There are so many reasons I would like to continue serving on the school board. Read on for twelve big ones!
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Reason #12: Responsibility and Leadership of our students. I would love to support a concerted effort to help all of our students learn responsibility and leadership from preschool through graduation.
Reason #11: Opportunities to Think Outside the Box. I would love our board to support staff in shooting for things they think are best for kids. For example, this could include looking at our elementary schools and deciding whether we would like to offer special programming at different schools.
Reason #10: Arts. Our students have a tremendous opportunity to participate in the arts, whether music, theater, or a number of different art classes. I want to make sure these programs continue in their integrity and that students can continue to express themselves through art.
Reason #9: Athletics. I recognize the value our students receive when they participate in sports. I would like to encourage this to continue, and I would also like to see more opportunities for students who love to play but do not make the team.
Reason #8: Academics. I want to support our wonderful programs and support our staff in thinking outside the box to consider what our students need to be even more successful in the 21st Century.
Reason #7: Increased Community Partnerships. We have incredible expertise in the St. Croix Valley. I would love to see us capitalize more on our businesses and organizations in a way that will benefit our students. We also have a community of retired persons who can be a tremendous asset in our classrooms and for special events. I would love to create intentional relationships with them.
Reason #6: Customer Service. I am a stickler for great customer service and am known to let people know when I have received great customer service. I believe if we focus on customer service, we will see even greater satisfaction among current families and will then see more families enrolling their students in our schools.
Reason #5: Fiscal Responsibility. It is my desire to have our finances in the best order possible so that we can deliver the best education possible in a way the taxpayers can support.
Reason #4: Accountability. I recognize that as a board member I am accountable to the community for every decision I make. I want to increase our transparency so the community understands how we make decisions and so that they can keep us accountable. I want to ensure that all our processes are done with this in mind.
Reason #3: Our Excellent Staff. Our students are incredibly fortunate to have the educated, awesome staff we have. I want to support their work.
Reason #2: Community: We have a wonderful community with so much to give to our schools. They deserve that we do the best we can with their taxpayer dollars and their children.
Reason #1: Our Students. We have amazing students who can do amazing things. I want to make sure we are making decisions to help them become their best.

My grandma taught me how to make the best chocolate chip cookies. I had to use a specific yellow bowl, measure my ingredients carefully, and stir in the flour one cup at a time.  By the time I got halfway into the third cup of flour, my grandma had to stir for me because I was not strong enough (even when I was 20). My grandma has always been the picture of strength and knows everything . She is a farmer’s wife who raised four sons and a daughter in a time without many modern conveniences. She is one of the smartest women I know despite not attending any kind of college or having a career other than a homemaker, which she was proud to be. At 85 years old, she still patches her sons’ pants, makes the best potato salad, and remembers to send a birthday card to each of her five kids and their spouses, ten grandkids and their spouses, and umpteen great grandchildren.  And the cards are never late.  Just that is nothing short of extraordinary!

Back to her cookies, over the years I have attempted to modify how they are made. I usually use my amazing stand mixer, and I am constantly trying to make them healthier with better flours, applesauce and oil instead of shortening, and by using a scoop instead of rolling them into a ball. And you can probably guess the result: the old way is worlds better in this instance.

Clearly, the old way is not always better – I would not want to go back to a time where surgeries were performed without sanitization. I like electricity and running water. I enjoy making the 50-mile drive to my mom’s in one hour compared to the days it would take with a horse and wagon. There are so many modern conveniences for which I am thankful, but I keep thinking about the cookies and the birthday cards. Both of those “old” traditions are still so good. I use a bowl just like my grandma’s to make her cookies, and today my arm got just a bit sore when stirring in that last cup of flour because I am stronger. She and life gave me that.
There are so many things I can take from the above story that shape the way I think, even about what I hope for the school district. Here are just a few:

1. Our retired community can help us achieve greater excellence. We have a huge asset in our retired community. They can teach us and our students so much. Their desire to invest in future generations can positively impact not only student success but will provide meaningful relationships for students who may need some extra care.
2. Tradition is not a bad thing. Sometimes “the way we have always done it” IS the best way. I do not support throwing out the “old” just for the sake of progress. It is important to weigh carefully the time-honored traditions that have made our district strong while considering how to prepare our students to succeed in the rapidly changing 21st Century.
3. Success can be defined many ways. A college degree is not the only way to define success. My grandparents were extremely successful farmers. Neither of them had a bit of formal education beyond high school. There is great need for people to work in the trades, and some of us are just better equipped to work in different types of occupations. I would love to see our district make progress in helping our students figure out which path is best for them and making the trades a larger part of what we do.
4. Wisdom and kindness go a long ways. My grandpa and grandma never spent their money frivolously, and they were always good to their neighbors. They had to learn critical thinking and problem solving in order to make things work on the farm – without the use of Google or YouTube videos (can you imagine?). They also helped their neighbors in crisis without question.

We have many great opportunities to capitalize on what has always made us strong and then capture what will make Stillwater Area Public Schools the best they can be for the 8,000 students who call themselves Ponies. 

My reasons for running have not changed. ​The short answer is because I believe in the potential of our students, the district, and the community to become the best we possibly can be in the most fiscally responsible way possible. I believe we are better together, and I believe we do not want to be like every other district out there. We want to do great things, we believe we can, and we have the people to make it happen.

​As for the long answer, here is what I wrote four years ago about my reason for running: “First and foremost, I am running for my four kids and the other 8,400 students that attend school in the Stillwater Area School District. As I observe these students both succeed and struggle, I have a deep-seated desire to help them become the best they can be. Second, I desire to see greater connection within each school, the district as a whole, and between the district and community.” That is absolutely still my desire.

My desires for this district have not changed. The things that mattered deeply to me before I ran for the school board continue to matter deeply to me now. The things I saw on a micro-level through the education of my own children and their classmates, I now see on a macro-level. We are a great district, but we have work to do to become even better.

​The last four years have been challenging with the passage of a $100 million bond and all that entails, three school closings, and increased student need. Board dynamics have distracted us from what is important, and we have struggled to accomplish as much as I would like.

The tangibles I had hoped to address remain, and I will continue to move toward their accomplishment. Examples include:

Board School Visits – All school board members will at least annually visit all schools during regular school days in order to have a deeper understanding of how their decisions affect the daily educational setting.

Board Liaison assignments – The board will ultimately decide how this would look, but we used to have one board member assigned to each school. They made an extra effort to attend parent-teacher meetings and occasional events in order to have a presence in the schools. We removed the liaisons, but I would like to see them return in some capacity.

Accountability Plans – We want to do what we say we will do. Everything brought to the board by administration will have a plan for follow-through in the schools and follow-up with the board.

Annual Survey – The board/administration will develop an annual survey to assess our greatest successes and challenges. Survey results will be seriously considered and acted upon where necessary.

Community Relations – We are in the customer service business. If we cannot provide an experience for our students at a value the community supports, we fail. In order to be the best we can be, we need to include the community in a variety of ways in our schools. The breadth of knowledge and experience our community members hold will allow us to do far more than we could do with a smaller number of voices. I would like to see not only community members empowered but all our teaching and support staff members more empowered as well. Those who are in the classroom interacting with kids every day know whether something will work or not, and they may have great ideas on how to make things better.

These are just a few examples of items that continue to be important to me. It is my sincere desire to serve the students, staff, and community members that make up ISD 834. 

While my intention may have been to write regular blog posts, that has obviously not been a reality. The reality has been a whirlwind of learning about budgets, bonds, long-range facility plans, policy, education legislation, and how current systems can both help and hinder in striving toward excellence in education. Besides learning these things, I have met and visited with many wonderful staff members, families, and students. Finally, the board continues to work toward becoming a high-functioning board. The good thing is that we are all passionate about making this district great. The challenge is that we are all passionate (sometimes in different ways) about making this district great!

The most important action of the board this year has been to hire a new superintendent. I am excited about the work she is doing along with her team. We have so many wonderful things going for us, and at the same time, there is much work to be done. With impending work toward a long-range facility plan that includes adding on to the high school and building a new elementary school, we are at a perfect crossroads to stop and ask ourselves who we really want to be. Are we interested in competing with the status quo? Or can we make some bold moves that may compete against the norm in public education? Most can agree that we want the second, but actually stepping out in boldness takes a great deal of courage and creativity. I am excited to be part of that conversation in the coming months.

When discussing it in a blog post, I can hear the rallying troops shouting, "YES, let's move!" When I consider it in light of budget concerns, Common Core Standards, an increase in student needs, a vastly changing demographic and myriad other considerations, I can almost hear the grinding halt as we hit the brakes and ask if there is any way we can do this. I will keep encouraging us to go for it, which might sometimes look like jumping off a cliff, but I know we have enough talent and passion in our district to get there.

Behind every action and decision we consider, we must ask whether what we are doing is best for kids. I would love to hear from you - what do you believe is best for your kids as well as all the students in this district when considering their education? 

Few things keep my mind from shutting down when first falling asleep at night (for which I am extremely grateful), but it is another story when I wake up in the middle of the night with things on my mind. I have been wanting to update you on what has been happening, and now is a great time since my whole house is quiet. 

What have I been doing since the election? The other new board member-elect and I have visited eleven schools, met with several members of administration, attended a board retreat, board learning sessions, board meetings, and some facility plan staff meetings, studied materials we have been given, and prepared for our January start date (and I thought I would have a break after the election). All in all, the experience has been positive. My highlight has been getting in the schools, meeting with principals and staff members and watching precious children learn. I can hear about the needs of our kids, but until I walk into a classroom, I do not really understand.

I feel a tremendous responsibility to the people who voted for me and now to the greater community that I serve. It will be a delicate balance between working with district administration and representing the public well. I need to be intentional to hear all voices and consider the needs of all students. Creating a means for dialogue with those with whom I do not cross paths is sometimes challenging, but it is imperative in order to achieve the best possible results in this district for our kids.

So what is on the horizon, and what do I desire to hear from you?
Long-range Facilities Plan - What are your questions, comments, and concerns?
Superintendent Hire - What characteristics of a person would be a best fit for our unique district? 
Staff Union Negotiations - These will start soon as well. How do we best meet the needs of our teachers while considering budgetary needs? 
Budget - The board is committed to reaching a balanced budget. What ideas do you have to do this? 
What else is important to you? These things are big, and they cannot be ignored, but what else is on your mind?

The challenge and great opportunity will be to hear the public in all these things. We need to intentionally create a climate where critical, serious discussions are common place and welcome. Will you join the conversation? I will make sure that what is important to you is shared with the board. Please always feel free to contact me at pearsons@stillwaterschools.org. 

The election is almost here. I do not think there is a person living in the United States who is not ready for Wednesday to be here. Getting through campaign season is slightly brutal for everyone, but after campaigning for the last couple months, I see campaign season from a different (though still brutal) perspective. Many say the position of school board member is thankless and hard. So why exactly am I running? And what tangible things do I hope to accomplish? These are the last words I want my supporters and potential supporters, to hear from me before the election.

Why am I running?
First and foremost, I am running for these four kids and the other 8,400 students that attend school in the Stillwater Area School District. As I observe these students both succeed and struggle, I have a deep-seated desire to help them become the best they can be. Second, I desire to see greater connection within each school, the district as a whole, and between the district and community.

What tangible things do I hope to accomplish?
A successful board will work well together to bring about excellent results. I will ask the board to consider implementing the following:

Board School Visits – All school board members will annually visit all schools. These visits will take place during the school day.
Board Liaison assignments – Two school board members will be assigned to each school instead of one. This will provide the opportunity for deeper conversation about the unique needs of each school.
Accountability Plans – Every board/administration action will be accompanied by a plan to ensure that what we say we will do is carried out in the classroom.
Annual Survey – The board/administration will develop an annual survey that will go out to students, families, staff members, taxpayers, and community members to assess our greatest successes and challenges. Survey results will be considered and acted upon where appropriate.
Difficult questions – The board will face difficult questions head on and openly explore issues like Common Core, World’s Best Workforce, and Teacher Evaluation. The board will include the community in these conversations so that all parties have a better understanding of how education is delivered in our district.

By implementing the above, I believe the budget, classroom size, and other issues will be resolved as well. It is my desire to serve these kids and the community in a way that will bring this district to greater excellence. 

I ask for your vote on Tuesday. And I thank you. 

As I skimmed the Stillwater Gazette today, I came across an interesting article by Joe Nathan, an ECM Columnist. The title caught my eye for obvious reasons: Five questions to ask school board candidates, members. The questions contained in this article have not specifically come up in other questionnaires, but they fit well into why I would like to serve you on the board of the Stillwater Area Public Schools. I would like to take the opportunity to answer them here:

1. “Are you committed to a yearly survey of families, students, graduates, community residents, faculty and staff about what they see as major strengths and shortcomings of the district and its schools? Are you committed to publicly sharing the results?”
Yes! Yes! Yes! You will find this theme in my bio, blog posts, and some newspaper questionnaire responses as I talk about providing quality customer service. I believe we will be stronger when all concerned parties have the opportunity to enter into the conversation. When I have questioned board members on this, one response I received was that people are generally negative on surveys. That seems like a classic case of “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” Yes, these surveys will generate some negative responses, however if many of the negative responses are saying the same thing, it may be an area of needed improvement. In addition, providing this annual survey would allow every party to have a voice. It would also allow the board to be better connected with all areas of the district as they hear the perspectives of others.

2. “Are you committed to yearly sharing the major ways you, as board members, evaluate the district’s (and individual school’s) progress?”
Again, yes. You will read about this in much of my writing as well where I discuss the need for greater accountability and transparency both within the district and to the community. We need to have open and honest conversations about how schools are doing, not just in the area of test results but in multiple areas of success and opportunity at each school and within the district as a whole. The annual survey mentioned in the first question could be a natural first step in providing information necessary to evaluate progress.

3. “What are your priorities in the coming year? Why and how did you select these issues?”
My responses to the two above questions are my priorities as you will read in my bio: accountability, transparency, customer service, and bringing balance to the board as an elementary parent.  As I have attended many board meeting over the past three years and volunteered many hours in the classroom, I often see a disconnect between board actions and what is actually happening in the school and classroom. With 8,400 students in this district, we need to find ways to better bridge the gap between the board/administration and the classroom.

4. “What is your own experience with public education? How [will this experience influence] your work as a board member?”
I am a product of public education, and it has never been a question to our family whether our children would attend the public schools. I received a solid education, and I expect my children to receive a solid education. Sometimes the waters become muddied and children can be overlooked as the number of mandates increase and as districts attempt to market themselves in order to increase enrollment. It is my desire to ensure that all children receive the education they need to be successful adults in our society.

5. “Do you see yourself primarily as a representative of the community or a representative of the school system?”
At this time, it is easy for me to say that I am a representative of the community. That is my reason for running for this position. I want to be a voice for students, families, taxpayers, and staff members.  As I am hopefully elected to the board, this is a question I will need to keep continually in front of me, and I would invite anyone reading this post to pose this question to me anytime. It is my desire to represent you well as we work toward a stronger school district, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the difficult questions. I mean that. Every question I answer makes me stronger and can lead to a stronger school district. 

Below are my responses that were published in the October 24, 2014, edition of the Lowdown.


1) What do you think your school system does best? What could be improved upon?

We have many excellent staff members who invest in the lives of students. They not only teach academics but life skills such as responsibility, leadership, and compassion and encourage students to pursue their passions. However, autonomy has decreased in schools and classrooms in recent years, and the organization has become increasingly top-down. When my kids started in this district, there was a greater diversity among the schools, and families were able to choose the school that best fit their children’s unique needs and learning styles.

2) Name two challenges in your district and how you might approach helping solve them if elected.

A greater degree of accountability and transparency is needed to make us stronger. We need to plan for follow-up so we can ensure we are always doing what we say we are doing for our students. I can contribute by asking difficult questions and sharing examples of where I have seen some actions fall through the cracks. As we go through the hiring process for a new superintendent, I will seek a candidate who places value on accountability and transparency.

We also need to provide quality customer service. Our customers should be given the opportunity to enter into a conversation that will increase trust, build community, and yield stronger schools as we continuously strive to attract and retain valuable employees. I can help by encouraging the district to provide an annual survey to students, staff, families, and community members and taking action on results where appropriate.

3) Under what circumstances would you request a tax levy increase within your school district? 

Since we just passed a levy, and budget issues remain at the forefront for many, it is imperative that we balance our budget, remove any unnecessary excess spending, and make responsible fiscal decisions. After that, if we can show a viable need in order to better provide a quality education to children, then I would consider requesting a tax levy increase. As a middle class family, we feel the pinch of any increased taxes, so I would ensure that anything we ask for is necessary.

4) Compared to many other school districts, a relatively small percentage of students living in your district attend public schools there. Can anything be done to change that, and if so what? 

We live in a district with many choices, but I absolutely believe we can increase our enrollment in our public schools by drawing more students from outside the district boundaries and giving families who open enroll in other districts a reason to return to the district. It will take bold action, but when our current families are excited, they will spread the word to others, and they will give the Stillwater Area Public Schools high marks on school comparison websites.

As a candidate for the school board of District 834, I have had tremendous opportunities to solidify my positions on a number of key issues the district faces. Over the next few days, I will share my responses to several questionnaires. The following are the questions and answers that were published in the October 15 issue of the Stillwater Gazette. This is a tight race, and I appreciate your support.

1. What distinguishes you from the other candidates?

I have spent six years as a classroom volunteer, and as I observe board and district actions, I have a deeper understanding of how decisions directly affect students and staff. Also, my degree in business impresses on me a need for providing quality customer service to students, families, and community members while retaining and empowering highly competent employees. To do this, our district must be willing to ask hard questions, and I would welcome and encourage those conversations. Finally, my children have more years remaining in this district than any other candidate or current board member, which will bring greater balance and a more diverse perspective to the board.

2. How should the school board respond to the trend of decreasing enrollment in the district?

Our greatest assets are our students and families, and we must be intentional about meeting their needs. When families are excited about the schools their children attend, they tell others, and they give the district high reviews on school comparison websites like greatschools.org and schooldigger.com which will bring families to our community. To get serious about increasing enrollment, we must explore the needs of current and potential families. We need to create a unique identity for ourselves that will make us stand out. Providing an annual satisfaction survey to families, students, staff, and community members would help us strategically capitalize on strengths and identify areas of opportunity so we can become stronger and attract more students to our schools.

3. For years the district has been spending more than it takes in. It has now spent its fund balance below the level set by board policy and cannot continue deficit spending. What are your priorities in crafting a balanced budget?

The classroom must be the first priority. Quality teachers must be retained, and reasonable and fair class sizes must be maintained in all schools. We need to be intentional and creative about increasing enrollment, therefore increasing revenue. At the same time, the district must look at long-term spending and prioritize all remaining programs. Any programs that do not fit the plan of what is best for kids may be cut. It will be a difficult and sometimes painful process, but it must be done to ensure a future of excellence in this district.

4. How do you feel the district has carried through on the promises made when asking for the levy increase last year?

As an engaged parent who made phone calls, attended levy events, listened at board meetings, and read the literature that came out in the mail, I am surprised and disappointed at how extensive the cuts were after working so hard to pass the levy. We were told that the passage of the levy would not solve all the financial issues in the district, but it was not clear how painful the cuts would be. Some classrooms have 33-35 kids in the elementary and higher numbers in the secondary while support staff has been cut in most buildings. The board and administration were in a difficult position during this process, but it has had greater repercussions than anyone imagined. It is imperative that we restore trust with the community and do what is right for the kids.