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 #484 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

    Kayla Jensen
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Kaitlin Pohland
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    David Stumpf
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Ashley Toops
    (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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Contact Phone 3204202482
Campaign Email kaylakieffer11@gmail.com
I was born and raised (about 15 miles from) near Pierz and am a graduate of Pierz. I am a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Pierz. My family and I have made our permanent home in Pierz for the past 12 years and have roots here; we tried living in an apartment in Sauk Rapids several years ago but knew it wasn’t right for us and moved back to Pierz within 9 months. I want to be a part of ensuring our children receive the best education possible that also prepares them for success as an adult. My personal values of integrity, accountability, collaboration and a strong work ethic help to make me the best candidate for school board.
One priority will be addressing the student behavior issues in school at all levels. Our children are there to learn and misbehavior should not affect that. Another priority will be keeping politics out of the classrooms other than American and World History curriculum and education on our government processes. A third priority will be maintaining our school district as a top academic school in the state and also, recently, the nation.
I would recommend reviewing all sources of expenses to determine if there is anything that can be cut or minimized from all or several areas and not just one specific area. I would also recommend looking at our schools’ finances, services and programs to see if there are any opportunities available that can help to increase revenue. I would also recommend avoiding proposing a levy, if at all possible, to not require more money from our taxpayers in supporting the school.
I would ensure that all students are treated with respect and equality to ensure success in academic achievement. I would also ensure that processes are in place to prevent or address disparities if they do come up. I know that the school district does currently have several practices and programs in place to help address any economic disparities and we should continue to support these practices and programs as any disparity can prevent our children from obtaining the best education possible.
Communication, collaboration and transparency are key! I would encourage parents and community members to come to a school board meeting and attend the monthly meetings regularly, if possible. In any organization, it is difficult to do something to address concerns/issues and make changes if those in a leadership position don’t know about the concern or problem. I would also propose more visibility of the school board members in our classrooms and at various school functions/events.
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Contact Phone 3204686527
Campaign Email davidstumpf484@gmail.com
I was born and raised in Pierz. I work in Pierz. I attend St Joseph's Church in the Fr Francis Xavier Pierz Area Catholic Community. I have been a part of this community for a long time now. I have roots here and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. I want what is best for not only my children but all kids and young adults who attend school in Pierz. I want all the faculty to be proud of where they work. When the seniors graduate, I want them to think so highly of our schools that they wish to return after college and settle down in Pierz. I feel my values of a strong work ethic, honesty, and accountability for everyone at our school make me the best candidate for the school board.
My first priority will be to hold kids and parents accountable for misbehavior in school. We can no longer allow the same students to disrupt class repeatedly without their behavior changing for the better. My second priority will be to keep the girls in the girls' restroom and locker room and the boys in the boys' restroom and locker room. There should be no exceptions to this rule. My third priority will be to continue to keep I.S.D. 484 as one of the top academic schools in the state.
If cutting the budget was needed, I would first look to see if there are any ways to increase revenue through either expanding our services through our busing service that we own or checking to see if we are maximizing our class sizes through open enrollment. If we have the room and we don't have to ask our taxpayers for any more money through an operating levy I feel these would be viable options. Looking at renewable energy options would also be on the table to reduce our day-to-day costs.
Every child attending class at our school needs to be treated equally so they can make the most out of their life. I firmly believe racial and economic disparities should not affect the education any student receives. The great thing with Pierz is we have all seen time and time again that when a family is going through a difficult time the community raises them up and helps the family get through it. It is one of the best qualities of our community!
Communication, communication, communication! I cannot do anything a teacher or a family wants done without first knowing what that is. As stated in a previous question, I am around the community every day. I am an easy person to get in contact with. I am always willing to listen to anyone's concerns and hopefully together we can achieve an outcome that will benefit the school as well as the community.
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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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