Krista Laurich Durrwachter
Name: Krista Laurich Durrwachter
Age: 34
Family: Husband, Kurt. Children Eddie, first grade, PME; George, kindergarten PME; Lyla, age 2.
Employment: Currently a stay-at-home mom and adjunct instructor in the Paralegal Studies Program at the St. Cloud Community and Technical College.
1. Please share relevant background and experiences
I am an alumna of, and a parent in, the Sartell-St. Stephen Public School System. Additionally, I am a licensed attorney who practiced in the St. Cloud area for eight years before deciding to stay at home with my three young children. Through my work as an attorney and my involvement as a parent, I have been able to serve in various capacities on boards and committees. I currently serve on the board of directors of the Sartell-St. Stephen Education Foundation, the Pine Meadow Elementary PTO (as secretary) and the development board of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict. I formerly served on the board of directors of Independent Lifestyles Inc.; the planning committee of the Spring Fling (fundraiser for St. Benedict’s Senior Community); the District 748 Levy Committee and the Emerging Leaders Forum of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation.
2. What, in your opinion, is the major issue facing the school district?
The major issue facing our District is how to continue to pr
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3. How would you address that issue, if elected?
I would continue to work on being fiscally responsible with our dollars and find the best ways to allocate them to classroom experiences while continuing to foster partnerships with organizations (Sartell-St. Stephen Education Foundation, Booster Club, Music Association and more) that support our extra-curricular activities. I would also continue to seek out other opportunities to partner with organizations that help enhance our students’ learning experience.
4. If the school district is forced to make cuts, in which areas would you make the cuts?
District 748 had done an exceptional job at being fiscally responsible with its budget. That, coupled with the community support in the passage of the recent levy/bond, leads me to be hopeful we will not be looking at making cuts in the future. If the district were in a position to make cuts, I would look first to the areas that will not directly affect the learning experiences of our students.
5. What are the top strengths and the most serious weaknesses in the district?
Our biggest strength in the district is our teachers, administrators and staff. The quality of education they provide to our students is second to none. They are exceptional at their jobs and continue to do more than is required of them each and every year.
Our biggest weakness is the perceived lack of communication between our school board and the families of our district.
6. How do you feel about the introduction of advertising in school buildings by companies that give “perks” in exchange for those advertisements?
I do not have enough information to give an informed opinion about the introduction of advertisements in school buildings. Due to the recent passage of the levy/bond by our district, I would hope we do not need to look into such creative fundraising techniques.
