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.

  • Learn where candidates running for office in your community stand on the issues.
  • Build your ballot before voting. Print or email the information to use as a reference when you actually vote.

We do not save your information; it will be lost when you leave this page. Only candidates that appear on your ballot will be listed. Additional information may be available for your area so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for other voters’ guides.

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Voter Guide

ISD #531 School Board Member {_getChooseLabel(this.selections.length)}

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-board

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.

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    Britton Avant
    (NP)

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    Kelli J. Crary
    (NP)

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    James-Duke D. Dieterle
    (NP)

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    Alisha Eiken
    (NP)

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    Lisa Jessen
    (NP)

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    Nadia Poluhina
    (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 am a Mom, nurse, and fierce advocate for children. My agenda is simple: I want all kids to have the best public education possible. My volunteer work includes: organizing a community food drive during COVID, providing gun safety training to parents, caregivers, and healthcare workers, and advocating for gun violence prevention. I am a member of the Byron Public Schools Community Advisory Committee. I care deeply about our teachers, school staff, community, and most importantly, our kids. Our district leaders must regain the community’s trust, and that starts with adequate financial oversight, transparency, and accountability. Our schools are the heartbeat of Byron, and I know we can continue to have an exemplary district.
1. Financial stability: This needs to be our #1 goal, and I am ready to get to work. 2. Students: I will use my voice to advocate for ALL students. I will prioritize academic achievement while balancing student well-being. 3. Training: I will pour myself into becoming the best school board member I can be. This will include completing Minnesota School Board Association trainings, seeking mentorship from past school board members, and benchmarking with neighboring school districts.
If forced to make budget cuts, I would prioritize maintaining academic programming, essential services, and student support programs. I would consult with educators, parents, caregivers, and community members and work to make decisions thoughtfully, transparently, and equitably.
Addressing racial and economic disparities is an ongoing process of reflecting, learning, and adapting. I would advocate for district policies that specifically target disparities in areas like: school discipline, special education, staffing, and chronic absenteeism. I would support diverse school board candidates by creating more paths to entry such as community advisory committees. And, I would advocate for state legislation and state funding to combat disparities.
An imperative step in rebuilding trust is strengthening relationships with our community. Our educators already excel at maintaining strong relationships with students’ families, and they have provided us with an excellent starting point. I would like to increase opportunities where all community members feel comfortable sharing their perspectives. Examples include refining school board listening sessions, holding forums at community-centered locations, and expanding community advisory groups.
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You should vote for me to join the Board because of my Finance background: MS and MBA majoring in Finance, over 15 years of experience, including for-profit board roles. Every School Board needs people who deeply understand financial accountability and are able to ask challenging questions about fiscal performance of the organization. My skillset would help me advocate for transparency and accountability to the District's stakeholders, and develop long-term fiscal strategies that prioritize quality of education while maintaining fiscal responsibility. I also have two kids in the District and one more soon to join, so I am deeply invested in making Byron Schools the best experience for them and for all of our kids.
As of right now I have only one priority: ensuring financial stability of our School District. Financial stability is vital for providing consistent high-quality education for our students, retaining qualified staff, and investing in student services and extracurriculars. It is also vital for the entire Byron community as we want to maintain our "destination" status and attract more home buyers. When our finances are under control, opening a kids' tennis team is on my wish list.

If forced to make budget cuts, my strategy would be to prioritize core instructional programs and student services. I would start with a thorough evaluation of all expenses to identify non-essentials and opportunities for efficiencies. I would also explore alternative funding sources and re-negotiations of existing contracts (i.e. health insurance). I will bring stakeholders - families, teachers, staff - to the table to ensure transparency and collaboration.
I believe Byron School District is already doing a good job addressing racial and economic disparities through its open enrollement. To further lessen these disparities I would prioritize culturally responsible teaching and anti-bias training for staff, advocate for diverse hiring practices and inclusive curricula.
To engage teachers and families in my decision-making process I will: 1) create a Finance/Budget committee to include two members of the Board, Finance Director and two representatives of the community (a teacher and a parent); 2) create an easily accessible page to publish Quarterly Fin. Statements, Audits, Budget Reconciliations, and Forecasted Financials to ensure transparency and accountability; 3) establish open communication channels for community to voice their concerns and share ideas.
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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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