Jake Omann
Sartell
This November, the Sartell-St. Stephen School District election will be pivotal not only for our school district, but also for the greater community as they are inextricably connected.
We have three incumbent board members with a defined political agenda, and there are three of six candidates running who share that same agenda. If just one of them wins a seat, this political agenda would control our six-member school board.
Minnesota statute requires school board elections be non-partisan because the mission of public education is to prepare students to be lifelong learners and informed citizens. This goes above and beyond partisan politics.
Our district has seen political agendas at play, such as voting against updating a 50+ year-old HVAC (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) system under the guise of “transparency.” The irony is the politically motivated board members claimed they voted it down due to transparency and impact to taxpayers. Now the HVAC “fix” is delayed as costs to taxpayers for the fix increase by more than $1 million! It is unjust for students AND taxpayers to bear the costs of partisan politics in our schools.
Candidates Michael Gruber and Michael Ringstad expressed this same political agenda regarding our district’s deteriorating performance and reputation. This is common rhetoric used by that politically motivated group. In fact, our district improved scores in all measured categories last year and is consistently in the top 25 in Minnesota.
For non-partisan representation, vote for Matt Moehrle, Tricia Meling and Chelsea Thielen.