Minnesota and North Dakota Voter's Guide

Forum Communications Co., in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Minnesota and of North Dakota, is providing this voter guide to help keep you informed ahead of the 2024 election.

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Voter Guide

ISD #206 School Board Member Position 1

School board members oversee the care, management, and control of schools. This includes hiring, firing, and overseeing superintendents, who manage the day-to-day affairs of the district. They also set levies to fund the district and create school policies.Learn more here: https://www.lwv.org/blog/voting-local-matters-why-vote-school-boardA candidate forum for this race is available here. More MN forums are available at https://www.lwvmn.org/2024-candidate-forums.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Tracy Capistrant
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Phil Sammon
    (NP)

Biographical Information

Why are you the best candidate for this position? (750 characters)

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (500 characters)

If forced to cut the budget in the face of declining revenues, what would be your strategy? (500 characters)

How would you address any racial and economic disparities in our education system? (500 characters)

Please describe how you will engage teachers and families in your decision making process. (500 characters)

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I never profess to know all the answers, but I know where to find them. From my research so far, I can confidently say our school systems lack a Foundational Educational basis upon which all curricula is built. Like other Districts nationwide, we need a return to those basic educational skills to provide students with the skills they will need that apply across the job and career spectrum of the future.

I bring proven skill sets from my 34-year career, with an unbiased and goal-oriented focus: Strategic long-range planning; strong leadership and team development skills; a diverse worldview; community relations experience; and interpersonal skills to lead, facilitate and direct group activities and efforts toward a resilient outcome.
LEARN and identify the current status of the District, targeting known and potential issues through direct, transparent focus groups, online surveys, and group discussions.

DEVELOP potential solutions through focused planning teams. Proposals will target identified issues with actionable, measurable, and transparent steps.

IMPLEMENT targeted policies, standards, or plans highlighting he issues, implications, and necessary changes. Key staff/faculty will be integral to making these changes.
BE WILLING to objectively examine every aspect of the District’s overall performance. This means critical reviews of all costs and benefits related to academic targets and accomplishments above all other functions, leading to academic excellence.

We must be COMMITTED to make the tough calls over cuts or reductions, without additional burdens to the community. The bottom-line goal must be to responsibly sustain foundational education in support of the District’s Mission and Vision.
To realize true equality and inclusivity, we must stop dividing students by race, ethnicity, etc. ALL students should be held to the same academic and behavioral standards of excellence, with parental involvement and accountability for their students’ academics and personal conduct. Remedial or special options based upon individual performance or behavior must be available, and include community, state or federal agencies to address known or observed economic or mental health issues.
As a member on several strategic planning teams, I am experienced and skilled in conducting issue-specific large-group forums, smaller focus groups, and one-on-one meetings. The most revealing format I have used is Appreciative Inquiry. This method focuses the participants’ concerns and issues toward positive, collective future solutions. I have conducted dozens of public information and community informational meetings on controversial and contentious issues with repeated success.
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The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and North Dakota crafted the questions sent to the candidates in the Spring of 2024. They reached out to candidates based on contact information in their public candidate filings. Candidates with email addresses were invited and reminded with emails. Candidates with only mailing addresses were sent a letter. Candidates with phone numbers received a phone call as well.

Candidate responses are published as they responded and have not been edited, except when responses were longer than the given character limit. In those cases, the responses are truncated.

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