KAXE contacted every candidate twice using contact information submitted to the Secretary of State's Office to invite them to participate in our Election Guide.
Candidate responses have not been edited and are published as submitted.
As necessary, our news team added contextual information clearly marked with an "editor's note" and in italics, though responses have not been uniformly fact-checked. With our small team of three, we are unable to proactively fact check every statement made by candidates. But we will make every effort to make note of inaccuracies if they come to our attention.
Please contact our news team at news@kaxe.org with questions or comments or to report any errors.
KAXE's Election Guide only includes candidates in contested races. Visit our full list of who's running for office in Northern Minnesota to see who else is on the ballot.
Dale Johnson
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Bruce Raboin
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Karen Salo
Incumbent: No
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Roxanne Skogstad-Ditsch
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
JoAnn Smith
Incumbent: Yes
Age on Election Day: 38
City/Township of residence: International Falls
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
I'm a Business Developer at the Entrepreneur Fund.
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I have had and currently have students in our school system, so I can relate to the needed changes and improvements. I am not afraid to take a stand and have a different opinion on topics, as I have previously proven. I am willing to challenge processes and procedures to create a better foundation for our district's operations. There are many great things about our school district that we need to celebrate, and I look forward to working on continuous improvement, communication, and transparency for the district.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
A school board member is responsible for the policies of the district, oversight of financial planning and ensuring fiscal accountability, promoting student achievement through curriculum and instruction, communicating the district's goals and seeking input from parents, students, and the community, ensuring that buildings are safe, maintained, and conducive to learning, long-term planning for the district, ensuring that district complies with legal requirements, uphold ethical standards, and assess the district's progress toward its goals.
Why are you running for office?
I decided to run again for school board because I want to work at continuing to make a difference in our community, specifically our school district. Having different experiences since I am not originally from here, has helped give me a unique perspective on issues. Supporting the students in our district is vital and I strive to help our district make education the best experience possible for our children. There have been a lot of changes in our district this past year, and I look forward to being part of the positive changes that are yet to come.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.
My priorities for the district are safety, financial budgeting, enrollment, educational opportunities, and policies and procedures. Having building improvements, plans, and trained staff on safety measures is a top priority. Financial budgeting is important in maintaining buildings, having the right number of staff, and the overall experience for the students. Enrollment has decreased over time and looking at ways to counteract this decline is important for the future of the school. I want to be able to provide students with as many resources as possible and opportunities to learn. Every student has unique interests and talents, and it is important to support and educate these to create a better future. Policies, procedures, and plans are key to running an efficient district and as we work to update and improve these, we will create a stronger foundation for the entire school district.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?
The biggest challenges in our district are declining enrollment and financial budgeting. These are not new challenges, but determining how to slow this decline is critical for the future of the district. To overcome this, I think that we need to look at different solutions than we have in the past in some cases, but also look at ways we can continue to improve the experience and education our current students have.
High taxation is a concern for many Northern Minnesotans. Please share any specific opinions you hold related to taxation, and how you plan to ensure tax dollars are used efficiently and effectively.
As a taxpayer, I want to know how my money is being spent, and therefore I believe that having transparency and communication with tax dollars is important. Communicating what is being spent and how the district is using the funds helps give an understanding of how important these funds are for the district. It is also important that we continue to ensure these funds are used effectively and responsibly.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?
To improve transparency and trust in our school board we need to have clear communication, and consistent actions, invite the public to be part of the district's goals, have accountability, and develop collaborative relationships within our district and community. I believe we are working toward these things and I look forward to continuing to work on these things for our district and community.
Still have questions for the candidates? Contact information for all those who've filed to run for office can be found at candidates.sos.state.mn.us.
