Voter's guide for St. Cloud school board

ST. CLOUD — Six candidates are vying for three open seats on the St. Cloud school board, the nonpartisan body that oversees the district of about 10,000 students, its policies and its superintendent, Laurie Putnam.

Two incumbents — Zachary Dorholt and Natalie Copeland Ringsmuth — are running for re-election. Both were elected to the board in 2018. Incumbent Les Green did not file for re-election.

The August primary narrowed the list from eight to six candidates. Of those, Dorholt, Ringsmuth and candidate Heather Weems have been endorsed by the St. Cloud teachers union.

The three other candidates — Mike Bueckers, Theresa Carlstedt and Nicole Rierson — are supported by a conservative group called the Central Minnesota Freedom Advocates, which endorsed the trio as a slate to fill the three open spots.

The three elected candidates will join Scott Andreasen, Al Dahlgren, Shannon Haws and Monica Segura-Schwartz on the board. Members serve four-year terms.

The Star Tribune asked each candidate the following questions in advance of the election to help voters decide. Answers may have been slightly edited for length and clarity. Candidates are listed alphabetically.

Mike Bueckers

Age: Will turn 41 before Nov. 8

City of residence: St. Cloud

Educational background: Apollo High School, Beijing Global Village Language Institute

Occupation: Self-employed business owner

Family: Married with two children

Experience: Seven years of English as a second language teaching experience

What are the top two or three issues facing the school district? Academic achievement, districtwide transparency for teachers, parents and students; school safety.

What are your plans to address those issues? To improve academics, we need to focus on basic education subjects (reading, writing, math, science, social studies, gym, sports, music, arts etc.) instead of social, racial and gender topics, which I believe are just a distraction from academics. Also, these topics shouldn't be a part of an academic career. We can provide counselors for students having issues and needing to talk but I believe these topics should be left out of the classroom. We need better transparency regarding the curriculum, in-school policies and student expectations, school safety and the financial budget, as well as better communication between teachers and parents. For school safety, we must strive to make all students feel safe in school with enhanced building security, as well as better budgeting and the allocation of funds towards school safety issues.

Candidate Theresa Carlstedt did not respond to the questionnaire.

Zachary Dorholt (incumbent)

Age: 42

City of residence: St. Cloud

Educational background: Bachelor's and master's degrees, St. Cloud State University

Occupation: Psychotherapist

Family: Three children

Experience: First elected to St. Cloud school board in 2018. Served as the House District 14B representative from 2013-14. Serves or has served on the following boards: Independent Music Collaborative of Central Minnesota, WACOSA, Central Minnesota Sustainability Project, Civility in Politics, Our Stories Our Health.

Why are you running? I am running because I am incredibly passionate about public education, not only for my children's future, but for the future of our state and country. I want to make sure our students have the skills, tools and education they need for us to be competitive in today's 21st century workforce. I want to make sure our students and their families, along with our staff in teachers, have the support they need to meet our students where they're at, so we can help them get to where we need them to be.

What are the top two or three issues facing the school district? First, like many other school districts and most businesses these days, we must stay competitive when it comes to hiring and keeping the best teachers and staff we can. Second, minding the "education gap." Our district has many unique needs that require special efforts compared to many other districts.

What are your plans to address those issues? We need to continue building and improving upon our relationships with local colleges and universities, including continued focus on our "Grow Your Own" program that helps create a pathway for current students to eventually become teachers/staff in St. Cloud schools. Additionally, we need to continue having an open ear to what teachers and staff have to say; they are the ones who see what's happening in our schools every day. For the education gap, growing our early childhood education programs and capacity would likely be the best way to make sure our youngest students who live in poverty or lack other opportunity become more successful and prepared for traditional K-12 classroom settings. Additionally, we need to continue putting pressure on the Legislature to help close the special education cross-subsidy, which is an underfunding of special education services that requires the district to dip into its general fund.

Nicole Rierson

Age: 42

City of residence: St. Cloud

Educational background: Bachelor's degree, St. Cloud State University

Occupation: Sales and marketing, formerly operated a licensed home day care and sole-proprietor sales business

Family: Husband and four children

Experience: Former special education teacher, substitute and assessment specialist in the district.

Why are you running? I believe my classroom experience across schools in various roles gives me an advantage to understand issues that staff and students are dealing with in their day-to-day issues. Because of my experience with writing Individual Education Plans (IEPs), I am able to effectively write attainable and measurable goals, including the plans to reach those goals. This experience also gave me the skills to arrange and carry out team meetings that included a variety of staff and family members. Being the owner and operator of two businesses has also provided skills in collaborating with people from all walks of life.

What are the top two or three issues facing the school district? We need to refocus our curricula on basic disciplines and skills to prepare our students to function effectively and succeed in society. Proficiency scores must be improved. I want to be a positive voice that represents the parental perspective to establish strong academic standards and prepare students to be good citizens today and always. An effective school board must be constantly self-reflective, honestly evaluate the intentions of its policies and initiatives, celebrate the successes, admit failures and be willing to adjust. A few areas that are current struggles are that goals and initiatives aren't always being presented with attainable and/or measurable goals. People have told me they feel it isn't safe to speak up on certain issues without fear. I have also experienced this.

What are your plans to address those issues? I would advocate the board to look at initiatives and policies and to objectively seek out information to verify they are working as intended. Sometimes we are so passionate about beliefs that we lose focus on the importance of viewing the district as a whole. I would ask that all future initiatives include measurable goals. We often have several ideas and strategies for how we could be more effective but neglect to provide staff the time and resources to implement them. Our teachers are heroes but even they have limits and deserve to have work/life balance. I would be rigorous in studying curriculum and seek those that are strong in academic content. I would also encourage the district to have consistency in how each school enforces policies.

Natalie Copeland Ringsmuth (incumbent)

Age: 43

City of residence: St. Cloud

Educational background: Bachelor's degree, Concordia College; certificate of executive director leadership, University of St. Thomas

Occupation: Nonprofit director, anti-racism facilitator

Family: Three children

Experience: First elected to St. Cloud school board in 2018. As part of board, serves on community engagement committee and the achievement, integration and equity committee. Also serves on the Governor's Community Council on Inclusion and Equity, and is part of America Indivisible's Public Leaders for Inclusion Council.

Why are you running? I have been a member of the St. Cloud school board for the past four years and am running for a second term to continue to serve the staff, students and communities within the school district. My three children are enrolled in the district and having that firsthand view of our schools has been very helpful during my time on the board. I am well versed in looking at our community and school district through an equity lens, ensuring all can thrive in our district.

What are the top two or three issues facing the school district? My top three priorities as a candidate this time around line up with three of the goal areas in our strategic plan: continuing to build sustainable ways to bring up our four-year graduation rates and keep our seven-year graduation rates improving; continuing the board's work with administration to build student assessment models rooted in a growth mindset; and continuing to grow supports for our students at all grade levels needing mental and emotional health assistance.

What are your plans to address those issues? To address these issues and the other issues laid out in our strategic plan, it takes a team effort: the board working with administration, school leaders working with staff and students, and our greater community supporting our schools, students, families and staff. While we were able to grow mental health supports through COVID funding, the funding is just one-time money. Also, the Legislature must eliminate the underfunding of special education and English-learner programs that is happening at some schools in our state, include in St. Cloud school district. We are underfunded to the tune of over $15 million per year.

Heather Weems

Age: 47

City of residence: St. Cloud

Educational background: Bachelor's degree, University of Iowa; master's degree, University of Denver

Occupation: Commissioner, National Collegiate Hockey Conference

Family: Husband, Bill, and four children

Experience: More than 20 years experience in higher education administration. Member of the St. Cloud Rotary, former participant in St. Cloud school district activities task force.

Why are you running? As a long-time higher education professional and mom to four boys in the school district (one graduated earlier this year), I know intimately the value of a strong and engaged school system. The learning environment in which our kids are immersed impacts their growth and development long after they leave our schools and serves as the foundation to personal, professional and civic success. Our schools must be a place in which students feel safe, yet are both challenged and supported in thinking critically and globally across the curriculum, as well as building employment and life skills from pre-K to graduation.

What are the top two or three issues facing the school district? The district is impacted by many of the same issues facing schools today across the country. The impact of COVID-19 on schools and students, including reading and math proficiency, are real, as is the impact of technology and general expectations around behavior and engagement. My top issues include: a continued focus on student-centered, innovative curriculum to prepare all students for the 21st century; and creating a sense of belonging with a safe and positive learning environment for all students.

What are your plans to address those issues? Achieving success in schools is a collaborative process between teachers, administrators, parents/guardians, the board and various community leaders. We must be mindful of proven best practices, as well as new innovations, and work with teachers and administrators to adapt those to our particular environment, including special needs populations. That includes remaining focused on the basics of reading, writing and math as foundational to lifelong success. We must also ensure there are clear expectations for communication, student behavior and parental engagement, which includes respectful and honest dialogue and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.