Rock Ridge School Board 2025 Special Election Guide

Candidate responses for KAXE's Election Guide 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. We have made 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.

Brandi Lautigar

Contributed

/

Brandi Lautigar

Age on Election Day: 51

City/Township of residence: Gilbert, MN

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

Nashwauk-Keewatin School District #319 (School Social Worker), Range Mental Health Center (Outpatient Therapist/LGSW)

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

I am honored to seek re-election to the Rock Ridge School Board, where I have proudly served for over eight consecutive years—first with Eveleth-Gilbert and now with Rock Ridge after consolidation, including one year as board chair. My background in education and social work, with two master’s degrees in these fields, has shaped my commitment to supporting students, staff, and the entire school community. I have worked in public education for 16 years and have dedicated nearly 30 years to working with youth, including 20 years in mental health-related roles. Growing up in Eveleth, MN and graduating from Eveleth-Gilbert, I chose to return to Gilbert, MN to raise my children after gaining valuable work experience elsewhere. While I cherish my days as a Golden Bear, I am also a proud Rock Ridge Wolverine. As a board member, I have proven myself to be a listener, a collaborator, and a strong supporter of both students and school staff. I lead with positivity and by example, always keeping students at the center of every decision. My focus is on continuing to move Rock Ridge forward with a student-centered approach and a vision for success. I would be honored to continue serving our community.

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

The role of the school board is to monitor and evaluate the superintendent, set policy, establish strategic goals, and develop the overall vision of the school district. In contrast, the superintendent implements policy and manages the day-to-day operations of the school district. The school board and the superintendent must have a good working relationship that is built on trust, mutual support and collaboration. A strong, professional relationship between the two ensures the district runs efficiently and provides the best education for students.

Why are you running for office?

Serving on the school board for the past eight years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, second to raising my children. Ultimately, I have immense pride in the Rock Ridge School District-my roots and my heart are here. I want to stay involved in the Rock Ridge's growth and continue advocating for our youth.

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

Each quarter the Meet and Confer Committee meets with the Teachers Union (EDMN) to discuss issues of concern that fall outside the collective bargaining unit and together we brainstorm potential solutions collaboratively. Three items tend to be discussed as concerns consistently at Meet and Confer meetings: Discipline, Class Sizes and Postesecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO). Discipline clas sizes and postesecondary enrollment options are critical priorities for a public school district because they directly impact student success, teacher effectiveness, and the overall quality of education. All of these concerns have the potential to impact enrollment which in turn impacts the district's budget as well.

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

One of the biggest challenges facing public education today is funding. Schools must balance the responsibility of providing students with the best opportunities while being mindful of where and how money is spent. To ensure financial stability and student success, we must continuously evaluate programs and positions to maximize resources, seek additional funding sources such as grants and partnerships, and remain transparent with our communities about budget decisions.

In submitting questions for this Guide, multiple parents expressed concern about bullying; its impact on students, educators and the district's enrollment; and the Board's response.

What will you do to address this issue, and how do you think the board can take better accountability toward resolving it?

The school board is responsible for developing and setting policies, while the superintendent ensures these policies are implemented in the district’s daily operations. To address discipline issues, behavioral matrices have been created, and a dedicated group of teachers has been working diligently on this issue over the past year. We are continuously improving our processes and procedures to create safe and welcoming learning environments where all students can thrive.

From audience feedback: How will you decide what programs or positions should be cut, and how will you ensure all students' needs are still met?

Recently, the school board authorized an Academic Return on Investment study to be completed. A study such as this will help identify which programs, initiatives, and expenditures result in the greatest academic and long-term economic benefits. It can support more strategic decision-making, ensuring that funding is directed toward high-impact areas such as teacher quality, class size reduction, and student support services. Additionally, the information obtained can help Rock Ridge advocate for increased funding, build community trust, and justify investments to taxpayers, ultimately leading to better educational opportunities for students.

From a district parent: How do you think the public perceives the school district?
Perception of the school district varies based on each individual’s experiences, priorities, and values. However, I believe that the majority of our community takes great pride in being Rock Ridge Wolverines and is invested in the success of our schools. Most families simply want the best for their children, grandchildren, and loved ones—opportunities that may even exceed what they had growing up. While opinions may differ on specific issues, I truly believe our community shares a common goal: to ensure Rock Ridge provides a strong, well-rounded education that prepares students for a bright future.

Pollyann Sorcan

Contributed

/

Rock Ridge

Age on Election Day: I am old enough to have acquired a wealth of knowledge and experience, and young enough to continue learning.

City/Township of residence: I have lived in Eveleth all of my life.

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

I am not currently employed, therefore, have time to be a thorough and conscientious board member.

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

I have almost 25 years of school board experience over more than a 40 year time-span.
I was appointed by the Minnesota Commissioner of Education to the National Forum of Education Statistics (NCES).
I was a member of the NCES task force that produced the federal publication, “Forum Guide to the Privacy of Student Information.”
I served on the first Minnesota Academic Standards Committee for Language Arts and many other state, regional, and local education-related boards and committees.
I have completed college coursework in Legal Studies and Political Science.

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

The primary role and responsibility of a school board member is to secure the best education possible for students, and a district’s educational philosophy and academic curriculum are paramount elements of a school board’s statutory charge to “govern, manage, and control” a district, and to do so in a fiscally responsible manner.

Why are you running for office?

I am running to re-gain my seat on the school board to fulfill the remainder of my 2022-26 term that the Eveleth-Gilbert School District citizens granted me, but that was unjustly taken from me and from the Eveleth-Gilbert voters recently by the 2023-24 Rock Ridge School Board, which included my opponent. With re-instatement I would continue to look out for the best interests of the students, communities, and taxpayers as I have done over the past 40-plus years for three different school districts, both in and outside of office.

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

If re-instated to the school board my priorities would be to improve student achievement; promote better fiscal management; improve student behavior; and ensure more openness and accountability in district operations and decision-making.

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

For the 2025-26 fiscal year Rock Ridge is considering more than $2.6 million in cuts. The School Board needs: more detailed information on District finances; to take an active role in identifying and rectifying inefficiencies, waste, and excess; and to take a more active role in spending decision-making throughout the year and not just at crunch time, toward the end of a school year, when adopting budgets for the next fiscal year.

Student achievement can always be improved. Statutory cycles of curriculum research, adoption, an implementation period, and then evaluation need to be ongoing in each curricular area, and involve statutorily-required community participation.

Student behavior appears to be a universal problem. Districts and Boards need to continually evaluate (and refine when necessary) policies and procedures involving student expectations, discipline, attendance, behavioral incentives, and so forth. (See next question.)

In submitting questions for this Guide, multiple parents expressed concern about bullying; its impact on students, educators and the district's enrollment; and the Board's response.

What will you do to address this issue, and how do you think the board can take better accountability toward resolving it?

All districts have student discipline and expectation policies. Rock Ridge’s particular Bullying Prohibition policy is Policy # 514. All stakeholders should have input into the adoption of those policies and when situations arise that bring to light how the policies could be improved, the Board should be involved in the decision making and thoughtfully, but carefully, consider revisions.

Besides policies, Rock Ridge has many programs aimed at addressing behavior but, I feel, they lack data as to their effectiveness. The District needs to evaluate those multiple programs, decide which ones are working or aren’t working, or are working better than others. A decision should be made about which programs are effective, institute them, stick to them, and expect follow-through.

Bottom line: The District needs to take an absolute NO TOLERANCE position on bullying of any kind, to follow-through with the established disciplinary actions, and to promote a school culture of respect for all.

From audience feedback: How will you decide what programs or positions should be cut, and how will you ensure all students' needs are still met?

Core classes, programs, and things that directly affect students should, of course, be the last to be cut. That being said, a District needs to operate within its means and can’t or shouldn’t offer more classes or programs than it can afford. Thus, elective offerings and programs need to be closely evaluated. Some programs might need to be pared down, but done well. Community surveys might be useful.

Class size is another important consideration pertaining to cuts. High class size, especially at the elementary level, is detrimental to learning, classroom atmosphere, and student behavior.

From a district parent: How do you think the public perceives the school district?

I think that the public is becoming more skeptical about what they are told and what actually happens.