Crookston School District 2026 Election Guide

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 41

Community: Crookston, Minnesota

Employment: I am a Family Based Worker through the County. I work with children and families. I also have been running our local Youth Center in our community the past 3 years.

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

I have 10 plus years of working/advocating for children and families. I worked at the School District as a Para and later the Success Coordinator. I currently work as a Family Based Service Provider through the County. I am currently the Chair of The Crookston Youth Foundation, and have been for 3 years, and served on the Board the past 7-8 years. I have experience working with children with special needs and advocating for their rights, as well as helping them find their happiness and creating a safe space for them.

Why are you running?

I am running for School Board to continue advocating for families and children in a bigger way. I want to be a bridge for families and the school to build a better trust. My years at the school and working 1 on 1 with kids and families have helped me build a strong relationship with the school, our community, and families. I want to be a voice for everyone to help build a better future for our youth.

Why should voters elect you?

I am a parent of 2 children in our school district. I will fight for all of our kids, all of our families. I will listen and I will be transparent. I will help build a better connection and a better trust. I am approachable.

I feel every child needs to be supported and safe. I will be apart of bringing a positive change, as well as building healthier relationships with our city and community. I know it takes a village and believe we are stronger together.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.

Hiring and evaluating the superintendent

Adopting district policies

Adopting district budget

Engaging with the community

Assuring fair labor practices are followed

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

I admire the kids I work with everyday at our Youth Center. I see all the hours they volunteer to ensure that other youth in their community have a safe place to be, where they can be themselves, where they can forget about their problems, and be together and be kids. They really show up and are working hard to build a better life for themselves, other youth, and their families.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.

My priorities if elected would be to build a stronger relationship and trust with families, kids, and the school. Every parent and child deserve to be heard. I want to be apart of rebuilding that trust and that bridge for families.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing your district, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

I feel the strongest challenge is rebuilding the trust parents have lost in our leadership and in our district. Parents feel unseen and unheard as well as the kids.

We need to go back to children and families first.

What is one success in the district that you would offer support for as a board member?

Our feel our biggest success as a district is the quality of teachers we are fortunate to have, as well as our Aides and Paras. Our staff need to be better supported. I would offer my full support to help aide in that.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 43

Community: Crookston, MN

Employment: Assistant Manager

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

I have a proven history of leadership through business management.

Why are you running?

I am running to help improve the Crookston School District ISD 593, be an advocate for the teachers and students, and create more transparency between ISD 593, the public, and student families.

Why should voters elect you?

I am dedicated to do what is best for ISD 593, along with supporting the students, teachers, and staff.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.

The role and responsibility of a school board member is to make decisions that are best for the success of the school district in which they represent, along with the success of the students and educators.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

A public leader I admire in current Polk County Sheriff James Tadman. He has been a key in creating a strong bond with the Polk County Sheriff's Department and the citizens of the county. He has shown that the sheriff's department can be trusted through his use of community engagement and presence through himself, and his deputies.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.

My priorities if elected would be to help create a strong bond between the educators, community, and the school board. Trust has been lost in some cases between the students, teachers, and residents with ISD 593, and I would strive to gain the trust that was lost. I would be an advocate for the students, teachers, and staff and create more transparency between ISD 593 and the teachers, staff, students, parents, and families.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing your district, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

One of the biggest challenges facing ISD 593 is growing enrollment in the Crookston School District. With the decline in enrollment numbers, decisions have had to be made that not only has an effect on the school, but also the teachers, students, and families.

What is one success in the district that you would offer support for as a board member?

One success in the district that I support is the support from the community. The community is extremely passionate for ISD 593 and cares about the district, students, teachers, and staff.

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Incumbent

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Age on Election Day: 24

Community: Crookston

Employment: UMC Entomology; Research Assistant

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

I went to college at Gustavus and majored in political science and statistics. I studied how local governments can run most effectively and how to use data to boost policy decision-making. I also served on the student senate and was instrumental in a movement on how Gustavus responds to the mental health crisis.

Why are you running?

I am running for a multitude of reasons, but the most central one is that the largest crisis this district has ever seen is not being adequately addressed; the mental health crisis. We have had students die, and approximately 50 students have already tried to die. We have students who are seriously considering suicide right now. We can see the fallout of this through BARR data: an increase in the number of students failing courses, more students missing class, and more office referrals for misconduct. Our school board continues like nothing is happening and all is well. We need someone in office who treats this crisis with the severity it deserves.

Why should voters elect you?

It becomes an issue of priorities. If your first priority is to make sure our students stay alive, then I believe you should vote for me.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.

The role of a school board member is to make policy decisions on how the district should be run. The most important aspect of this is funding. The board directly decides what should be funded and what the district should be spending money on.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Susan B. Anthony. She dedicated her entire life to making sure than women had the basic right to vote. She continued organizing even after extreme ridicule and even arrest. She refused to give up advocating for the most basic of civil rights.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.

My priority is to mitigate the mental health crisis. I've spoken with the school counselors, who say there are about 5 crises a month. My goal is to bring that down to just one every other month within 2 years. Unfortunately, it isn't something that brings immediate change; it is a slow, delicate process that will take lots of effort.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing your district, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

The mental health crisis; as we have had approximately 50 students already attempt suicide. I have a 30-page plan on how we respond to the crisis, and I am working on a plan to prevent the crisis altogether. My 30-page plan is split into three parts, including immediate fixes, short-term interventions, and long-term planning. The biggest aspect of this plan is in the long term, and that is increasing our counseling capacity. We currently only have one school counselor in each school. This has left our students prone to falling through the cracks and is simply not the staffing model needed to properly address the crisis.

What is one success in the district that you would offer support for as a board member?

I really praise the development of our career and technical education. We offer programs like welding, wood, CAD, robotics, small engines, and FACS. This kind of programming is huge for our population and presents very real and well-paid career paths that students can follow.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: (Field left blank)

Community: Crookston, MN

Employment: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (medication prescriber) at Alluma in Crookston, MN

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

I believe that my professional experience as a child/adolescent Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner gives me a unique experience and understanding pediatrics and their families in this and surrounding communities. My career requires communication with teachers and a basic understanding of the education system. I have also taught at both undergraduate and graduate levels which I also feel adds to my qualifications for a seat on the school board.

Why are you running?

I describe myself as someone that loves and cares for children- my 2 and the children/adolescents that I see professionally on my caseload. I started having an interest in the school district and school board when my son started kindergarten and it increased in the past year with various changes occurring within the Crookston School District. I am running for school board because I have a deep respect for educators and hope to bring all that they do for our community and children to the forefront. I hope to bring clear communication and respect to the community in a seat on the school board.

Why should voters elect you?

I would be honored to be elected to be in a seat on the Crookston School Board. I care about what happens in the district and the lasting impact on the community. My priorities are children in our schools- their education, safety, and giving teachers the support that is deserved. I value being someone that listens and hears what others are saying to me. I think about what impacts decisions have and will not make hasty decisions. I would appreciate the support and your vote.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.

While I know that there are many other, important roles and responsibilities of school board members include working as a team to ensure that policies align with the vision of the district, supporting teachers, and being financially responsible.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

I really admire Crookston’s interim city administrator, Darin Selzler and appreciate what he has done for the community in a short period of time. I believe that the community is stronger and things are moving in the right direction.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.

If elected, my goals for the Crookston school district would be to attract and retain staff and administration that will be part of this community. I think stable leadership can improve the communication between the community and schools, as well as build necessary relationships with staff, families, and students. My goal would be that decisions are made with key stakeholders being part of the process, clear communication with everybody, and decisions being made in the best interest of students.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing your district, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

I believe that challenges facing our district include retention of teachers, staff, administration, and communication from the district to the public. From a community member’s perspective, I believe that the poor communication has created a lot of frustration and lack of trust in the district’s decision making and that is something that will need to be repaired with the community. Well difficult to do, I believe that it can be done.

What is one success in the district that you would offer support for as a board member?

I believe that a success in our district includes the exceptional teachers that provide more than education to our students. I want to continue to provide the support for them and ensure that we keep those teachers in our district and also make sure that all resources within the community are utilized so that teachers can focus on providing education.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 41

Community: Crookston, MN

Employment: Polk County Environmental Services - Assistant dept. head

Please share any prior experience and education that you believe qualifies you for office.

I am a Highschool graduate of CHS class 2003 and hold a Bachelor of Science degree from NDSU Class of 2007. I am educated and have the experience needed to make informed and educated decisions.

Why are you running?

I am running for school because I want to make a difference within my community to build around the great assets the isd593 district has to provide our students with a successful school district where the kids that attend can become successful/productive adults later in life.

Why should voters elect you?

I have kids in the district at both major schools in Crookston and my family is well rooted in the Crookston Community. I am passionate about our community, schools, and kids that attend them. Together we can build a better tomorrow for our children and prepare them to be productive adults.

Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.

To be a leader and make informed decisions that affect our schools.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Elizabeth Warren, she is a US senator that rose to fame as a financial guru for personal wealth and wealth inequality, she is an advocate for middleclass family security.

What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.

Make sure our schools have a stable atmosphere for learning. Retaining teachers and staff that are effective leaders for our students. Promote extra-curricular activities to bring students together, thrive as a team and be an active student. Keep students in the building and not remote learning or leaving school early for PSCO if they are not thriving in high school academics. Become a financially stable district that spends responsibly and is able to retain good employees/leaders to guide our students to be successful.

What do you believe is the biggest challenge facing your district, and how do you plan to address it if elected?

Consistency as a school staff, environment, and retaining quality teachers. Be an effective leader to have leaders and teachers in the building that have a common goal to educate our children to the best of their abilities.

What is one success in the district that you would offer support for as a board member?

Higher test scores for our students which will prove that we are on the right track with helping our kids succeed and have the right staff to get the job done.