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Interim school board member running for ISD 15 emphasizes community engagement and fiscal responsibility
Summary
An interim ISD 15 board member, speaking at a candidate Q&A hosted by the Saint Francis Advisory Community Education Board, said their priorities are student-focused governance, stronger community ties, support for teachers and fiscal responsibility; they highlighted a new district advisory committee to gather community input.
Michelle Anderson of the Saint Francis Advisory Community Education Board opened a candidate question-and-answer session and introduced an interim school board member who is seeking election to the ISD 15 board.
The interim school board member said they took the interim seat in July and described the board’s primary role as ensuring the schools are well run, student-focused and engaged with the wider community. "That the schools are well run, that we stay student focused, make sure students are engaged," the interim school board member said.
The candidate said personal ties to the district inform their run: they moved to the district in 1994, graduated in 1999 and have three children currently enrolled in district schools. "What prompted me to run is my 3 kids and wanting to be involved in their educations," they said, adding that their goals include bridging the community into the schools, supporting academic excellence and maintaining fiscal responsibility while investing in teachers and staff.
Addressing governance, the interim school board member said majority decisions must be respected even when members disagree. They said they would be transparent with the community about their objections and continue to advocate for positions they care about while maintaining professionalism.
On community engagement, the candidate proposed practical volunteer opportunities and informal outreach. They said older adults could be invited to volunteer in early grades and suggested quarterly "coffee chat" events to hear community concerns and ideas. The candidate highlighted recent outreach between district leadership and nearby municipalities, saying the superintendent and current board have begun meetings with East Bethel, Oak Grove and St. Francis and that they planned to speak with Oak Grove city leaders soon.
The candidate also pointed to a newly announced St. Francis Area Schools District Advisory Committee, which they said will meet monthly to review progress toward Minnesota academic standards, examine data, advise on graduation requirements and recommend districtwide goals. They described the advisory committee as a tool for collecting a representative sample of community values to inform board decisions.
The session concluded after the candidate summarized their priorities and thanked attendees. Michelle Anderson closed by thanking the candidate and wishing them luck in their run.
