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Wadena-Deer Creek School Board 2024 Election Guide

Dan Lawson, Kyle Lehmkuhl, Amanda Schmidt, Kent Schmidt and Barb Tumberg are running for I.S.D. 2155, Wadena-Deer Creek, School Board.

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.

Election Guide Homepage


Dan Lawson

Incumbent: Yes

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Kyle Lehmkuhl

Kyle Lehmkuhl is running for Wadena-Deer Creek School Board in the 2024 election.
Contributed
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Kyle Lehmkuhl
Kyle Lehmkuhl is running for Wadena-Deer Creek School Board in the 2024 election.

Incumbent: No

Age on Election Day: 42

City/Township of residence: Wadena

Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?

Bongards Creameries, purchasing agent

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

Former Industrial Technology teacher and coach. Been a member on numerous school committees.

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

A school board is the governing body that oversees the school district. Members create, adjust, and modify district policies that are then carried out.

Why are you running for office?

I want to give back to the school district where I am from. I want to help set a new path forward for our district. I want our district to thrive without costing more.

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

I want accountability for our district. I believe that all employees hold a value in the education of our students and every position needs to be accountable for their work. We need to figure out why we are losing students and make the necessary changes to avoid this. I would love for school board meetings to be streamed and taped so our residents can watch and go back and watch a meeting. I want residents to have a chance to volunteer for our different committees so they have a say in what happens.

What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?

Budget and losing students. First off we need to address the issue of why we are losing students to our neighboring school districts and take the necessary steps to retain those students who reside in our school district. This would help with the budget. We also need to “think outside the box” and come up with ideas, and ways, and classes that can accomplish our goals but not cost more money.

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.

Using tax dollars needs to be justified and this use it or lose it mentality needs to stop. We can’t keep taxing people more because we need something. That is where we need to “think outside the box” to accomplish our goal without costing more. We need to be fiscally and financially responsible and live within our budget.

How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?

By giving our district residents a voice in what happens. Letting them submit concerns that addressing those concerns. Letting our residents be part of different committees and having that voice in what happens. By streaming and taping school board meetings so residents can watch or go back and watch what happens. It’s very hard to fully understand what a meeting was all about just by reading the board minutes.

Amanda Schmidt

Incumbent: No

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Kent Schmidt

Incumbent: Yes

KAXE did not receive a response from this candidate.

Barb Tumberg

Barb Tumberg is running for Wadena-Deer Creek School Board in the 2024 election.
Contributed
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Barb Tumberg
Barb Tumberg is running for Wadena-Deer Creek School Board in the 2024 election.

Incumbent: Yes

Age on Election Day: 67

City/Township of residence: Wadena

Where are you currently employed, and what is your role?

Retired

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

As an elementary teacher for 39 years, I have an insight into the challenges facing students and staff. After serving one term as a school board member, I understand how important it is to work together with community members, parents, administration and staff to ensure success for all students.

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

As a school board member, I need to listen to the concerns of community members, parents and staff while also making sure decisions are following state and federal regulations. It’s my duty to advocate for all students in our district. I need to make decisions that are fiscally sound for our district.

Why are you running for office?

As a retired teacher, I believe strongly in our educational system. After one term on the board, I want to continue to be a part of working to make WDC successful.

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

*Ensure our students and staff have a safe environment in which to learn and work.
*Make decisions within our budget with the least impact on students.
*Follow up on communication from staff, parents, community members.

What do you believe are the biggest challenges facing your district, and how do you plan to overcome them?

I believe finding ways to live within our budget while still maintaining quality programs and facilities. We will need to continue to prioritize facility updates as we can afford them.

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.

With an already tight budget, we need to be diligent about using tax dollars in a fiscally responsible manner. We also need to be in communication with legislators about how their decisions affect our rural districts.

How do you plan to improve transparency and trust in your school board?

Open meetings, allowing community comment time at board meetings, posting agendas/minutes on school district website, follow through on questions.


Return to Election Guide

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.

Plus: what happens now that Burl Ives was reelected to Itasca County Board after his death.