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 #31 School Board Member at Large {_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

    Jack Aakhus
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Todd Haugen
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Nicole Jaranson
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Carol L. Johnson
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Julie Laitala
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Ann Long Voelkner
    (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 Website http://www.facebook.com/jackforbemidjischools
Contact Phone 2182091865
Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/jackforbemidjischools
Campaign Email jackforbemidjischools@gmail.com
My training and experience in education separate me from the other candidates. I hold bachelor's and master's degrees in education and spent nearly a decade working with children in the classroom and other settings, such as counseling and coaching. I have worked with many stakeholders in public education - students, parents, administrators, coaches, and other staff. I have also sat on committees that are highly relevant to this position, including curriculum development, educational technology, implementation of state standards, textbook review, bullying, and more. I believe we need Board members who have spent time in these types of capacities, which provide insight that is difficult to gain without them.
Academic achievement, safety/discipline, and parental involvement. Our public schools belong to everyone. Academic opportunity and achievement are things we can all agree on and that benefit us all. Politics and other personal beliefs/opinions should be taught at home. Students cannot learn, nor teachers teach, without a safe, orderly learning environment. Experience has shown me that parental involvement is the KEY factor in student success. Parent-teacher partnership is essential.
A deep-dive look at the budget is needed - line by line. I will use my training and experience to prioritize those things that best promote academic achievement, safety/discipline, and parental involvement. I believe in keeping staff and minimizing class-size. Some specific areas I want to look at include textbook and curriculum selection and budget, technology selection and budget, and ways to maximize transportation efficiency.
I believe in equal treatment for all students. Students should not have their differences emphasized, nor be taught that their immutable characteristics define their future more than their character, work ethic, and values.
With an open door and an open mind. I believe that being a local (raised in Bemidji) parent of 3 school-age kids, as well as a former teacher, gives me a unique perspective that bridges the gap which often exists between parents and teachers. I can understand both perspectives and can offer solutions and guidance to benefit those who we care about the most - our children.
I have served on the Bemidji School Board previously, being appointed to it in 2022. I have 36 years of management experience, and I have known all of the board members and superintendents for over 40 years. I love kids, and I believe in public education as it's done in the Bemidji School District. My wife and I have one daughter who graduated from BHS in 2022, and our youngest daughter is a sophomore at BHS right now. I have a stake in the operation of this district, and we have been so impressed with it in the over 15 years that our daughters have been attending Bemidji public schools. Being retired from my broadcasting career, I have the time to be a fully engaged board member.
1. Rebuilding our enrollment to pre-pandemic levels. If we can attract families with school age kids back to our district we can fix our budget issues without a tax increase. 2. Expanding our pre-school program. This would be good for kids and fanilies, and good for our district. 3. Continuing to improve the safety and security of our schools. Not only from those from the outside, but also from those within by having more anti-bullying rules.
We must not waste the taxpayer's money. If there is waste in district operations, it must be found and stopped. We must be willing to restructure our administration to save money if it will work for our students. This will require careful analysis. Depending on how bad these hypothetical 'declining revenues' were, we might have to consider if we need to keep all of our schools open. Asking voters to approve a larger operating levy should be a last resort. We need to operate within our means.
Racism is still with us, though it is nowhere near as ubiquitous as it once was. It's often more subtle now, which is in some ways more concerning than ever. The Bemidji School District does a good job in addressing this issue, but we must be ever vigilant and willing to consider new strategies to try to stop it. Economic disparity in our district is as bad as ever, with dozens of homeless kids attending our schools, and kids who get their only meals at school. We must continue to care for them.
I engage people by listening to them, and respecting them. And realizing that I might learn from them if I do those things right. Teachers and families know the kids better than I can ever hope to. But the board member has a duty to taxpayers, too, and no one is well served if a district is operating in the red. I would be an engaged board member, attending events and responding to those that reach out to me. I interacted with thousands of local people in my broadcasting career.
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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.

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