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.
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Voter Guide

ISD #700 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.

  • Candidate picture

    Eric Griffith
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    David Lokke
    (NP)

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    Ashley McFarland
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Jodi McShane
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Russ Salgy
    (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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Campaign Email davidlokke700@gmail.com
I'm a candidate who would champion initiatives that create the best educational environment for our students and staff. While that certainly means students getting a first-rate education, it also means providing them with various extracurricular programs that help provide a well-rounded experience.

I believe the best way to pursue this, as budget and other challenges, arise is to work together as a board and as a community with full transparency.

Teamwork is crucial to overcoming all challenges and moving forward in a way that best benefits Hermantown Schools and I have the desire and ability to weigh all sides of an issue.
1. We are only as good as our teachers and staff and we must continue to put their best interests at the forefront of our plans and decisions as best we can as we chart our path forward.

2. As the Hermantown population continues to grow, we must address the elementary school as it cannot handle the growth rate.

3. School safety is crucial and we must continue to make sure best practices are followed to protect our kids and look for new programs and tech that can increase safety measures.

Budget cuts can't be taken lightly. Walden University shared that a 10% budget cut can have a similar effect on test scores as replacing all teachers with those in the bottom 10% of candidates.

First, I would explore our current spending to see if there are ways we could be more efficient and lower our current costs.

Similar to the 50-30-20 rule, we must itemize our absolute needs versus wants. We must also keep in mind that when it comes to students, needs includes support on many levels.
A healthy school is safe and clean, where all students have access to nutritious meals and physical activity programs and equipment.

We must also connect students and families with mental health and social services, and offer tutoring and summer school programs as needed to ensure all students can succeed.

I would make sure our structure remains in place so that no student is marginalized and all students feel welcome and are truly seen and heard.
I believe the best ideas come from outside the board as we have an amazing staff and community. It's really as easy as communication and transparency.

I would reach out to teachers and families and ask for input and ideas as issues or questions arise.

Then, and this is key, really listen to what they have to say and take that into account in the decision-making process.
Contact Phone 2082150407
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/Ashley4HermantownSB
Campaign Email ashleymcfarland@hotmail.com
Our family lived in Iowa, Idaho, and Michigan before settling in Minnesota 6 years ago, choosing Hermantown for the excellent schools. I have worked in higher education, and currently serve as a national nonprofit executive. My accumulated professional experience in scientific research, community education and outreach, administration, budgeting, and advocacy provided me with a critical approach to decision-making that served me well during my first term. The experience I have gained and relationships I have built while serving on the board are invaluable, especially as we look to the future of the Hermantown District. I am passionate about public education and the pursuit of a robust educational experience for my two children is my WHY.
Expansion of Career Technical Education. Schools should provide diverse and purposeful opportunities for students to explore pathways that prepare them for the workforce. Smart growth in the District meeting the evolving needs of modern education ensuring our schools are a reflection of the needs of our community. I want to retain the excellent educators we have and ensure they feel supported and challenged. We need to strengthen relationships in the District to build trust and accountability.
One of the most important roles of a school board member is the management of funds entrusted to us by the community. I believe investment in public education is extremely important and should not be compromised. However, there must be accountability that not only are funds being invested appropriately, but that there are expectations for performance and processes in place to show a return on investment through student achievement. We need to think creatively about education investment.
I believe we have the appropriate processes in place within the District to ensure needs are being met of all students. If at any time this comes into question, I commit to taking swift action to ensure services are being audited, with adjustments made if necessary.
I strongly encourage educators and citizens to reach out directly to their school board members to engage in civil dialogue around their concerns. You only see a fraction of an issue come to light at a meeting. When District personnel or community members of our District have reached out to me over the past four years, I have done my best to communicate with them in a timely manner and explain to them the facts and approach I used to make critical decisions for our schools.
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Powered by League of Women Voters Education Fund

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.