My Top Priorities for Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board
As a candidate for the Prior Lake–Savage Area School Board, I’m focused on three main priorities that matter to our students, parents, and community: Academic Excellence, a Fiscally Responsible District, and supporting of our Strategic Plan. I’m just a regular community member and Laker Dad, and I want to use common-sense ideas (backed by data and my experience) to help our schools thrive. Here’s how I explain each priority in everyday terms, with a few facts to show why they’re important.
1. Academic Excellence
I believe our schools need to get back to the basics of strong academic achievement – especially in math, science, and engineering. Parents send their kids to school to learn the core skills and knowledge that will empower them to succeed in college, trade school, or jump straight into the workforce. We owe it to our students to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and arithmetic (and yes, that includes modern STEM skills!).
Why This Matters: In recent years, our district’s academic performance has slipped, particularly in math. For example, only 56% of Prior Lake-Savage students were proficient in math in 2021, a sharp drop from about 72% proficiency in 2019 (plsas.org). That means we’ve fallen behind where we used to be – and we need to catch up. I support effective curricula and teaching methods that boost these scores and truly prepare our kids. Whether a student’s goal is a four-year college, a two-year trade program, or entering a skilled job right after graduation, they should graduate with the knowledge and confidence to pursue their dreams. Let’s refocus on academics so every student can reach their full potential.
My Approach: I will advocate for resources and policies that reinforce classroom learning in key subjects. This could mean supporting after-school tutoring in math, encouraging hands-on science and engineering electives, or making sure our teachers have the training and tools they need to help all students excel. The bottom line is that academic excellence should be the district’s first priority. When our students achieve more, everybody wins.
2. Fiscally Responsible District
Just like a family, a school district needs to live within its means. Right now, our district has been spending more money than it brings in, and that’s a problem we must address. In fact, Prior Lake–Savage Area schools have been using one-time fixes – making budget cuts and dipping into reserve funds – to cover budget shortfalls for several years (plnewscompass.org). For the current school year alone, the district cut about over $4 million of expenses and still plans to use nearly $1 million from savings to balance the budget. This kind of fiscal patchwork isn’t sustainable in the long run.
Transparency and Trust: Last year, the district asked voters to approve a funding increase (an operating levy referendum). It failed to pass, in part because the community wasn’t convinced or clear on where the extra money would go (kare11.com). That tells me we need greater transparency and better planning when it comes to our school finances. New spending (or any future levy request) must be clearly justified and spent wisely.
My Qualifications and Plan: I have ~20 years of professional experience in finance and I serve on our district’s Finance Advisory Committee. I want to put that expertise to work for our schools. My goal is to help create a financially responsible plan that the community can support, and if we do propose another levy, make sure it’s crystal clear what the funds will support and why it’s needed in today’s inflationary environment.
3. Supporting Our Strategic Plan
I am a strong supporter of the school district’s Strategic Plan (https://www.plsas.org/about-us/school-board/strategic-plan). This plan was developed with input from parents, staff, students, and community members, and it provides a roadmap for the district’s future. The School Board’s role is to set the strategic vision and give the Superintendent and leadership team clear goal posts to operate under. Once the plan is in place, board members should do everything they can to support the administration in achieving our community’s goals for the schools.
What’s in the Strategic Plan? Our newly updated strategic plan focuses on many of the same priorities I’ve outlined. It calls for “increasing measurable student learning and reducing achievement gaps” (academic excellence) and “continuing fiscal accountability through operational excellence” (responsible budgeting) among its goals. It also emphasizes innovation and an E-STEM focus (Environmental Education – Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), as well as providing a safe and supportive environment for all students. In short, the plan is all about creating a world-class district centered on students and driven by results. I couldn’t agree more with these objectives.
My Commitment: If elected, I will work collaboratively with fellow board members and the administration to turn the strategic plan from words on paper into actions in our schools. That means regularly checking progress metrics, asking questions, and offering help or course-corrections as needed. Whether it’s improving test scores or managing the budget, I will support our Superintendent and staff in any way possible to hit the targets we’ve set in the strategic plan. By rowing in the same direction, we can make sure our district meets its goals and that every student benefits.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or ideas, I’d love to hear from you.