Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District 2026 Election Guide

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KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Incumbent

Age on Election Day: (Field left blank)

Community: Walker

Employment: Cass County, Victim Services Coordinator

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

My husband and I have lived in Walker for 28 years and have been active members of the community. I started the Walker JFK dance program, was the President of WHA PTO where I implemented the Watch D.O.G.s program and was President of the committee that raised funds for, designed, and built the Walker City Park Playground. I have been serving as a WHA School Board member since January 2023.

Why are you running?

I want to give back to this community that has given much to me and my family. We volunteer (often) whether it is a school event or a community event. My sons are recent graduates of WHA and they received a quality education. We love the WHA community, but acknowledge no school is perfect. While on the School Board, I have witnessed many positive changes, but there are still improvements that can be made.

Why should voters elect you?

I am committed to helping WHA reach its highest potential for all students, staff, and our community. My work in the public sector, my volunteer experience, and my time on the School Board give me the lens to view multiple perspectives when making critical decisions for the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley School District.

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

The School Board is responsible for approving and monitoring the budget, setting school district policy, and hiring and supervising the Superintendent.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

Because this is a local election, I think it is appropriate to name a local public leader who had a huge impact on my early professional life, former Cass County Sheriff Randy Fisher. Sheriff Fisher embodied the skills of a humble public servant. A phrase I learned from him and continue to use is "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak" Sheriff Fisher lived that phrase with his criminal justice partners and his constituents. He was available to the residents of Cass County and was well-respected because of how he treated people.

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

I have a few priorities to focus on if I were elected to serve another term on the School Board. The first would to keep WHA financially solid. The second would be to maintain our small class sizes. It is important that the budget be focused on what directly impacts our students. The third would be to improve enrollment.

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

I believe the biggest challenge facing WHA, like many other public school districts, is declining enrollment. Last year, the School Board created an Enrollment Task Force and I was appointed to serve on that committee. Over the summer we implemented communication strategies and are reviewing data related to enrollment. Next steps will be to identify why families within the District are not enrolling at WHA. Then, we can create strategies to address them. I am excited about the work this committee has done and what we can do moving forward.

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

WHA has recently increased its investment in preparing our students for the next stage of life. College courses have been available for several years, but starting this fall our students will be able to earn an Associate of Arts degree from Alexandria Technical College while remaining in the high school building. We have also improved and expanded equipment in our Industrial Arts Department along with increased course offerings in our Business Department. These improvements are helping WHA students be college or career ready. That is one of the goals of education and I will always support increasing these opportunities.

Contributed

Age on Election Day: 36

Community: Onigum, which is part of Walker.

Employment: Leech Lake Early Childhood as the Family & Community Partnership Manager

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

I have worked in the Education field for 14 years and all throughout college, I worked with children. I hold a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood. I was a Head Start teacher for 8 years and I’ve been on our Administrative team for the last 6 years. I was a part Policy Council as a Head Start Parent: Policy Council does similar work as a School Board. I was elected as the Policy Council Chairperson for 2 years. Recently, I visited Washington DC to advocate for Head Start and how important Early Childhood Education is for our whole Education system. Last but not least, I have served on the AIPAC committee at WHA since 2021. AIPAC is the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee. I’ve seen first hand how important it is to have Parents and Community members as part of our decision making.

Why are you running?

Growing up, I watched my Mom advocate for not only her children, but all children. I watched my mom serve our community on the LIEC (Local Indian Education Council now known as AIPAC) and our Onigum Local Indian Council. She set a strong foundation for my love for advocacy!
I am running for School Board because I would like to be a strong voice for our WHA community. I am a 2008 WHA graduate. I know how much a good school experience can impact a child’s lifelong journey.

Why should voters elect you?

I believe that my experience in Early Childhood Education has given me a good sense of what a school setting can be. Not only for the Children, but also for our teachers. Teaching is not an easy job, but I speak from experience when I say how rewarding it is! I’m a hard worker, I’m reliable and I do not shy away from tough conversations. I believe that we need to listen to our students and have a good relationship with our Parents!

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

To help provide direction to our Administration through meeting. Review data about our students and other aspects of our school. Last but not least, work together to make the school a great environment for everyone.

Name a public leader you admire and explain why.

President Obama. I admire President Obama because I felt that he listened to people, even if their opinion was different than his.

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

I would like to help strengthen our Family relationships at WHA. I want everyone to feel comfortable coming to W.H.A., not only for events but just to come have lunch with their kiddo or volunteer in their child’s classroom. Along with that, I would love to see our Parent/Teacher conferences in our community. Sometimes families in our community do not have reliable transportation and I think that would help alleviate stress on a family, as well as help build a relationship with school staff.

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

Relationships between peers. I feel that social media and the biases that we bring with us everyday affects those relationships. There is not a one size fits all approach to how we can better this, but I am willing to work towards helping! I feel that if we as Parents and community members show our children how to get along, we can create a healthy school environment.

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

This year, our school is doing the no phone policy for 6-12 grade. I can support this as I have a 6th grader and I see how much of a distraction phones can be, not only for him but for everyone. It is definitely hard to create a technology balance.