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.
Mark Broin
Incumbent: Yes
Age on Election Day: 79
City/Township of residence: Two Harbors
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Chairman of the Board of Directors, The Humagen Group
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
Two prior years as a member of Lake Superior School District. Please visit www markbroin.com for complete background information.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
Provide management oversight, financial transparency and operational guidance to Lake Superior School District 0381
Why are you running for office?
To provide the District with the benefit of my experience in improving measurable and meaningful educational outcomes for every student who is participating in the District's educational programs.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.
1. The primary goal is to provide a continual and measurable improvement in student educational outcomes.
2. The primary goal will entail the recruitment and retention of the best instruction, administrative and facility management staff.
3. In order to maximize the effects of the previously mentioned priorities, to provide a well maintained, properly equipped, safe and physically sound infrastructure for the delivery of educational services. This requires the utmost respect and attention to the investment the public has made in the existing school buildings, equipment, grounds and support facilities.
4. To conduct school operations in a fiscally sound, transparent and easily understandable manner, consistent with the financial resources available to the District.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?
The District needs additional funding to assure the continuing delivery of improving educational outcomes to its students
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.
There is no free ride to providing high quality educational outcomes and decent and safe living standards to the residents of Lake County. The key to success is being sure properly developed, dynamic and prioritized short and long term strategic plans are put in place. Those plans must first address and benefit the widest needs of the greatest number of county residents, and be focused first upon those residents' improved quality of living. Those ends will require responsible funding, and taxes will always be part of that equation.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?
All financial and operating performance must be presented in an easily accessed and understandable format, using cost effective and varied communication channels available to the school district.
Norbert Norman
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 76
City/Township of residence: Knife River
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
Retired
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
I have taught and coached high school age kids. I had three children attend school at North Shore Elementary and Two Harbors HS. I now have two grandchildren at North Shore Elementary and will attend THHS.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
Serve on Lake Superior School Board: attend meetings, offer solutions to problems/challenges, lead change if needed.
Why are you running for office?
To offer my experience and expertise to the board of directors. I have grandchildren attending the district schools. Two of my children graduated from THHS.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.
Allocate funds based on needs, policies, program priorities, and fair consideration of all requests. I would like to see school funding based less on local county/school district tax, and more on an equal distribution of education funding to school districts by the state.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?
I think it has to be the funding of lots of state and federal school mandates w/o the necessary resources to accomplish everything. I would overcome this challenge by managing a fiscally responsible budget and requesting more state and federal funding for state and federal school mandates.
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.
See answer to "What are your priorities" above
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?
By encouraging all issues, especially controversial ones, to be debated openly in board meetings with full disclosure of facts, perceptions and opinions.
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.
