By Kirsten Zoellner
There are five candidates running for four seats on the Rushford-Peterson School Board November 8. Incumbents Valerie Howe, John Linder, and Julie Koop are all seeking reelection. Challengers for the seats are Curtis Fox and Bonnie Prinsen. Monday, October 24, R-P Schools hosted a Meet the Candidates Forum. Four of the five candidates were present to answer questions. Board Director Julie Koop was unable to attend and could not be reached for comment. Local businessman Glen Kopperud moderated the event. The candidates were allotted two minutes for response to a number of prepared questions, including their motivation for running, experience they bring, the biggest challenges to the district, early childhood education, bullying, discipline, and strengths of the district to ensure the district lives by its motto, “Always Our Best.”
Valerie Howe is currently employed as an accounting clerk for a non-profit corporation. While serving on the school board, Howe states that she has served on various committees including budget and finance, teacher negotiations, technology, safety, transportation, and staff development, as well as serving as a representative to Hiawatha Valley Education District. “I believe I’m a team player and I respect each person. Working, I’d be a team player to work towards our children’s education.” Howe also believes her professional work brings experience. “I know the finances of non-profit. School is non-profit, so I know how the money works and how it flows.”
Howe indicates her motivation to serve is to be part of the transition to the new school, to make sure it’s focused and run smoothly, and to be part of the process to select a new superintendent if Superintendent Ehler chooses not to renew his contract. “I’ve learned a lot. It’s like going back to school again. We just don’t realize the in and out of education; of running a school. It’s exciting to be part of our children’s education. They are our future leaders,” she says.
Howe echoed agreement for several of the challenges brought forth by the other candidates ,including transition to the new school, creating a checklist to ensure a smooth transition, and community involvement. “We need to be excited; get the whole community involved and be excited for the new school and for our kids.” Howe also noted that the challenge of seeking a new superintendent if current Superintendent Chuck Ehler chooses not to renew his contract after his current contract expires. “That would be big shoes to fill,” notes Howe. She also indicated that the drive to keep up with technology and special education are other challenges. “Mental illness is becoming a part of the issues in schools. We need to keep pushing forward and keep talking with legislation.”
John Linder is a retired lawyer and military officer, positions he believes bring experience to the table. “I’ve had lots of experience with budgets, supervising staff, dealing with contract negotiations, and the personnel issues that go with a large staff. One other thing, and this may be more important than anything, is I tend to be very patient. I’m very tolerant and when you’re on a board you have to accept other persons’ opinions and you have to respect their right to express that opinion and that can be very difficult. If you get frustrated with that, you can create some tension. You need to facilitate it so everyone has an opportunity to express what they feel is important and you need to come together as a group to justify the decisions you make.”
Linder’s motivation to serve is to be a part of the ongoing process with the new school. “We have an exciting project going on and it’s something the community should be very proud of. I want to be part of that transition. It’s going to be a great experience for our students and our community as a whole. We have a good administration and faculty. This is something we need to continue with. I want to be as much of a part of that as I can.”
As for challenges facing the district, Linder knows there are always a number of them. “What I see coming up as a challenge is the transition to the new school. It’s a big move,” he says. “We’re going to be closing two facilities and getting them ready for alternative use. More importantly, we’re getting a new school ready for use. One of the things we need to do is make sure this transition goes smoothly. I’d like to see is a committee established to make sure we have everything in place. Getting the community involved in that would be a very positive approach.”
Curtis Fox has recently served as in interim pastor and this is his first foray into school board service. He has a bachelor’s degree from Augsburg College and Master of Theology from Winona State. He served an internship in St. Cloud Minnesota, where he taught at the reformatory and served full-time in the church. “I had a very, very good experience teaching. They were really good guys who took a wrong turn or two.” Fox was also a youth pastor and a teaching assistant in the department of education and counseling at the University of Idaho while pursuing a doctorate degree. “I’ve had some real opportunities.”
Fox says he’s open to serve on the board. “I think I’ve got seniority here, but I’m not too rusty. I’m running not because I’m against the school or against what’s happened. I’m here to be a positive part of the community.”
“I read the local newspapers and from the letters to the editor, I’m quite aware of the difficult challenges that have faced the school board with the building program and new school,” says Fox. “I think one of the real challenges is to create good-will in the community if there is still any ill-will left.” Fox cited an extension of good-will could bring people together and be helpful for the community. “The spirit of sharing, tenderness, and forgiveness; not looking back so much as looking forward, putting our very best efforts into making our new school and district as good as it has been and hopefully will continue to be.”
Bonnie Flaig Prinsen is an instructor and division coordinator for the English/Communication Department at Rochester Community Technical College. This is her first time seeking a school board position. Prinsen notes her teaching background as a large part of her experience. She has been employed in the teaching field for more than 30 years. “Teaching is the ultimate management experience. Over and over again, you’re in charge of this group of people and you have to keep so many things in your mind at the same time. You always have to be thinking a few steps ahead and considering all kinds of variables. I am not ashamed to say I think teaching is a wonderful experience for learning how to manage and organize.” In addition to teaching, Prinsen has worked in radio advertising and marketing, part-time journalism, department chair at RCTC, and is in her second year as chair of the Rushford Community Foundation.
Prinsen states her motivation for seeking the board position is two-fold. “I believe in giving back to my community. Everyone should take a turn at giving to their community or serving their community in whatever way they can. My second reason is really that it is such an exciting time for this district. The big decision as to whether a new school was going to be built has been made and there’s a beautiful school building going up not too far from here.
“I think the big challenge now is what kind of district are we going to be. There’s an opportunity here, starting with a new building. It’s the opportunity to look at everything and start fresh. It’s such a great group of kids here and I’d like to be part of what the district is going to do for them.” Prinsen also says a challenge facing education in general is the rapid advance of technology. “New things come along and we sometimes jump in before we’ve really made the decision, ‘Is this the right thing?’ A challenge I see is being sure you’re using the right technology for the right reasons.”
The school board election is held Tuesday, November 8 as part of the general election.
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