The candidates for the three open seats on the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board are (in alphabetical order) Aaron Alexander, Michael Gruber, Tricia Meling (incumbent), Matthew Moehrle (incumbent), Michael Ringstad and Chelsea Thielen. Incumbent Jason Nies chose not to file for re-election. As of press time, Alexander had not responded.
(Editor’s note: The candidate stories are based on questionnaires given to the candidates.)
Gruber wants to re-establish public trust in schools
by Dennis Dalman
Michael Gruber decided to file for a seat on the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board because he said he thinks the district is on the wrong track, that decisions made by the board in recent years have alienated the public and its trust.
Gruber is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on the board.
As Sartell resident, he is a chaplain at the St. Cloud Veterans Administration Hospital and earned a degree in biblical and theological studies from Crown College, 2016, another degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2019, and a third degree from St. John’s School of Theology and Seminary once he completes his thesis this fall.
Gruber and wife Sarah (married 10 years) have three children – Roland, 7; Henry, 5; David, 6 months, and a family dog named Musket.
Gruber said since 2020, the schools in Sartell have lost 5 percent of their student population. He attributes that to two main causes: 1.) requiring Covid-pandemic masking into February 2022, very late to surrounding districts. 2.) The failed $80,000 equity audit approved by the school board in 2021 contract with a now-defunct Twin Cities non-profit organization.
“There is also a growing perception among a significant portion of families that classrooms are not ideologically or politically neutral,” he said. “I want to help reverse this perception and restore trust in our public institutions.”
Skills, experiences, talents that Gruber said would serve him well as a board member are the following: years dedicated to public service, active duty in the U.S. Army (4.5 years) as a paratrooper and forward observer (deployed twice to Afghanistan), five years as a VA chaplain; and chairmanship and service on many committees to help develop policies and procedures.
“I also have a sense of civic obligation to my country and my community,” he added. “I know government work can be slow and tedious but with the right intuition and leadership, things can get done if you stay on task.”
Gruber listed the biggest strengths of the school system: accessible and local; the administrators and educators who live right here, which promotes a close-knit neighborly feel within the schools through friendly social interactions among educators, students, parents and others.
“Our facilities are also beautiful!” he said.
What about weaknesses, things that could be improved?
“Our biggest weakness is a significant portion of the public has doubts about the political neutrality and social-cultural values promoted in public education, and families which harbor those doubts are opting to send their children to private institutions or home school.”
Gruber said, statewide, public-school enrollment has been declining for four years while home school and private schooling have had six consecutive years of growth.
“It is also notable that Holdingford, the district to our immediate west, and which is more rural and ‘traditional’ in character, has experienced almost no enrollment decline since 2020. My worry is this trend will continue so long as those doubts persist, which affects all of us as district residents, not just the parents of those who have kids in the district. During the 2016 $105.7-million-bond referendum and the 2019 $17-million levy, the district anticipated continuous enrollment growth as justification for passing both. This has not materialized, which means the board will likely have to make difficult financial decisions in the near future.”
Gruber was asked what he would like to accomplish as a board member.
“First,” he said, “develop policies which clarify the district’s expectation for political neutrality in classrooms. Second, support pushing any major expenditure to the voting public prior to board approval. Third, clarify district policy on controversial issues, such as curriculum opt-out policies, gender-pronoun use and parental-notification requirements.”
Meling: Support great teachers, staff for great schools
Tricia Meling, a member of the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board, filed for re-election because she wants to continue to serve the schools that were a “second home” to four of her five children.
“We moved to this area because of the reputation of the schools,” said Meling, who is a stay-at-home mom. “My husband’s service to our country inspired me to serve as well.”
Tricia and Shaun Meling are celebrating 17 years of marriage this year. Their five children are Nolan, a junior; Liam, a freshman; Grayson, a sixth grader; Emma, a third grader; and Asher, a first grader. The Melings have lived in Sartell for eight years.
Meling earned a degree in communications from the College of St. Benedict.
She listed the skills, experiences and talents that are helpful in being an effective board member: a good listener, seeking to understand a problem from multiple viewpoints, striving to be fiscally responsible, a respect for school staff and their knowledge/experiences, an ability to stay calm in tense situations, and enjoying hearing from parents and other stakeholders in the district.
“I put students first when making a decision, considering the positive effects and limiting the negative,” she said. “I do my best to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer money, trying to plan not only for today but with the future’s impact in mind as well.”
As a current board member, Meling has served in many roles: treasurer, vice chair and chair, and committees that include Communication & Technology, Finance, Policy, Finance & Personnel, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment, Equity in Education, Community Education Advisory, World’s Best Workforce, Career & Tech Education Advisory, and the Sartell Senior Connection. She has also completed multiple Minnesota School Board Association training sessions.
Meling noted the many strengths of the school district: topnotch staff, caring people in all schools, parents who give full support to kids.
“Research shows students learn best when they feel valued,” she said. “From the bus drivers/helpers who get them to and from school safely, the staff at our doorways greeting students in the morning, the food-service staff, the custodial staff, and the teachers/paras in classrooms.
“Our students have many adults to offer many opportunities to feel valued,” she said. “The academic success of our students is well above the state average. Our graduation rate is 98 percent per four-year cycle. We also have engaged parents who show up to support our kids in and out of classrooms.”
What about weaknesses or things that could be improved?
Meling said the board is dealing with the same issues the nation is dealing with – focusing time and energy on issues board members don’t agree on and saying and doing hateful things when people don’t agree.
“Now we can’t ignore issues in front of us, but if everyone could take a step back and remind ourselves that we want a safe and happy outcome, we would all be so much better off,” she said.
She continued:
“If we attempted to solve problems without thinking anyone was an enemy and truly listened to the problem, I really believe we could achieve many good things. I also believe we all need to be willing to be creative and come up with ideas or strategies to help solve the problems we identify.”
Meling was asked about things she would like to accomplish in the future.
“I don’t have specific goals for one area as I want to remain flexible and able to do the work that the system needs,” she said. “I want to continue to put the needs of students first while engaging with staff, parents and community members. I would like to support progress in implementing the HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) project at Riverview Intermediate School.
When asked to comment on any issue of her choice, Meling said this:
“I would like to see our district come together. I would like to see our many achievements celebrated and valued. I would like to see more respect given to opposing views. I would like to see our community supporting the greater good of all learners at any and all levels of learning. I would like to see parents engaging and supporting our staff fully aware of how knowledgeable and caring our staff is. I also want to see staff supporting parents knowing the parent-teacher relationship is very important because parents (or caregivers) are every child’s first teacher.”
Moehrle favors independent, non-partisan approach
After four years as a member of the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board, Matt Moehrle filed for re-election to help ensure decision-making by the board will be arrived at independently without non-partisan political interference.
Moehrle is one of six candidates vying for three open seats on the school board.
“I’m running an independent, non-partisan campaign that is not guided or financed by any special-interest organizations,” he said.
Moehrle, a Sartell resident for 17 years, is a part-time attorney. He and his wife have two children who have attended Sartell schools since kindergarten.
He earned a degree in civil engineering from Northwestern University, then went on to receive a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.
He decided to file for election in 2020 because he was seeking a way to serve his community in ways that best fit his skill set and interests and because he’d been an active volunteer with his children’s school activities.
Public trust, he said, is vital for residents in their school board and in the school system.
“School board members should not be motivated by specific past grievances but should instead be committed to help improve the district in all manner of issues,” Moehrle said. “Nor should board members commit prematurely to positions on certain issues that echo comments often heard in stump speeches by partisan politicians. Instead, I believe board members should gather fresh information from diverse, varied sources when the board faces an issue and only at that time commit to a final decision on how the issue should be resolved. That is how I’ve operated with my time on the board and how I plan to continue if re-elected.”
Moehrle listed his qualifications as board member: ability to remain focused on students’ best interests; a pragmatic non-partisan approach; viewing the job as a community-service role; ability to articulate specific issues for the board; a commitment to gathering information and analyzing possible solutions to make informed decisions; his honesty and integrity and the public trust he has gained as a result.
He also noted his school-board experiences: serving as board chair, vice chair, treasurer; a member of many committees with other leaders such as Sartell Senior Connection, Benton Stearns Education District, Minnesota High School League Region Committee, and for more see Moehrle’s campaign website at https://www.electmatt748.com/school-board-experience.
He described the district’s biggest strengths: outstanding students who excel in their own unique ways, a near 100 percent graduation rate; supportive families; and hard-working district employees in every category.
“They are dedicated to caring for and bettering the lives of all our kids on a daily basis and that is the reason our schools rank so high among the state’s school districts.”
Are there weaknesses?
There is always room for improvement, he said: continued efforts at how students learn (to improve test scores), the new K-12 reading curriculum; a need to amplify a program called Core Knowledge Language Art in elementary classrooms. Last year, its roll-out resulted in great success, he noted.
Moehrle hopes to see some vital improvements, which he listed as:
• Replacing the 1960s HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) system at Riverview Intermediate School.
• Working with five other districts (Benton Stearns Education District) to replace inadequate facilities, including a remodeled space to house BSED staff and students.
• The high school’s sports and physical education complex needs to be completed. That and the Riverview HVAC project will be placed on a public referendum ballot in the near future.
• In a broader perspective, Moehrle said there is a need for housing development, especially for younger families, so as to increase enrollment. It has been slowly declining in recent years due to lower birth rates.
Moehrle noted once again the occasional divisiveness among board members in the last couple of years. There is a recent trend of various groups of people feeling they need to occupy our administrators’ valuable time fulfilling public data requests to fight years-old battles,” he said. “Trust of the community cannot be gained by simply capitulating to the demands of certain like-minded groups at all turns. Because a public school district, by definition, must serve students and families whose politics cover the entire political spectrum, such an approach would only cause increased divisiveness.”
Moehrle then added this:
“Disagreement and debate between board members is vital to a fully-functional board. Overall, though, our board needs better cooperation and a shared vision of what success looks like in our schools, and I plan to continue working toward those goals . . . I would be honored to earn your vote to serve another term. But no matter who you support, please vote!”
Ringstad wants best education, lowered costs
Michael Ringstad would like to be elected to the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board to help ensure students receive the highest-possible education and to keep costs down so “residents are not taxed out of their homes.”
Ringstad, who lives in Brockway Township, is a business representative for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 160. After attending public schools in East Grand Forks, he went on to complete the Electrical Lineworkers Program at Northwest Technical College in Wadena in 2001. He has lived in this area since 2006. He and wife Roberta have two girls ages 8 and 11.
“I believe students perform better when parents/guardians are engaged with schools and partner with teachers to create the best possible outcome for each child,” Ringstad said. “In addition, I believe a school district must practice responsible spending and allocating of resources. Up to nearly half of property taxes fund the school district, and I think we need to be vigilant with spending to ensure residents aren’t taxed out of their homes.”
Ringstad said board members should listen to residents, collaborate with other board members and then make good decisions for everyone – the public, teachers, staff, future employees, parents and students.
Ringstad has had plenty of experiences serving on boards: St. Stephen Fire and Rescue, IBEW Local 160’s executive board, the IBEW’s local Audit Committee and the IBEW’s Building Corp. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Missouri Valley Line Constructors Apprenticeship and Training Program. He is well versed in Robert’s Rules of Order that are used in conducting official meetings.
“I have acquired strong listening skills, problem-solving abilities and an understanding of the importance of collaboration among board members in order to achieve the best outcomes for the organization.”
Ringstad listed the strengths of the school district: quality teachers; administrative support staff who work hard for students; the coordination/collaboration that happens among principals, teachers, office staff, kitchen crew, custodians and “everyone in between to ensure a clean and safe learning environment.”
What are weaknesses, things that could be improved?
Ringstad replied everyone should focus on the mission of the public-education system in Minnesota as defined by law – to wit: “The mission of public education in Minnesota, a system for lifelong learning, is to ensure individual academic achievement, an informed citizenry and a highly productive workforce.” That should occur without being distracted by personal biases and emotions, Ringstad added.
As a school-board member, he would focus on the district’s mission: to develop students so they can be successful, contributing members of society. That could be achieved, he added, by providing outstanding instruction in a welcoming environment where all students are given the support needed to excel according to their unique abilities, interests, and aspirations.
“I am excited for the opportunity to represent the voters within the school district and would like to thank everyone for their consideration this November 5th,” said Ringstad. “I welcome questions via my campaign website at michael@ringstadforschoolboard.com. I would be happy to hear from you.”
Thielen stresses safety, transparency, logic, trust
Chelsea Thielen said if elected to the Sartell-St. Stephen School Board, she will always put the needs of students first, all the while acting with integrity, fairness, fiscal responsibility and compassion.
Born in St. Cloud, Thielen graduated from Sauk Rapids-Rice High School and earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University.
“I believe our schools should be a place where every student feels welcome and supported and where families come before politics,” Thielen said. “I am passionate about ensuring the voices of our Sartell and St. Stephen community, families are heard. My husband and I moved to Sartell in 2016 for the (school) district, and I want to continue to make this a statewide education destination.”
She said she is “amazed” by the schools’ staff members.
“Having had two children in the district (one who recently graduated, the other a junior this year), I can attest to countless positive opportunities they have been provided during their educational experience.”
She said it is important to trust and listen to staff expertise – whether it’s related to building maintenance, busing, nursing, nutrition or classroom instruction.
As a school-board member, Thielen said she would adhere to the following policies:
Creating a safe learning environment and promoting programs and practices that support students’ mental health and emotional well-being.
Transparency is crucial in building trust and fostering a sense of community. She said she is a strong believer in open communication and ensuring decisions are made with full transparency. The goal is to keep parents, staff and the public informed and involved, she added.
Thielen values evidence-based decision-making – decisions made with a rational, logical mindset grounded in reason, supported by data.
“Above all, I am dedicated to doing what’s right for our students, staff and community,” Thielen said. “I am committed to acting with integrity, fairness, fiscal responsibility and compassion in all my decisions. I will always put the needs and well-being of our students first, striving to create a district where everyone feels valued and respected.”
Michael Gruber
Tricia Meling
Matthew Moehrle
Michael Ringstad
Chelsea Thielen
