that is something that yes like these two have said I worry about the loss of thinking uh for all of us. >> Thank you. So the next question we will start with Michael Overman. So based on all of the questions uh I would say this is a very timely one. Trust is essential for a healthy school community. What does rebuilding trust look like to you and how would you go about fostering it among the students, the staff, the families, and the community? And again, we're starting with Michael Overman. >> Uh thank you. Um, so last fall we uh tried rolling out a version of effective instruction and it stumbled out of the gates and uh the teachers showed up at a board meeting and said that they felt like they were being blamed uh for the way it rolled out. And I looked at the situation and I looked at, you know, the the writeups I'd seen and, you know, I said, I think in this case, you know, it feels like a leadership issue and that we're not all on the same page here. Um, and I said we have three Rs in this district. It's rigor, relevance, and relationships. And right now, we need to flip those. And it needs to be relationships, then talking about the relevance of what we're trying to do, and then cranking up the rig rigor. So, that was something I said a year ago that we need to rebuild trust, and we need to be working together, you know, and so what does that look like? Uh, it's adults in the room figuring out how we're going to tackle a problem. uh last year talking with the uh head of the teachers union, Beth Reefus. You know, we both had agreed on a point that we don't need to hit a panic button yet because we have the same destination. We want all our kids to do well. Um you know, we're all going to the same place. I just think we're in different cars sometimes. You know, we are caravanning when we should be car pooling. So, something I told administration is you you need to go figure this out. We need to get together. And so administration and the teachers union got together to kind of work through is talking specifically about effective instruction and what what the teachers could find acceptable and they you know kind of hash that out through the school year and you know I've said like we can't do this unless we're all on board together. Um but we also have an urgency because you know our test scores are showing that we aren't getting kids to where they need to be. When we look at kind of how we're assessing our system you know it's not meeting the levels that we need it to. So the only way we get to do it is together and that's by talking to one another and there's going to be some tiny leaps of faith in there but we have to do it and because we have no choice. We can't fail the kids. >> Thank you Daniel Turner. So, as I've chatted with a lot of people over the past few months, I've definitely uh detected that there is sort of an aura of distrust uh among the community members broadly um as well as teachers um for a number of reasons, effective instruction and test scores and spending decisions and staff departures. Um and and if you think about it, the the real antidote to distrust is is transparency. Um and and sometimes this takes radical transparency. Um and so what does that look like? Sometimes it's it's beneficial to evaluate what what something looks like by looking at the opposite, which would be intentional obfuscation. Um, and I don't think that's happening here, but certain members of the community have told me they feel like obfuscation has been intentional. Um, and that suggests both a change in style and method. Um, and you know, in terms of financial transparency, I like I'm shocked by the number of people who have brought this up to me in different conversations worried about how our levies are being spent and if they're being spent appropriately. Um, people are wondering about effective instruction coaches and how much this is all costing. Uh, and how much are we paying for different curriculums and things like this. And I think to the maximum extent possible, transparency is the only real antidote uh when there is uh overall general uh distrust. >> Thank you. And Annie Bosman's >> um yeah radical transparency I think is a really um relevant term. I think that when we have a union survey, teacher union survey that says 82% of teachers have low trust in our administration, that's a really big problem. And so that requires some radical transparency. Um I also think um another large part of that is having um an acknowledgement of missteps and and holding accountability and of our missteps and consistently showing um how we're going to make amends. um if we're not if we're not owning our mistakes, we can't truly bridge that gap um to how do we get on the same side of the table and look at a problem. If we don't trust that you're actually going to take accountability for what you're doing. So, I think accountability is a really important part. Um and I think it's transparently working through problems together and having those hard conversations. um taking accountability where it's due and then also showing over and over again that you're going to be there and you're going to support your your people and in this specific case um supporting our our teachers and our families and our students um over and over again until that trust has been built up over time. >> Thank you very much. So because of the time I'm going to ask one last question, but we don't need to time it because you can only use three words or maybe three short sentences. I love the look on their face. Right. Okay. So, because I just want to get this in. Okay. So, the board has one per person with for whom they're responsible. That's the superintendent. They hire the superintendent. They fired the superintendent. They evaluate the superintendent. So, in three words, what do you think are the most critical attributes for a superintendent? And with this question, I didn't give you a warning, but for this question, we'll start with Daniel Turner. Maybe we need to time it. >> It's untimed, right? >> No. >> Time time. They have one minute max. >> Yeah. Yeah. They want me to um I think what we should look for I'm going to cheat. Um I think we want a superintendent who is student centered, teacher centered, and community centered. >> Thank you. That was so good. Uh, okay. Um, I need a second. Um, >> giving the question off. >> Um, okay. I've got two. collaborative, supportive, and um high achieving. I don't know. That's kind That's kind of guess. I need more time, but I I'll I'll give >> It's a tough one. >> It's a tough one. Three words. >> I admit it. Michael Overman. >> Um it's not fair I got to listen to these two. Uh so, um three words. um competent, uh trustworthy, uh caring. >> Thank you. Thank you for doing our short blitz. So, we're now ready for our closing statements. And you guys are going Thank you. So, uh we're we're going to do them in kind of reverse order than the opening statements. And again, I'm going to be reading the closing statements for uh the candidates who are not here. So, I will be reading the closing statement for PJ Striker. I'm running for school board because I believe in St. Anthony and in the incredible potential of every student who walks through our doors. Our schools are the heart of this community and when they thrive, our community thrives. I want to focus on what truly matters. Supporting our teachers, strengthening our finances, and making sure every child has access to the full range of opportunities that make our school special. That means keeping classrooms well resourced, ensuring strong extracurriculars like our athletics, arts, and band programs, and making sure every student can participate no matter their background or ability to pay. It also means recognizing and supporting every member of our school community, from our bus drivers and par profofessionals to custodians and food service staff. They're the backbone of our schools and they deserve to feel valued and respected. We know that when students are fed, supported, and safely transported to school, they learn better. And when teachers and families feel heard, our schools grow stronger. Lately, it's been clear that our community is struggling to feel connected to the decisions being made. I want to change that. I believe in listening first, bringing people together to have real conversations and find common ground. I'm proud to call St. Anthony home because this is a place where people show up for their kids, their neighbors, and their schools. Together, we can build a future where every student feels seen, supported, and ready to succeed. I'd be honored to earn your support and vote for schoolboard. Let's move forward together for our teachers, our students, and our community. So, that's the closing statement from PJ Striker, who is running for the 4year term. The next closing statement is Laura Hass, who is uh also running for the seat for the four-year term. Thank you to the moderator, the organizers, everyone running, and to all of you who joined tonight to listen and ask questions. While I wish I could have been here in person, I've been working hard to connect with the community in person prior to this forum to hear your concerns, your hopes, and your calls for accountability, transparency, and partnership. I want you to know I want you to know I share those objectives. If elected, I will be a school board member who shows up, not just physically, but with empathy, curiosity, and a commitment to healing divides. I will not shy away from challenging questions or tough discussions. Instead, I will lean into them with respect, courage, and an eye toward collaboration. I care deeply about this community and our schools. This is a responsibility born of love for our children, our educators, and every family for whom this district is home. I believe in our potential and I know we can do better together. So tonight I ask for your trust, your feedback, and your participation. Hold me to my promise. If I say I'll listen, then push me to listen. If I say I'll act with integrity, then hold me accountable. If I say I'll be your advocate on the board, then engage with me, challenge me, and walk beside me. Together, we can transform conflict into creativity, disagreement into direction, and passion into progress. I hope to earn your vote and to serve you with care and conviction our children deserve. Thank you. And again, that was the closing statement from Laura Haz for the four-year term. And last but not least is the uh closing statement from Annie Bosman's. Uh thank you to the League of Women Voters, the Chamber of Commerce, and to everyone who showed up or tuned in to be part of this conversation. Your engagement matters deeply because strong public schools depend on strong public participation. I'm running for school board because I believe in the potential of this community and the teachers who show up every day and the families who care deeply and in the students who remind us why this work matters. I also know we are in the midst of a challenging season as a district. Trust has been strained and communication hasn't always felt open or consistent. These realities affect our teachers, our families, and most importantly our students. There is work to be done and that work will take time, care, and all of us leaning in together. My commitment is to help create the conditions where honest dialogue and shared understanding can take root to widen the circle, bring in voices that haven't always been heard, and to reach out rather than wait for others to come to us. I believe our perspectives, even our convictions, are sharpened, not threatened when we take the time to understand one another. That's the kind of leadership I believe this moment calls for. I listen first, ask good questions, and work to understand the broader picture before making decisions. Because when we understand the why behind the issue, we make wiser, more lasting choices. As a board member, I will work to be a bridge connecting people, perspectives, and possibilities so that together we can create an environment where both students and staff thrive. Our kids, our teachers, and our families deserve that level of care and collaboration. That's why I'm running and why I'd be honored to earn your trust and your vote. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, now we will hear from our two candidates running for the two-year term. And the first one is Daniel Turner. Your closing statement, please. >> Thanks to the audience for being here tonight, the league and the chamber for hosting. And thanks to my fellow candidates for raising your hand to serve our students and teachers. To quote Teddy Roosevelt in the greatest speech ever given uh in terms of civics, it's not the critic who counts, but credit belongs to the man or now we'd say person who's actually in the arena. Serving on the board would be an honor that I would take seriously. I'll be committed to school safety, fiscal responsibility, and academic progress and success for our students. I'll continue to listen to the views of parents, students, and community members. and if elected, I'll explain decision-making process to the maximum possible extent. Undoubtedly, my former classmates and co-workers wouldn't describe me as the most popular person. In large part, this is because they recognize that my unrelenting pursuit of excellence and truth. And sometimes the truth is deep and it requires discomfort and occasionally it requires challenging decision makers, for example, deans and provosts. If you've read Carol Dwek, this could be called a growth mindset. Ultimately, by working with others through problems and knowledge gaps, we come out in a better place. I appreciate endorsements from the teachers union and the parent coalition. I'd be honored to receive your vote and hope we can continue these important conversations. >> Thank you. And closing statement for the two-year term, Michael Overman. Uh, so I moved here in March of 2014 and by September of that year, I was signed up to decorate uh our community center here for the Halloween carnival. Um, I was picking up 200 bottles of pop from Cub because we thought that would be a great prize for four-year-olds to earn. Um, a big jug of Cub brand ran grape soda. Um, oops, sorry. Um, but that just kind of kicked off my involvement from there. I went to the CNB Foundation. I've volunteered at Wilshire Park. I've coached. I've been a substitute teacher. I've even sung on stage with the community theater. Um, since I've gotten here, I've had my sleeves rolled up for this community and that includes serving on the last four years of school board uh with integrity. Um, just because someone's done something before doesn't mean they should get to keep doing it though. Um, but St. Anthony didn't become a great place to live because, you know, people only showed up, you know, when when things weren't working out the way they wanted to. Um, it takes years to build foundation and that's what I walked into when we moved here is is decades of work that got us to where we were. And that's what I've tried to do uh since I've been here uh coming up on 12 years ago is just laying foundation and that's year by year. That's day by day. It's brick by brick. Um because kind of like when you have kids and things get hard and things get challenging, you you hope that the work you've done, the the seeds you planted, the bricks you've laid, all the steps you've taken their whole life um are going to get them through those hard times. And I think that's what I've tried to do in this community is is set us up so we're strong enough that we can withhold withstand hard times and we come out better on the other side. That's what I believe for my kids. It's what I believe for this community. Um and if the community wants to keep me around in the trenches of the school board, I'm here to do it. U if you if you don't if you vote for Daniel, he's a great guy and I'm going to find something else to do. Um but I want to thank the League of Women Voters in the chamber for putting this on tonight. Those of you who are here in attendance, those of you are going to watch at home. Um, thank you very much. Thanks to the candidates. I'm glad to go through this with both of you and appreciate you uh, yes, getting in the arena. Um, so uh, thank you all. >> Thank you. So, thank you to the audience here uh, tonight for attending the forum this evening. And I'd like to remind the audience that the views expressed in this forum are those of the candidates and not those of the League of Women Voters. And sponsorship of the forum is not an endorsement by the League for any candidate. Obviously, the 50 questions that were sent that I couldn't ask and the ones from the audience that I didn't get to, I apologize, but uh please ask the candidates directly. And I think that's always a good a good thing to do. On behalf of the League of Women Voters, I would also like to acknowledge and thank the candidates both for participating in the forum and for their willingness to participate in the democratic process by running for office. I would like to thank Nine North for the live filming as well as the videotaping of this forum. It will be a aired on channels 15 and 16 as well as the NOR webpage at 9north.org. So, please check the website directly for air times. I would also like to thank the voter service committee of the new Brighton League of Women Voters and the St. Anthony Chamber of Commerce for their work in putting together this candidate forum. And I've done voter service, so I know it's a lot of work. So, thank you. So, I just like to say this as I close. Every vote does count. And we've found that out a lot. Every vote does count. So this year, election day is Tuesday, November 4th. If you're going to vote in person, the polls are open from 7 am to 8:00 pm. You can also vote early. So please check the Secretary of State website to find an early voting location in your area. So thank you and good night. [Applause]