Please list your name, age, address, occupation, how long you’ve lived in the community and family status, plus education and community service details.

My address is 17944 Revere Way, Prior Lake. I am 52 years old and have lived in the Prior Lake area for almost 30 years. Currently, I live in Spring Lake Township with my husband, Steve. We have three children, Jayme, 26, married to Jamin; Joey, 25; and Tommy, 24. All are graduates of Prior Lake High School and the University of St Thomas. I have a four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing from the College of St. Catherine. I am the current School Board chairperson. I serve on numerous committees of the School Board, such as, policy, continuous improvement, community education, negotiations, administrative hiring, Growth Task Force, SCALE member and executive committee member and past chairperson. I am on the board of directors for St. Francis Regional Medical Center, past chairperson and current secretary, also executive committee. I am a member of the Prior Lake Optimist Club. I have served on long-range planning for the school district and city of Prior Lake. Formerly, I have served on the Laker Athletic Boosters, individual sports clubs, PAA – boosters for the arts, P.L.A.Y., St. Michael’s parish volunteer in leadership positions with home and school, School Board, Faith Formation, and Parish Council. I continue to remain active at community events in both Prior Lake and Savage. 

Growth in the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District has become a major concern among district officials. Prior Lake High School, for instance, started the school year 223 students over capacity. To explore solutions to the problem, the district recently reconvened the Growth Task Force. What would you do to solve the district’s growing pains?

I am a member of the Growth Task Force charged with exploring solutions to meet the demands of growth. Growth in the district has slowed from 5 percent to 1-2 percent, per year. We continue to grow with students already in the system. Our largest class sizes have not yet entered the high school. We must research long and short term solutions that are fluid enough to enable the district to adjust to changes in growth. I firmly believe that our long-term goals must be a series of flexible short-term goals. I don’t feel that it’s feasible, at this time, to ask voters to approve a bond to build more space. We will have to repurpose areas of the high school. Find ways to use space more efficiently. We may need to reschedule the student day, offer extended-day or zero-hour class time. It may also force reconfiguring grade levels in our buildings. Off-site learning such as a ninth-grade center may be beneficial to students. We need to explore curriculum that uses online or individual learning. It is critical that we look at existing spaces, maximizing that space while still maintaining quality education in our district. 

A number of steps have been taken to expand environmental education throughout the district. The issue was even highlighted in the district’s new “Strategic Roadmap.” Do you feel environmental education should be emphasized in area classrooms, and if so, what else can be done to meet this goal? If not, what should the goal be?

Absolutely, environmental education is important to the future of our world. We must be good stewards of our resources and responsible citizens in our communities. I believe the most effective way to do this is through education. A classroom of students is a powerful way to spread that message. A big part of environmental education is learning what we can do and then practicing that learning in daily care of our environment. We must be aware of what is available. It is important to use existing environmental spaces efficiently. It should be a priority in our curriculum at all levels of instruction. It is not a standalone class. It should be woven into existing subject areas. Our school district has the unique opportunity for study of our environment right outside our doors. We must maintain and develop new partnerships with the cities and organizations in our community to enable our students the opportunity to study and share knowledge and care of our environment. 

Two new programs – Bridges Area Learning Center and SAGE Academy – opened this year in an attempt to better serve area students. Name one group of students you think the district could do a better job at serving, and explain how you would turn that around.

I am excited about Bridges Learning Center and Sage Academy. It’s an excellent way to meet the needs of those students. However, I believe there is another, much larger group of students that have their own unique set of needs. The group “in the middle” is many times expected to succeed without additional assistance. The difficulty is that this group has a wide range of abilities. Many succeed but are not challenged. They are not always engaged in school, though they have all the capabilities to achieve at a much higher level. To address these needs I believe our curriculum must be challenging, current and interesting. Class sizes must be smaller in order to offer more individualized instruction. We also must protect the variety of classes we offer at the high school level. To accomplish this we must be as efficient as possible in our delivery of education. There are programs already in place to assist students in this group but more could be offered including more advance placement classes, individual instruction, counseling assistance, more variety in curriculum and co-curricular activities. Most important, in all areas of learning, we must challenge students to personally achieve at the highest level possible. 

The opening of Redtail Ridge Elementary was touted as a victory in the district’s battle against growing class sizes. Do you feel the new school’s impact was significant, and what else can the School Board do to lower the student-to-teacher ratio in area classrooms?

The opening of Redtail Ridge has significantly helped with space issues at our elementary schools. The passed referendum also allowed the district to hire more teachers and support staff; however, the need for more staff still exists – even at the elementary level. The district is financially limited in that regard. The additional space has allowed the elementary principals to develop creative ways to address larger classes without adding more staff. Class size and overcrowding at the middle schools and high school is apparent. Remaining closed to open enrollment will have some impact on controlling class size, but not significantly. The School Board is in the process, with the Growth Task Force, of exploring other ways to lower class size at the intermediate levels. Keeping in mind the limited space available, we must look at creative scheduling with options such as extended-day classes, zero-hour classes, split shifts, online learning and independent study. Team teaching may also help with limited staff issues. We will need to explore new teaching models that allow more efficient ways to educate students.Education in the future will be delivered in a significantly different manner. 

Name one issue you feel the School Board has missed the mark on. What would you have done differently?

I believe the School Board is very aware of the needs and successes of the educational system in Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools. While two-way communication in the district has vastly improved, there remains more work to be done to enhance the sharing of information. At the same time, there must be an emphasis on educating the community of their options on how to gain a better understanding of information in the school district. The decisions made by the School Board are made with a great deal of thought and concern. Many times the decision may be unpopular but necessary. The board must consider how a decision impacts all of our students and families before making that decision. We must also consider how those decisions affect all of our community members as we move the district forward. A significant struggle for the School Board has been in predicting the impact of the current economic reality in our district. It is important that we function within our financial limitations and continue to explore options to remain fiscally responsible. It goes without saying that these are challenging financial times, unprecedented in many respects. 

What other issues do you feel are important to discuss? What would you like voters to know about your priorities as a candidate?

My main priority is to provide the most challenging, well rounded education for all students while remaining fiscally responsible. I believe that all children deserve the right to learn and excel to the best of their ability in a safe, supportive environment. It is the responsibility of the School Board to provide that framework. The greatest reward for my efforts is seeing the joy and sense of accomplishment on the faces of young people. A second priority is to keep the district financially strong. It is critical to maintain and improve our fund balance in order to be good stewards of community tax dollars. A personal priority is to continue to represent the entire community by first, listening to concerns and gathering information and then making common sense decisions based on what is in the best interest of our students. It is important to look at the whole picture and determine the impact of board decisions. I consider myself an organized, solid leader with a common sense approach to decision making. My intentions are to continue to make a positive difference in our community.