Grand Rapids School District 2026 Election Guide

Incumbent

Age on Election Day: 74

Community: Grand Rapids

Employment: Retired

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

I have served two 4-year terms as School Board representative and hope to continue to contribute

Why are you running?

I have served 8 years as a School Board Representative and during that time we have hired an amazing new Superintendent and balanced the budget, making serious cuts as needed.

Why should voters elect you?

During my term, we've hired an amazing new Superintendent and have balanced the budget after years of losses (at the expense of many qualified instructors) I hope to be a part of planning for a future for ISD318.

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

Building a future for student success, responsible staff support and creating a balance, self sustaining budget.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Matt Grose. An extremely capable and experienced education leader with students and staff best interests in mind every day

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

1 Creating an environment for student success at every level. Increasing Graduation levels.

2 Supporting the Staff and infrastructure for a successful school

3 Maintaining excellent Administration and staff

4 Supporting and developing our Indian Education Program

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

Finances. We need to find new ways to fund our student success

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

High success of our students at every level, including reading, IB, graduation levels, etc.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 44

Community: Grand Rapids

Employment: Physician (radiologist) at Grand Itasca, Bigfork, Hibbing, Roseau, Cook, Cloquet and International Falls.

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

I have been a member of the district CACR (curriculum) committee for two years, during which I successfully pushed to open some IB courses to 9th and 10th graders who qualify for them. I encouraged the reduction of iPad homework for middle school students. I am leading the committee this year, as we try to expand its membership and redefine its goals.

I was a student for longer than most; I studied at the University of Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Whether they choose trade school or university, I want our district to challenge our students so that they are prepared for what follows.

I am a published researcher and comfortable with data. I will dig deeper into test scores and metrics, into objective comparisons with other districts, to help our staff understand where they are succeeding and where we need work.

Why are you running?

My eldest daughter is a high school senior. Watching her, I have learned what it means to be a motivated student in this district today. She and her peers know the best classes to take, they know which teachers work the hardest with them, and which counselors to ask the difficult questions. I have seen her flourish. I want to ensure that the best teachers and counselors feel supported.

Some of my children have received Title I services. Nationally, NAEP testing reveals that a record share of students today have literacy skills below the "basic" level. I want to advocate for the students who have extra challenges, while trying to keep the bar as high as reasonably achievable.

Why should voters elect you?

I love living and working in northern MN. I moved my young family of 6 here 12 years ago, largely because I had been convinced that our district outperforms most others (particularly those with similar resources) in developing curious, honest, hardworking and capable young men and women.

When I recruit young physicians to join our group, I tell them about the ballet company at the Reif, the new grade schools, and the IB program. I explain how life as a kid in our area is less stressful than the suburbs I grew up in, yet the district and the other resources we have in the area provide them with everything they need to get started in this life.

To keep telling that recruiting story, the district needs to continually improve. I am asking for your vote because I am committed to doing what I can to make that improvement happen.

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

According to the official school board handbook: "The Grand Rapids Area Schools Board of Education, or School Board, is a body of locally elected individuals who represent the communities they serve; whose power and authority are granted to school boards by the state; and whose purpose is to ensure effective, efficient, and equitable delivery of high quality education to all the School District’s students through adoption of policy."

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Teddy Roosevelt. He was the youngest US president, veteran, founder of the US Forest Service, trust buster, and passionate naturalist. He survived an assassin's bullet. He walked the streets of NYC at night while working to reform the police. He wrestled friends in the NY governor's mansion. He helped restart the building of the Panama Canal; without his support for revolutionary mosquito control, it probably would not have been built. He nearly died exploring the amazon basin. Also, although he was as imperfect as any of us, he seemed unusually willing to reconsider his political positions.

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

Rigor for every student, whatever path they choose. I will push to track district outcomes in career placement and post-secondary enrollment. I want the district to try to collect feedback from families who move to other districts and survey our graduates about their college GPAs.

With the data we already have and the data we discover, I will do my best to make our results understandable in context. Our district already spends less per student than the state average while testing above it. I will advocate that the board publish an annual, understandable comparison against similar districts in Minnesota and nationally. Voters, staff, and families all deserve to know exactly where (the evidence shows) we stand.

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

Declining enrollment, facility upkeep, rising costs, staff recruitment and retention, finding the right balance with technology, diverse student backgrounds and goals, cheating, AI... the list of significant challenges is long. A singular focus would require the neglect of too many other issues.

To these problems I know about and the many more I expect to learn about, I will bring a consistent approach. I will avoid the temptation to reinvent the wheel. Our district is not unique in facing these challenges. If elected, I will work with the district to research the best, most proven and practical, method to address each challenge. When we make a change, I promise to honestly review it's effectiveness.

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

Before I became involved in CACR, the district made a significant investment in phonics education for our teachers (IMSE-Orton Gillingham) as early as 2017. The result was significantly improved reading scores. This effort was written up as a case study, an example for other districts to follow. I hope to support future, similar efforts during my time on the board.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 60

Community: Harris Township

Employment: Rajala Mill Company. / Sales

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

I am a lifelong resident of the Grand Rapids, area, with family roots spanning generations. Growing up here has given me a firsthand understanding of the people, values, opportunities, and challenges that make up northern Minnesota. Grand Rapids is my home, and I am deeply invested in its future.

I graduated from Grand Rapids High School and continued my education at Itasca Community College. My education, combined with a lifetime of experience in the community, have given me perspective on the issues that matter most to local families.

Why are you running?

I am running for the ISD 318 School Board because I believe strong schools are the foundation of a strong community, and I want to help ensure our schools continue serving students, families, and our community well.

I am running to listen to parents, teachers, staff, and students and to bring a common-sense, community-focused perspective to the School Board. I believe in accountability, transparency, responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and keeping decisions focused on what is best for the students and families of ISD 318.

Why should voters elect you?

I believe public service begins with listening, working together, and making common-sense decisions.

Voters should elect me to the ISD 318 School Board because I bring a lifelong connection to our community, and a genuine commitment to the future of our students.

I want every ISD 318 student to have that same opportunity to succeed, regardless of the path they choose after graduation.

Most importantly, I will keep the focus where it belongs: on our students, our families, and building a stronger future for ISD 318 and the Grand Rapids community.

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

The role of an ISD 318 School Board member is to provide leadership, oversight, and accountability for our school district while keeping the best interests of students, families, staff, and the community at the center of every decision. School Board members are responsible for establishing district policies, approving and overseeing the budget, ensuring responsible use of taxpayer dollars, and working with the superintendent to set goals and priorities for the district.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Two public leaders I admire are Abraham Lincoln and George Washington because both demonstrated the character, courage, and leadership needed during some of the most difficult periods in our nation’s history.

I admire Lincoln for his ability to bring people together during a deeply divided time. He demonstrated humility, perseverance, and a willingness to listen to different perspectives while remaining committed to doing what he believed was right.

I also admire George Washington for his integrity, sense of duty, and willingness to serve when his country needed him.

Both leaders remind me that effective public service requires honesty, courage, humility, and commitment. Those are qualities I would strive to bring to the ISD 318 School Board.

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

If elected to the ISD 318 School Board, my priorities will be focused on student achievement, responsible spending, strong schools, and maintaining the trust of our community.

I want to ensure every student has access to a quality education and the support they need to succeed. I will carefully review district spending, look for efficiencies, and support investments that directly benefit students and the classroom. I want to strengthen communication and trust between the district and the families it serves. Parents, teachers, staff, and community members deserve to be heard and kept informed.

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

I believe one of the biggest challenges facing ISD 318 is balancing the need to provide a high-quality education with the financial realities facing our district.

I believe every expenditure should be evaluated based on whether it provides meaningful value to students and families.

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

One success in ISD 318 that I would strongly support as a board member is the district’s commitment to providing students with multiple pathways to success after graduation. Not every student follows the same path, and our schools should prepare students for college, skilled trades, the military, or entering the workforce directly.

I also believe this approach benefits our entire community. When we prepare young people with the knowledge, skills, and work ethic they need to succeed, we strengthen our local workforce and help keep families and talented young people connected to the Grand Rapids area.

As a board member, I would work to protect and build upon these opportunities while ensuring we remain financially responsible and focused on student success.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 58

Community: Grand Rapids

Employment: I teach History and Ethics at Minnesota North-Itasca Campus

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

I am a 1986 graduate of Grand Rapids High School. I also have an Associates Degree from Itasca Community College, a Bachelor of Arts in History from St. Cloud State University, and Master of Arts in History from Minnesota State-Mankato.

Why are you running?

I am a strong believer in public education. I am a product of public schools, and have two children who attended District 318. Education brings opportunity. We need to provide the children of School District 318 with the best possible education we can offer and give them the skills and knowledge to be able to compete in a rapidly changing world. I want to work with others on the board to ensure that our schools are as strong as possible, so that our young people, whether from Grand Rapids, Bigfork, Effie, Cohasset, Warba, or other communities and rural areas around the district can have bright futures and become engaged citizens.

Why should voters elect you?

I have a great deal of experience in higher education, which includes working with large numbers of post-secondary option students -- high school students taking college courses. I am familiar with the major issues facing education, including funding difficulties, and if elected, my experience and perspectives will be an asset to the board and to the school district. I am a creative thinker, and can help to envision and develop novel ways to address problems. Rural schools are in need of more support from the state. Because I am familiar with state government and how it works, as a member of the School Board, I would be an effective advocate with legislators and other state officials.

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

The role of the School Board is to set policy, approve a budget, and oversee the Superintendent.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

First, no public leader is perfect; as human beings, they all have their faults. But as a historian, I admire British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, because he stood firm and remained courageous at a time when it would have been easy to give up. He frequently put himself at great personal risk when he would have been able to avoid doing so. He also was able to inspire the British people to hold steady against the Nazis, even when Britain stood alone.

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

If elected, I recognize that I will be one member of a six-person board and must work collaboratively, not arbitrarily. As a veteran, I learned in U.S. Army leadership training to observe and listen when entering a new leadership role, unless a crisis requires immediate action. I understand there will be a learning curve and will approach the responsibility thoughtfully.

I want district policies to be fair and equitable for students and employees. If cuts are necessary, I will work to protect as many jobs as possible, especially those of employees working most closely with our students.

Long-term, I will advocate for stronger State support. Rural districts must work together for equitable funding. Given 318’s high poverty rate, we cannot rely so heavily on local property taxes. I will support efforts to restore recreational property tax revenue that was redirected to the State general fund in the early 2000s.

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

Currently, the biggest challenge is funding. I support the ballot initiative that would amend the Minnesota Constitution so that schools could receive more revenue from School Trust properties, as well as redirecting non-homestead recreational property tax revenue from the State General Fund to local school districts. Meanwhile, we need to lobby for more State support, so that schools with an inadequate tax base are not left behind.

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

In recent years, the District has moved from a deficit to a balanced budget. Many cuts were made, and some of them were painful. I don't like cuts, and I might not agree with some of the specific decisions made, but the District was able to avoid statutory operating debt, which would have led to deep, arbitrary, and potentially very hurtful cuts, so on the whole, this was an important success.

Age on Election Day: 73

Community: Cohasset

Employment: Retired

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

B.S. Mine Engineering; 40 years working in the mining industry; Christian

Why are you running?

To restore Christian values in our schools.

Why should voters elect you?

I will work to restore Biblical Principles in our school system.

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

Budgeting; School policy.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Donald Trump because he does what is necessary to run our country.

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

Restore prayer and pledge of allegiance. Teaching the truth about the founding of our great country.

Editor’s note: Students, teachers and school officials have a right to pray in school, but schools may not sponsor prayer nor coerce or pressure students to pray, according to U.S. Department of Education guidance. Grand Rapids School District policy requires recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance at least once a week, in accordance with state statute.

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

DEI and woke agenda need to be stopped.

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

I am not aware of many successes.