Agreement reins in Owat. school board forum
Candidates running for the Owatonna School Board kicked off a weekly forum in advance of the Nov. 5 general election. From left are Tim Jensen, Ron Kubicek, April St. Martin and Andrea Van Gelder. Candidates Nikki Gieseke and Mike Hermann also participated in Monday’s panel. Staff photo by Kay Fate
The questions ranged from measuring excellence in education to banning books, and for the most part, the people answering them agreed.
Six of the eight candidates for Owatonna School Board participated in a forum Monday at the Owatonna Country Club, answering 10 questions throughout the 90-minute event.
Incumbent Eric Schuster and candidate Christina Ingvaldson were not present.
There was agreement across the panel about the work that the district is already doing to prepare students for career opportunities at local businesses, citing the Career Pathways Program at the high school, as well as the Youth Skills Training and Options programs.
The candidates also found common ground in how the would seek “factual, helpful information” in a situation where more was needed.
Most answers included speaking to Superintendent Jeff Elstad, teachers and other members of the school board.
Nikki Gieseke, who served on the Owatonna School Board from 2016-2022, also served on the Minnesota State School Board Association for three years.
“If it’s a larger issue, I can always reach out to the state school board,” she said. “There’s never been an issue reaching out directly to principals or staff – asking the questions doesn’t necessarily mean getting the answers we’re hoping for.”
Incumbent Tim Jensen, who is seeking his third four-year term on the school board, said he tries to work through the administration as much as possible.
“I’ve never felt like I couldn’t talk to staff,” he said. “I’ve just tried to let them do their jobs, and let the board operate at the administrative level a little bit more.”
When it came to matters of finance – specifically, how to prioritize school spending – there was a bit more variety.
Ron Kubicek, who has a degree in business finance, said there are several key aspects, including analyzing the information and trusting the people who work in the district.
“We need to understand what we’re up against, then make sure we communicate with the people involved and work together to come to a solution that’s going to provide a good outcome for our students,” he said.
Candidate April St. Martin said she looks forward to working with other members of the school board who will have more experience in that area.
“I do like to do a lot of research; I do like to ask a lot of questions, and I like to find out why things are the way they are,” she said. “In order to prioritize, we must know exactly what we’re going up against and exactly what our plan is to go forward and what we’re trying to accomplish – then work as a team.”
Measuring excellence might be a little nebulous, said Andrea Van Gelder, who is running for the first time, “but I think numbers are a little easier to measure… It will be important to look at outcomes that support requests for funding, the starting point for those requests and having a measurable plan in place that we can watch how the spending is being utilized.
“If we continue to (prioritize) the avenues and areas that will benefit our students most, that will help our teachers feel equipped, and on areas that we’re looking for the most results, that will be a priority,” Van Gelder said.
Gieseke praised the district’s finance department, saying she would work with them to review the budget and ask for recommendations.
Beyond that, she said, “make sure we’re applying for grants to help subsidize any initiatives,” and review costs and work with our other organizations to make sure we are getting the best rates possible.
Mike Hermann, who ran for a seat in the 2022 election, said he has “a lot of experience in creating budgets and following them.”
When challenges and pitfalls arise, he said, “you have to review the necessary things that you cannot give up, and what are the areas you can become more efficient in, help reduce the costs and still maintain your budgets.”
Jensen called school finances “really interesting, because most of our money comes from the state, and they decide how much money we get. Sometimes that doesn’t exceed the inflation rate, so sometimes we have to cut, even when it looks like we got a raise.”
Owatonna Public Schools has done that, he said, “at least a few times… The school district is a very efficient operation, and it runs quite lean.”
More agreement followed in the panel’s views about how to make sure parents and staff feel “heard,” and about keeping and promoting neutral classrooms in the schools, free of political and social symbols and rhetoric.
“I think our students have a lot of distractions on a daily basis,” Kubicek said. “If our students can focus on being critical thinkers and learners, as opposed to what everybody else thinks, they can educate themselves on issues that come up.”
More than that, Van Gelder said, “every learner needs to be comfortable and feel safe … If we can maintain a neutral experience, we can continue to uphold the value of each individual kid. It’s a public school; it’s meant for all kids.”
While Jensen agreed there should be neutrality, “teachers are people, and their room is probably an extension of their personality to some extent.”
In the candidates’ closing statements, all of them spoke of the good work happening in the district and an excitement about the future.
The event was sponsored by the Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism, the Owatonna People’s Press and the Owatonna Rotary Clubs.