Why did I vote ‘no’ to changing from even year to odd year election?

There were so many angles that I considered for this issue. My vote of no to change from odd to even year elections was a very intentional and well-reasoned one. There were really four driving forces – (1) my commitment to nonpartisanship in the role of school boarding, (2) the process by which this came to the table for a vote, (3) these dollars will not have the impact on class sizes that one would think, and (4) the negative impact on attracting high quality school board members. 

1. Do you know that districts around the state are impressed when they hear of our off-year school board elections? Nonpartisanship is a foundational value of Wayzata Public Schools that has brought our community together, encouraged the best and brightest teachers/administrators/board members to serve here, and created an incredibly successful district that is committed to ongoing improvement, academic achievement, and doing what’s best for kids no matter what. It is my strong opinion, from a systems-based approach, that EVERY role that serves our schools from the Board, to Administrators, to Staff, to Teachers, and Paras needs to remain nonpartisan so that we continue to have the ability to make space for every student, every day. We owe it to our kids to give them a stable educational experience. Policies and practices shouldn’t sway back and forth throughout a student’s 12 years with us based on who is on the board and if we allow partisanship to creep in, that is likely what will happen. Ask yourself this – if we expect teachers to remain neutral in their classrooms and teach the whole story, not bits and pieces, why shouldn’t leadership be committed to it as well? Nonpartisanship allows students an environment that is free from judgement and limitations on their critical thinking and overall learning. So yes, for the past four years, this has been my hill. I know it’s worth holding firm to it – even if it’s not perfect. 

2. I have several concerns with the process by which this board approached such a foundational community shift. There will be implications on our school community for decades to come, yet there was no effort to gain community input. We only heard from a handful of voices. A handful…ask yourself why. What’s the rush? We listened to just a handful of people to make this shift at a special meeting, not regularly scheduled, in the middle of the summer when our school community was not available or engaged. That’s not transparent or community focused and I wasn’t ok with that. Voting no was the only way I could make this heard. We had several avenues that we could’ve approached – PTAs, District Liaison, Citizens Finance Committee, Curriculum/Instruction & Technology Advisory Committee. The concept was brought to one work session without any deeper conversation at committee meetings to think about the impact from all angles. Importantly, there was no discussion around the potential costs that would arise from this change. We owed our school community more in this conversation. We owed you the ability to help us define, weigh in, and come to a collective solution TOGETHER  – especially since the change isn’t taking place for some time.     

3. I want to be clear that reducing class sizes since cost-containment has been a driving priority for me. A change in election years will not move the needle on class sizes. How do I know this? Because if it would’ve, the district would have recommended it during cost containment 2 years ago. What has brought us success in reducing class sizes this year and IS moving the needle is a solid fund balance. The dollars potentially saved every two years would NOT be enough for a new teacher. Additionally, there will still be times that the Board asks voters to go to the polls that are outside the election cycle – bond referendum and levies as an example. So couldn’t we have looked at the ability to line up Board elections with times like that? I’m all for making things more efficient, but to simply save dollars without thinking it through isn’t being a good steward.

4. Having school board elections during a big election year is going to have a negative impact on candidates and school board members. This work is not easy. There is so much time, relationship building, and commitment that goes into it and asking respected members of our community to also take on heavy politics is too much of an ask. Frankly, capable people don’t need the hassle or headache. The reason I was willing to run for school board was because of the nonpartisan nature of the work – and I know that’s true for MANY school board members. Another point to think about is the cost of elections. Printing of flyers & signs, getting a website up and running, getting your name out there, fund raising is an expensive undertaking – and that’s in a year when it’s just school board elections. Imagine a year with a full ballot … how much more money will it take to elevate the school board race? Where will that money be coming from? Are you ok with dollars outside of our community with non-WPS goals pouring into our district? I want to make sure that the mom/dad down the street with a 9-5 job who has a strong connection to our school community is encouraged and able to run for school board, win, and be successful.  

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Vaccines

Vaccines work and are one of the most important medical advancments of the modern medicine. Anyone eligible should get their vaccines. And – I encourage you to check in with your MD and your kids’ pediatrician to make sure your family is up to date on all other vaccines. (There are individuals who are subject to medical exemptions for vaccines. Always consult with your physician for your specific situation.)

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Why was there so much chatter around school board members visiting schools? Let me tell you the whole story…

It’s important to clear this up and I can’t emphasize this enough – Wayzata Public Schools School Board Members have ALWAYS been allowed in schools. No new news here. The ways to do this weren’t formalized because it was all done in partnership with the principals and administration. Personally, I’ve enjoyed and used these pathways and have found them to be incredibly effective and efficient. The pathways that have worked for decades are:

• Teacher-specific invite during the school day to read a book, speak to a specific topic (local government lesson), or to another specific teaching & learning based reason. The way that happens is that the teacher who invites the board member informs principal, requirements outlined in the general visitor policy and regulation are met, school board member goes to the school and attends as planned.

• Already established pathways – Bagels with the Board (an annual tradition of the board meeting with Student Council and the Fusion Team), Meet and Confer with teachers, before/after school meetings with teachers, coffee with teachers, theater/choir/band/orchestra performances, kindergarten bus night, science fair judging, senior awards night, transition graduation, general ed graduation, CCRE, COMPASS presentations, any of the various PTA events, hosting the Homecoming table at the block party, Veterans Day programs, Reading Program volunteer. In all honesty – school board members get invited to more happenings around the district than we can attend! My experience is that there is so much community building, connections, and understanding of how our schools work that happens in the before and after of these events – it’s not just about sitting and getting – it’s about the engagement of the board member at the events.

Here’s where the chatter comes in …

With a new and inexperienced board, several didn’t know how to navigate the less formalized pathways. An example is that a board member was invited by a teacher to visit their classroom. The board member was asked to wait on the visit because it wasn’t a good day based on principial and admin’s judgment. It’s important to note that principals are in charge of their buildings. There are so many factors to keeping our kids focused on learning and the whole building running seamlessly. According to MN School Boards Association training, the main focus of the school day is to meet the various needs of our students (academics, safety, etc). Visits do need to be planned ahead of time. The board member didn’t know how to navigate at that point. Based on that, the Board asked the administration to dedicate time and resources to developing a guideline on creating structured school board visits. The creation of a formalized guideline for visits is the ‘change’ that you’re hearing about. It’s also important to note that while the guideline was being developed, board members were still welcomed into buildings as usual.

Have a question to add to this list? Click here to write Heidi