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.

We do not save your information; it will be lost when you leave this page. Only candidates that appear on your ballot will be listed. Additional information may be available for your area so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page for other voters’ guides.

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Voter Guide

ISD #716 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-boardIf your candidate didn’t fill in the guide below, visit the Secretary of State’s Candidate Filing site to find contact info (https://candidates.sos.mn.gov/). If you reach out, ask candidates to complete their Vote411 Voters Guide from LWVMN!

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

    Genise Aretz
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Josh Edel
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Eric Johnson
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Christopher Potter
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Tonya Smith
    (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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Facebook (Full URL) http://www.facebook.com/genise.aretz
Campaign Email garetz1004@yahoo.com
Belle Plaine is more than just where I live—it's the community my family and I have proudly called home for more than two decades. Through my leadership with the Chamber, my volunteer service, and my involvement in local organizations, I have worked to strengthen our community and support its future. As a school board member, I will bring thoughtful leadership, fiscal responsibility, and a collaborative approach to every decision. I believe in listening to families, supporting our educators, and ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed. Together, we can continue building a school district that our students, staff, and community are proud to call their own.
Top 3 Priorities: Support a strong, well rounded curriculum that prepares students for the future. Keep Students at the center of every decision while promoting a safe environment. Support and respect the outstanding teachers and staff that make our school successful.
My business background has taught me that responsible budgeting isn't just about cutting expenses—it is about establishing priorities and making the best use of the resources available. If cuts became unavoidable, I would ask 3 questions before making a decision: How will this affect our students? and staff? And how will it affect the quality of education we provide? My first priority would be protecting the quality of education our students while minimizing the impact on staff.
I believe every student in Belle Plaine deserves access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their race, personal circumstances. I would look closely at student achievement, attendance, graduation rates, participation in advanced courses, activities, and other measurable outcomes to identify where disparities exist. I would then focus on removing barriers that may prevent students from succeeding and use resources to make every opportunity a reality.
I believe the best decisions are made when we listen to the people who are directly affected by them - both teachers and families. Transparency is most important. People may not always agree with a board decision, but they deserve to understand how and why that decision was made. My experience working with businesses, organizations, and community members has taught me the importance of bringing people together, listening to different perspectives, and finding common ground.
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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.