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 #811 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

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    Riley J Costello
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Kent S Jeffery
    (NP)

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    Gene Jensen
    (NP)

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    Michelle Meyer
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Jamie Olcott
    (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 kentjeffery@wkfalcons.org
Since being elected to the ISD #811 school board, I have been afforded many opportunities to help shape the direction of Wabasha-Kellogg public schools. Initially, I joined in the heat of the Covid 19 pandemic, which truly was unchartered territory for us all. With my background as a physician, I was able to provide a perspective and expertise to help Wabasha become one of the fisrt schools in the state to welcome students SAFELY back into the classroom. As a small business owner, I also am able to bring financial acumen to bear, for as we know, financial oversight is a key function of the board. And lastly, as a parent of two children who attended WK schools for 13 years, I have an unencumbered, but genuine, interest in its success.
My priorities are several. Foremost, we should seek to foster students to be successful in life, not simply in the classroom. To accomplish this, we need to create a learning environment that is modern and engaging, which we shall achieve via the remodel presently underway. We also must maintain an environment that is safe and welcoming, which the administration I helped to put in place is presently pursuing. And finally, we need to maintain fiscal integrity by rebuilding our fund balance.
As a member of the Finance Committee, and being on the Negotiations Committees for Teachers and Administration as well, I am well versed in the challenges of a balanced budget. My strategy has been, and will remain, simple - transparancy. Salary and benefits is the single largest budget item in the school by far. By actively engaging our most valued resource, the people of ISD #811, in the financial decision making process, we will successfully navigate the shared outcome landscape together.
While certainly not unique, the Wabasha Kellogg school is highly diverse economically, and to a large extent, racially as well. The Covid 19 challenges truly brought this to the forefront. Since then, we have, with the state's help, worked to address disparaties through reallocation of funding (for example, of technology) and by providing resources for those less fortunate (for instance, breakfast and lunch meals for all students). We will continue to make sure that we focus on equity at WK.
Whether through my work on the school board, as a varsity football coach, as a Wabasha Kellogg Scholarship Foundation board member, or simply as a member of the greater community, I try to be visible and available (to the best of this introvert's abilities, anyhow!) Most people I suspect know me around town, and I hope they understand - as I do - I am here as an ISD #811 board member to be THEIR voice at WK. My own voice, opinions and efforts are truly secondary to those of the people I serve.
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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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