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.
Kimberly Bolz-Andolshek
Incumbent: Yes
Age on Election Day: (Field left blank)
City/Township of residence: PEQUOT LAKES
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
LinkIt! (Educational Software Company) VP Sales
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
With over two decades of school board experience and three children that have gone through the Pequot Lakes School system from birth to graduation (my youngest son is still in school at the Pequot Lakes HS) I have a unique perspective and experience in our community and schools. I also have a unique perspective professionally because I have worked in the education field nationally for over 14 years. When I work with districts and states across the country, I have had the opportunity to learn and broaden my perspective on best practice. I have deep love and appreciation for our communities that we serve, student well-being and academic success.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
As a school board member, our main focus and areas of responsibility are oversight of the superintendent, setting and approving policy and management of the district budget. This is the very broad description, but the board engages with the staff/programming and community in many ways. The board throughout the year will debrief with the administration on academic goals and programming in public school board meetings and work sessions. The board will also get feedback from staff/student and the public for different projects we may be evaluating. Finally, we review and evaluate the budget and policy work on an ongoing basis.
Why are you running for office?
Personally, and professionally, I have a passion for education. I have worked in this space for over a decade and served this school district for over 20 years. It has been a joy to serve our communities, and I want to continue this service.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.
Continuing to evaluate facility needs. Prioritize academic success for all students. Continued focus on engaging all stakeholders in our district to get feedback and build connections with our school.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?
I believe budgets and facilities will continue to be a challenge. This is an ongoing conversation. We have always been very diligent with budgets and review multiple times a year. For the facilities we need to continue to evaluate and engage the communities. From those conversation we need to determine what our highest needs are in the district. Finally, we need to continue to focus on academic success and growth for our student body. I believe academic growth for all and ensuring we are setting our students up for success after HS. This success could be in the work force, the military or higher education. We need to continue to educate and support our learners to understand their options so they can move seamlessly to their next step.
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.
This has been and will continue to be a top priority of mine as an elected official. We need to continue to be vigilant with our budget and anticipate any possible changes that may impact our students and budget. I am a firm believer in multiple check points throughout the fiscal year and continually evaluating highest needs.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?
We are continually looking at better ways to create connections with all of our stakeholders, taxpayers and families in the district. There is a new communications committee for the board and that committee has been tasked with continuing to find the best ways to engage with all stakeholders in the district. As a member of that committee, we are actively engaged to try to find ways (new and old) to ensure we connect with as many stakeholders as possible.
Mariah Hines
Incumbent: No
Age on Election Day: 31
City/Township of residence: Breezy Point
Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?
I am currently a paraprofessional at Pine River High School
Please share any prior experience that you believe qualifies you for office.
As the only candidate with children in the district I want a voice in the decisions being made that will affect families and staff in our district. I am also a local school employee so I have the knowledge of what our schools are facing. As a school employee and a parent I have a unique perspective. Seeing my children and the children I work with struggle with their education I was inspired to run for school board and be the change I know needs to happen.
Editor's note: Candidate Kimberly Bolz-Andolshek also has a child attending school in the district.
Please describe the roles and responsibilities of the office you are running for.
The role of school board is to represent the community, students, parents, and staff. To select curriculum that will help our students become successful, and to create policies that will ensure safety and structure. As well as maintaining the budget of the district.
Why are you running for office?
I am running for the school board because I want to see our children succeed. As the only candidate with children in the district, as well as a local school employee, I know first hand that when decisions are made by those who are unaffected by said decisions they are often times unpractical when implemented. Sometimes what "sounds good on paper" is disastrous in a classroom, or causes unseen consequences for families. We need someone who understands what happens inside a classroom and at home.
What are your priorities, if elected? Please describe specific goals.
My top priority will be to increase the academic success of our students. Many parents are disappointed with our districts test scores. We want our children to succeed in life and being proficient in math and reading are imperative. I would also like to shift some of our schools budget from administration to teachers and support staff. While some administration positions are necessary public schools have become like many corporations, with too many people at the top making more than those who are doing the work with the students. Our funding should be spent on those who interact with the children and help them succeed. My third priority would be to increase transparency with families and promote parental involvement in the schools. There are numerous studies that show that parents being involved in their children education not only increases their academic success but also their mental health.
What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?
Our biggest challenges are the decline or stagnation in our test scores. As well as the declining enrollment which leads to a deficit in our budget. Luckily both of these problems can be solved by focusing on our academics. If we focus on academic success and stick to the basics of math and science and reading we will increase test scores and therefore parents will keep their students enrolled helping our budget as well.
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.
Recently our district tried to pass a referendum and it failed. The biggest complaint I heard from the parents is that they did not want to continue to give money to a school and watch their children’s education continue to decline at the same time. Schools have taken on too much when it comes to educating children about gender ideology, and other social justice issues. We need to focus on math, science, and reading to help our children succeed in the future outside of the classroom. If we do that parents will stop pulling children from the district which will in turn raise our budget. Parents are also more willing to pass referendums if they feel their children are receiving a quality education, and they aren’t having to spend their own money on tutors outside of school.
How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?
I am a big advocate for transparency. The district needs to be more forthcoming with incidents that happen at school. I run a parent advocacy group on Facebook where parents bring their concerns, because they fear repercussions if they address their concerns with the schools. We need to eliminate the fear of repercussions by creating a more open atmosphere for parents and teachers alike.
Curt Johnson
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Susan Mathison-Young
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
Amy Sjoblad
Incumbent: Yes
KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.
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.
