Crystal Freese
Candidate for Caledonia School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I am a mother of three, licensed athletic trainer, and farmer. I grew up in rural Spring Grove and later graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Bethel University. My career has largely been in high schools and in the clinic setting, working with athletes of all ages. I have also been a substitute teacher for grades 4K-12, including special education. Underlying my profession is the lifeblood of our community-farming. I learned at a young age the dedication it takes to do chores and work the land. In my adult years, farming has become cherished family time.
2. Why are you running for office?
I would like to contribute to the community of Caledonia what resources I can offer, including a background in conflict resolution, change management, and experience in the public school system as a parent and teacher.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
My hope is to help facilitate grounded communication in an effort to understand the issues and guide the district forward. As a clinician, I recognize the importance of the objective exam, as well as the subjective context of those findings. The third part of that is determining a plan of care. My hope is to begin with that end in mind: the plan to nurture and develop our children to be caring, engaged, hard-striving individuals and community members.
Jeremiah Halloran
Candidate for Chatfield School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Jeremiah Halloran. I am married to Ann and have four kids – Cooper (10th grade), Caleb (8th grade), Aubrey (6th grade), and Noah (4th grade). I am the AVP of Technology at First Alliance Credit Union. I am also a member of the Community Education Advisory Council, serve on the board of the Chatfield Youth Baseball Association, the Chatfield Cemetery Association, and Family Service Rochester. I love to coach and support my kids’ teams and activities.
2. Why are you running for office?
As a proud Chatfield graduate, I appreciate the great impact the schools have on the community. I have a personal interest in our schools with four kids in attendance but want to do my part to support all students. I consider being a member of the school board an excellent way to get involved as a community member.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
Education is ever changing, and it will take partnership between community and school district representatives to keep up. I hope to promote the successes of the school within the community and help address the challenges. I would do this by leading with curiosity and listening, rather than a narrow focus. Positive change will require the board to work together as a team. That doesn’t mean everyone will agree with every decision, but it will remain important to support the outcome. My hope for the school is to be a setting where all students and staff feel welcome and supported.
Danielle Hoffman
Candidate for Chatfield School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I am a proud dairy farm wife, and my son is a fourth grader in Chatfield Elementary school. Being married to a fourth-generation farmer has given me a firsthand appreciation for hard work and resilience. Over my own 20-plus years in this community, I’ve loved jumping right in whether I’m serving our neighbors as a local election judge or coaching baseball for my son and his peers. I am deeply invested in Chatfield’s future and the strong, resilient spirit that makes our district so special.
2. Why are you running for office?
I am running because board members need to be visible, approachable, and connected to the people they serve. Education is our foundation, and I believe parents deserve a true seat at the table. I want to listen to our teachers, empower our kids, and focus on the whole student. By ensuring families and teachers have a real voice, we can make informed decisions that put kids first and help every child succeed whether their passion is academics, agriculture, arts, or sports.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
If elected, my goal is to build strong partnerships between parents, teachers, administrators, and students. I want to thoroughly review our curriculum for whole-child development and understand the daily culture of both our elementary and high schools. To stay grounded and connected, I will advocate for board members to visit our schools at least three to four times a year. Together, we can ensure our resources support what matters most, making our schools the best they can be.
Mark Johnsrud
Candidate for Chatfield school board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I was raised on a family farm near Spring Grove, Minnesota. After graduating high school there, I earned my B.S. degree at UW-Stout. I have worked in the information technology department at Mayo Clinic since college graduation. My wife Elissa and I have lived in Chatfield since 2005 when she got an elementary teaching job here. We have three children who have benefited from attending Chatfield Schools. I have served in numerous leadership roles within our local church and coached youth sports. Our family enjoys traveling to explore numerous national parks and attending a variety of sporting events.
2. Why are you running for office?
I am running for another term on the school board to ensure that the students in Chatfield continue to have access to high-quality educational and extra-curricular opportunities. Having one child recently graduate and two more children currently in high school, I feel very aware of many of the current challenges facing our students and staff. Our school board needs to remain independent thinkers and not be influenced by outside political concerns. We need to continue to do what is best for our students and community.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
As someone who has belonged to this community for over 20 years, I have great pride in our schools. The school board has some difficult decisions to make in the near future. My goal is to help provide the school board reasoning and logic to guide our future decisions with input from our community. We need to keep the focus on providing quality education for our students and allow our teachers and staff to have the necessary resources to be successful in the classroom.
David Sovinski
Candidate for Chatfield School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I am the proud dad of five Chosen Valley High School graduates and have been married to my wife Sherri for 32 years. We moved to Chatfield in 1997, and I have served our community in a variety of ways. Most notably, I was a member of the Chatfield Ambulance Service from 1999 through 2025. I have also volunteered in audio engineering and political party activities.
My professional career is in computer programming and database development. I enjoy learning new things, solving problems, and using my experience to contribute to the community I have called home for nearly 30 years.
2. Why are you running for office?
I have now been on the Chatfield School Board for almost four years. It has been quite the learning experience! Learning to gain an understanding of all the financial buckets it takes to run a school is very time-consuming up front. One of the discoveries made was a proposed bond issue that, if it had been executed, would have cost the taxpayers more than an additional two and a quarter million dollars of interest over a regular loan. Numbers interest me, and I hope to continue watching taxpayers’ dollars.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
A school cannot, by definition, be all things to all people. Parents’ intimate involvement in their child’s education is of paramount importance to a student becoming a successful graduate. I hope to encourage and promote working together with parents to see students flourish.
If re-elected, I would like to focus on updating school policies, especially in the areas found in “Education Programs.” I plan to continue to gain perspective from parents, teachers, and administrative staff to best serve the needs of our students, now and in the future.
Jordan Fontenello
Candidate for Fillmore Central School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I grew up and attended school in various communities in southeast Minnesota, graduating from Spring Valley in 1990. I served in the Minnesota and Michigan National Guard. I have lived in Preston and Greenleafton since 2000. I’ve been a clerk for the post office for five years; previously employed by Walmart for 21 years, and eightyears as an X-ray technician. I attended college at RCTC and Winona State. My son was initially home-schooled, but spent his last two years of high school at Fillmore Central. This has provided me with an uncommon but advantageous perspective on K-12 education.
2. Why are you running for office?
The Board’s role is to: Approve budgets, set policy, manage leadership, represent the community, and ensure accountability. Because the Board’s actions have far-reaching influence, its dominant task becomes ensuring the District has all necessary funding to acquire the staff, resources, and supplies to achieve one overarching goal: Education of students in a manner that will enable them to graduate with the ability to use the knowledge they’ve accumulated to successfully accomplish any challenges directed at them. I will help guide the Board into accomplishing this, and toward realizing other duties are subordinate to having enough resources to fulfill our mandate.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
To instill within the Board, the staff, and the students the understanding that knowledge is power, and having a broad education is paramount in being able to successfully navigate and succeed in life. This begins with K-12 scholarship, which is not about rote memorization of a haphazard collection of facts, dates, and names; its primary importance is in demonstrating to students that learning how to obtain knowledge via critical thinking skills, logic, and reason is a fundamental skill that will allow a person to be dropped into any situation and find the information necessary to achieve their desired objective.
Jennifer Pickett
Candidate for Fillmore Central School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I grew up on a farm outside of Harmony and am a 1996 graduate of Fillmore Central. My husband Colin is also an FC alumnus, and we live outside of Preston. We have four children — two have graduated from Fillmore Central and two are currently enrolled. I work for Mayo Clinic as a research auditor for the Cancer Center. Outside of work, I serve as a church council member at Christ Lutheran, have been involved with our local youth as the Preston Pool Manager for the past five years, and spend time judging at county and state fairs.
2. Why are you running for office?
I am running for re-election because I care deeply about the students and staff at Fillmore Central and want to continue supporting their success. I am proud of the work our staff does every day to provide meaningful opportunities for our students. My “why” is simple: to help provide the best possible education for our students while supporting everyone who helps them along the way — teachers, paras, cooks, custodians, coaches, business managers, and administrators. I want to continue working to expand opportunities for our students while maintaining a balanced budget.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
I want to make sure Fillmore Central is being fiscally responsible, to continue to provide the best education for our students and support our staff. I want to continue to see our vision, mission, core values, and strategic plans carried out whether through big or small items.
Aaron Scheevel
Candidate for Fillmore Central School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Aaron Scheevel. I grew up southwest of Preston and graduated from Fillmore Central High School in 1997. My wife Emily and I have three children in the Fillmore Central School District. Our family business, Scheevel and Sons Inc., has been doing construction work in southeast Minnesota and surrounding areas for over 30 years. I am a member of the Sons of the American Legion of Preston. I am a volunteer coach for youth basketball at Fillmore Central and a volunteer coach for youth fast pitch softball in Preston.
2. Why are you running for office?
Being a parent of three kids in the school district, I would like to help make decisions that would have a positive impact on our students. Also, I think my perspective as a small business owner can help with financial issues our school faces due to having two facilities in two different towns.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
My goal is to help make policy changes that will benefit students, teachers, and employees that are a part of Fillmore Central. I also want to advocate for a higher education standard for the students and help support our children, school, and community.
Sue Sikkink
Candidate for Fillmore Central School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
Hello, my name is Sue Sikkink, and I am a current member of our Fillmore Central School Community. I have proudly served on the Fillmore Central School Board for 27 years. Our own children, grandchildren, and many honorary grandchildren have, or currently do attend Fillmore Central. My position at First Southeast Bank in Harmony for the last 35 years has given me the opportunity to hone my finance skills and continuously interact with the parents and children I serve as a school board member.
2. Why are you running for office?
While we have done great work keeping Fillmore Central a sustainable rural school district, there is always room for improvement. I will continue to use my skills and years of experience to provide a safe learning environment, while also remaining forward-thinking and embracing changing technologies for our students. I also pride myself on my ability to communicate with other board members and look for common ground among us that will benefit both students and staff.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
As mentioned, technology is changing the learning landscape and is always evolving. I will ensure our students and teachers have the resources and support they need to excel today and every opportunity to succeed in the future.
Thank you to the wonderful parents, staff, students and administration for trusting me to be a part of the Fillmore Central School leadership team. I am looking forward to another term!
Sara Laufenberg
Candidate for Houston School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Sara Laufenberg. Deeply rooted in Houston County, I grew up in Hokah, graduated from La Crescent High School in 2004, and have called Houston home for the past 15 years. My husband Mike and I live on a farm outside of town with our two daughters, ages 7 and 8, both of whom attend Houston Elementary School. Education is both my profession and my passion. I served for five years as a paraprofessional at Houston Elementary and am now in my 14th year as a special education teacher for Winona Area Public Schools.
2. Why are you running for office?
I am running for Houston School Board to bring a balanced, practical perspective to our district’s leadership. Having spent my entire adult life working in education, serving on the school board feels like a natural progression of my commitment to our schools. As an educator, a parent, and a long-time community member, I bring a number of perspectives. I approach challenges with an open mind, a quick learning curve, and a realistic, common-sense mindset. I truly believe my unique background and genuine passion for student success will make me an effective and thoughtful asset to the Houston School Board.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
If elected, my goal is simple: to set a positive, constructive example for our community while putting our students, staff, and families first. Rather than coming in with rigid, multi-step agendas, I promise to bring a practical mindset to every board decision. I will prioritize the physical and emotional safety of our schools, ensure our hard-working staff feel respected and supported, and foster clear accountability across our district to maintain the trust of our community.
Valerie Traun
Candidate for Houston School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I was born and raised right here in Houston, Minnesota, graduating from Houston High School in 1994. Houston isn’t just where I grew up, it’s where my roots are. Most of my family still lives in town, and my own children proudly graduated from Houston as well. I’m proud to call Houston home, and I care deeply about the future of our community and our school.
I work as a nurse at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, where I’ve spent my career advocating for people, solving problems, and making thoughtful, informed decisions.
2. Why are you running for office?
I’m running for the Houston School Board because I want to ensure that our community continues to have a strong, stable school for generations to come. That means keeping a close eye on finances, making sure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly, and ensuring that our classrooms stay focused on education, not ideology.
My goal is to support a school environment where students learn the fundamentals, teachers feel supported, and families trust the direction of the district.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
If elected, my priorities will be straightforward and student‑centered:
• Responsible financial stewardship – ensuring funds are used wisely and transparently.
• Supporting teachers – prioritizing resources that directly impact students and the classroom.
• Right‑sized administration – keeping the focus on education rather than expanding bureaucracy.
I want Houston Schools to remain strong, sustainable, and grounded in the values our community shares.
Nicole Johnson
Candidate for Houston School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Nicole (Nickki) Johnson. I grew up in the Winona area and moved to Houston when I married my husband Marc. Our daughter currently attends Houston Public Schools, and I’ve been involved with the district since she was young, starting as a participant together in ECFE. I love attending local sporting and fine arts events to cheer on and support the Hurricanes. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration – Computer Information Systems and a master’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance.
2. Why are you running for office?
My initial goal when running for the school board four years ago was to get involved in the district our daughter attends — to have a vested interest in the decisions being made and ensure they supported students’ educational needs. That reason still holds true today. With the recent hiring of our new superintendent, we’re turning a new page in the district. I’m hopeful I can bring greater visibility and transparency to the community around district operations, continue building partnerships, and strengthen our fiscal responsibility.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
I‘m focused on managing our budget as carefully as I would my own money — ensuring every dollar supports students’ success while preparing them for their futures and the communities they’ll help build. I want our onsite and MNVA schools to keep attracting students through smaller class sizes and career-focused courses like EMT, CNA, heavy machine operations, and agriculture. I’ll continue building transparency to encourage ongoing involvement in district issues and decisions, and to celebrate our successes. I’m committed to advocating for students, teachers, staff, and community by asking questions that ensure we understand every decision’s impact.
Darci Gerard
Candidate for Spring Grove School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
My name is Darci Gerard, and my signifcant other Steve and I live outside Spring Grove on our dairy farm, Gerard Dairy. We became owners in July 2025 and currently milk around 250 cows. Family is at the heart of everything we do. I am a mother of five and stepmother to one. My first two children completed their education through Spring Grove Public Schools. Most of our time is spent on the farm with our kids, teaching them important life skills, responsibility, hard work, and the value of agriculture. We are proud to raise our family while building our farm.
2. Why are you running for office?
As a parent and farmer, I understand the importance of responsibility, hard work, communication, and preparing our children for life beyond graduation. With three of my children attending school in the district, I have a personal connection to our schools and a strong interest in their success. I want to help ensure our schools provide a safe, supportive, and successful learning environment where every student can thrive. I believe in listening to parents, teachers, students, and our community. Together, we can make decisions that put students first and strengthen our school district for future generations while supporting families and educators.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
If I get elected, I want to help make sure our school is a good place for kids to learn, grow, and feel supported. I want to stay involved, connected with our community, and help make sure our school continues to be a place where kids feel comfortable and excited to learn. I also want our kids to have opportunities to learn and prepare for their future, including agriculture and other careers. Most importantly, I want to help make decisions that are best for our kids, families, and community while helping keep our school moving forward in a positive direction.
Laura Kubes
Candidate for Spring Grove School Board
1. Tell us about yourself.
I’m a mom of three girls in Spring Grove Elementary and Middle School. My husband and I, with our girls, live in Spring Grove Township where we also run Hidden Springs Peony Farm. I also host a gardening segment that airs on a Twin Cities television station. We moved to the district in 2023 from the Twin Cities and have loved every minute of it. We have all made fabulous friendships and a welcoming community.
2. Why are you running for office?
I’m running for office because I feel parents should be involved in the school environment. I’m hoping my perspective will be constructive to making Spring Grove School the best it can be.
3. What do you hope to accomplish if you get elected?
If elected I hope to encourage dialog and discussion on the board level that keeps the futures of our students top of mind. I believe we should have high expectations for our students as they should have for themselves. I’d love to have conversations with parents and students about what is working well and what could be improved from their point of view.
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