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.

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Voter Guide

ISD #13 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!Watch a candidate forum for this race recorded on October 1, 2026.

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

    Cristin Craig
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Adam Davis
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Jessica Medearis
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Laura Jean Palmer
    (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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I am the best candidate for this position because I truly understand the system of education. As a lifelong educator who started as a paraprofessional, became a licensed special education teacher and then a licensed school administrator and has worked as a district leader, I have the understanding of what is feasible for a school district to accomplish and can weigh decisions from multiple perspectives. This would also not be my first time serving on a school board in Minnesota. As a teacher, I served on the school board of the charter school I worked at. While the budget was smaller and the board make-up was different, the role of the board was the same: governance.
My first priority is literacy because all students deserve to know how to read and it is our primary role as educators. My second priority is school funding because public schools are underfunded, especially for the increased demands that are put on schools. Finally, belonging is a priority. I believe that all students, families, and staff deserve to feel welcomed and affirmed in Columbia Heights Public Schools.
Should budget cuts continue in CHPS it would be my strategy to ensure that the strategic plan be the lens through which we determine what may need to be cut. If a program or position is not in service of ensuring that all belong, all succeed, or creating worlds of opportunity together, it may no longer be needed. Then, using an equity audit for proposed cuts will allow the district and board to understand who will be most impacted by cuts.
As a board member, my influence is in policy, finance, and engagement of the CHPS community. I would ensure that CHPS policies are equitable and challenge district staff to ensure that in practices they remain equitable. I would ensure that finances are being put in high needs areas. And, I would engage with students, staff and families to problem solve together on how to address these disparities.
As part of CHPS strategic plan, two way communication with teachers, family and community are at the core. Building relationships with all partners is essential to hear their perspectives. Whether it be listening sessions, surveys or focus groups, getting community voice is essential to making the decisions that are best for everyone.
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As a Board member, I’ve worked to strengthen relationships with teachers, staff, students, and the community, advocate at the state level to fully-fund our public schools, and develop policy and priorities in alignment with our strategic plan. I’ve spent my entire professional life in public higher education and started my career as an education organizer and advocate at the state legislature, experiences that help me fight for the needs of our district. I’m also a licensed attorney, giving me a unique perspective on policy development and compliance. Additionally, I’m an active parent of three kids enrolled in CHPS schools and my spouse is a teacher – I see first-hand the great things our district is doing and the challenges we face.
Advocating for fully-funding public schools is my top priority. Inequitable funding widens existing disparities between districts and hurts students and our broader communities. Secondly, advancing student success - every student should have opportunities to help them reach their full potential, including academic achievement and inclusive and safe schools where every student feels they belong. Communication and engagement are also priorities, to ensure the community understands how decisions ar
Financial challenges in our district requires a multi-pronged approach: advocating at the state and federal level to fully-fund public schools, asking our community to support our schools through our operating levy, responsibly reallocating funds as student needs change, and making cuts as far away from direct student impact as possible. When cuts are necessary, the Board needs to hear from those potentially impacted – families, students, and staff – to hear their priorities and ideas before mak
I believe schools should be places of representation and belonging for all students. This starts with inclusive and equitable policies, and extends to adopting curriculum and selecting texts that reflect our student population, recruiting and retaining diverse staff, and expanding opportunities for family involvement in our schools. It also means addressing economic barriers that impact academic achievement and investing in academic interventions necessary to provide equitable education for all.
I seek out and raise questions, concerns, and ideas of those who may not be otherwise represented at the Board table. To be an effective representative on the board, it is vital that I am visible and accessible at school and community functions, and that I volunteer in our schools to stay apprised of important issues and emerging ideas. Before I vote at Board meetings, I try my best to understand all aspects of an issue and to learn about its impacts on different communities within the district.
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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.