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.

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Voter Guide

ISD #712 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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    Charles Bainter
    (NP)

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    Karisa Johnson
    (NP)

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    Lisa Kvas
    (NP)

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    Ann Marie Lubovich
    (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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As a retired public school teacher, I know firsthand the effects of policies set by a school board on both staff and students. I believe my experience can offer a diverse viewpoint and needed voice in the discussions of how to provide the best quality education for the young people of our district. I have received a Master's Degree in Music Education and a law degree, and I feel this training has prepared me to participate in the tough conversations that arise when making decisions about our schools.
Continuing to provide programs while balancing the budget is always a top concern. Maintaining a steady or even increasing student enrollment to ensure adequate funding is vital. I would also be interested in discussions with surrounding districts on possible ways to collaborate to give opportunities to our students that we may not be able to afford by ourselves.
Any budget cuts in any department have an effect on our students. I would ask if there are any programs or services that our staff feels we no longer need or could be provided more efficiently in another manner. We already share administrative services and have cooperative agreements with other districts regarding student athletics, so I would look for other ways we could save money by developing these types of arrangements.
I would work to assure that academic programs such as Title 1 are fully funded. I would seek additional funding sources through our local legislators and entities such as the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation to expand on other services to give students the academic support they need to be successful. I also believe providing physical and mental health services could be positive methods to reduce disparities.
Teachers, students, and parents are the primary constituents of a school board. Keeping the lines of communication open between these groups is essential. I would support reinstating a student representative on the board to provide a voice for our student body. I would encourage our meeting agendas to include time for members of our parent groups and our teachers' union to speak to the board regarding any questions or concerns.
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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.

VOTE411 is brought to you by the League of Women Voters Education Fund and League of Women Voters of Minnesota Education Fund. The League of Women Voters does not support or oppose any political party or candidate for office.