By OLIVIA ALVESHERE
Staff Writer
Four candidates are running for three seats on the Anoka-Hennepin School Board in the Nov. 3 election.
Seats are up for election in Subdistrict 1, which comprises Anoka and parts of Andover, Coon Rapids and Ramsey; Subdistrict 2, which includes portions of Blaine and Coon Rapids; and Subdistrict 5, which encompasses parts of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Fridley and Coon Rapids.
Incumbents Tom Heidemann, of Anoka, and Marci Anderson, of Blaine, are running unopposed in subdistricts 1 and 2, respectively.
Incumbent Nicole Hayes and Scott Simmons, both of Brooklyn Park, will face off in the Subdistrict 5 race.
TOM HEIDEMANN
Age: 53
Family: Married to wife Dawn for 31 years with two children who attended Anoka-Hennepin schools. Andrew Heidemann, age 30, is a football coach and teacher at Anoka High School. Adam Heidemann, age 26, is an executive chef and general manager at the Northern Bar and Grill.
Education: Bachelor of Electrical Engineering, Master of Science in electrical engineering, Honeywell Engineering Leadership Program and Six Sigma Green Belt Certified
Occupation: Senior technical engineering manager
Years lived in the Anoka-Hennepin School District: 29
Community involvement: 15-year member of the Anoka-Hennepin School Board with six years as school board chairperson; Association of Metropolitan School Districts Board of Directors (2009-present); Anoka Football Booster Club Board of Directors (2003-present); president of the Anoka-Hennepin Educational Foundation (2006-2009); president of Schools for Equity in Education (2003-2005); president of Anoka Football Boosters (2005-2009); president of Anoka Wrestling Boosters (2004-2008); vice president of Anoka Baseball Boosters (2006-2008); president of Wilson Elementary PTCO (1996-2000); Parent Legislative Team (1996-2000); Systems Accountability Committee (1997-1999); and Gov. Tim Pawlenty-appointed member of the Education Funding Reform Task Force
MARCI ANDERSON
Age: 51
Family: I am married to Craig Anderson. Our oldest daughter, Gabrielle, is married to Drew Holman, and they have two lovely children, our granddaughter, Audrey, and grandson, Brandt. My youngest daughter is Danielle.
Education: Spring Lake Park High School, St. Cloud State University, numerous management and mortgage/banking education classes
Occupation: Vice president at Bell Mortgage, a division of Bell State Bank and Trust
Years lived in the Anoka-Hennepin School District: 19
Community involvement: Formerly an area Girl Scout leader, Girl Scout Service Team member, Girl Scout leader trainer, Anoka-Hennepin Parent Legislative Team member, Blaine High School Girls Soccer Booster Club member and Blaine High School Girls Basketball Booster Club member
NICOLE HAYES
Age: 51
Family: Husband, Tom; two children, Nick (19) and Katie (15)
Education: B.A., Lawrence University
Occupation: Current Anoka-Hennepin School Board member
Years lived in the Anoka-Hennepin School District: 18 years in November
Community involvement: Anoka-Hennepin School Board, director; Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth, board; Anoka-Hennepin Community Education Advisory Committee, member; Riverview Elementary, parent-teacher organization president; Riverview Elemetary/CBPA, transition team; Brooklyn Park Athletic Association, baseball secretary; Champlin Park Traveling Basketball Association, secretary; Champlin Park Soccer, Football, Basketball, Baseball Booster Club volunteer
SCOTT SIMMONS
Age: 56
Family: Married, two children (seventh and ninth grades)
Education: William Mitchell College of Law, J.D.; Drake University, M.B.A.; St. Olaf College B.A.
Occupation: Government affairs attorney
Years lived in the Anoka-Hennepin School District: 20
Community involvement: Brooklyn Park Charter Commission, vice chairperson; Brooklyn Park City Council; Brooklyn Park Athletic Association, soccer committee member; Brooklyn Park Signature Area Task Force, member; Tater Daze Festival Steering Committee, member; active parent-teacher organization member and elementary and middle school program volunteer
1. Why are you running for school board?
HEIDEMANN: I have a passion for education and the important role it has in creating a strong community and democracy. We have established a great school district that will be even better in the future. I would like to be part of us continuing to move forward. I bring a parent’s view to the board and understand that the education of children starts first in the home. We need to always respect that role for parents. I have a business background based in six sigma principles that will help improve our practice and process making us even more effective and efficient. I have gained much knowledge and understand the complex issues we face today and into the future. I promise that I will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the students, families and community to provide the best education possible with the dollars available.
ANDERSON: As my girls moved through the Anoka-Hennepin school system, I had plenty of opportunity to talk with educators about various challenges and celebrations. Most of the folks I talked with had such passion about their work. There seemed to be a need for parent involvement. This is my form of community service. I do not look at myself as a politician; I see myself as a volunteer. I like problem-solving, and serving on a school board provides the opportunity to solve complex problems.
HAYES: Simply put, I care about kids. It is an honor and privilege to represent Anoka-Hennepin Sudistrict 5 residents in Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Coon Rapids and Fridley. My experiences as a district parent and school and community volunteer have provided a solid foundation, and the past seven months have prepared me well to continue serving as a school board member. Since being appointed in February 2015, teachers, parents and community members have welcomed me into this role and shared their vision for our students. I take this responsibility seriously and look forward to continuing as their partner in providing our students every opportunity for success.
SIMMONS: Together we can and must do better. We should strive to achieve better outcomes and embrace innovative and new opportunities for change, growth and success. My goal is to be a new voice, a new leader to improve all our students’ academic achievement, create stronger partnerships with parents, respect the taxpayers, make board decisions more transparent and represent the needs and concerns of the entire community while supporting the staff and teachers, making sure they have the resources needed to help students succeed and get them on track to reach their full potential. I hope my contributions and ideas along with my depth of experience and lifelong commitment to public service will improve results and enhance the opportunities that the school district provides for its students and the communities of Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Coon Rapids and Fridley. The risks of not doing better are too great.
2. What is Anoka-Hennepin’s biggest strength and largest weakness?
HEIDEMANN: Anoka-Hennepin has excellent teachers and staff that care deeply about students and the families we serve. We have a non-partisan school board that makes the difficult decisions and works together for the benefit of students and not one’s own political agenda. Our families choose to send their kids to the Anoka-Hennepin Schools, and as a result, we have one of the highest retention rates and approval ratings in the metropolitan area. It has created new growth in our school population, specifically in the northern areas, and we must put together a long-term plan to accommodate the new growth. Our student performance on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment accountability measures for math and reading proficiency needs to increase. We must also formalize a process for continuous improvement that uses taxpayer money wisely and guarantees all new initiatives are well managed and will result in improved student achievement. We need to maintain a customer-service attitude in all our interactions with our community.
ANDERSON: Anoka-Hennepin’s biggest strength is its top-notch professionals – across the spectrum from the superintendent to the playground paraprofessional. These folks work incredibly hard during the school year and beyond. For a time, I thought about getting out of the mortgage industry and going back to school to be a teacher. It did not take me long to realize I could not do it. I needed to find a different way to support these professionals and the kids and families in my neighborhood. As for Anoka-Hennepin’s weakness, I do not think we have one. The area I would like to see us improve in is student achievement. All student achievement. Are we, in every instance, preparing students for life after their pre-K through 12 education? I’m not sure we are, though I know we work very hard at it. In every organization, part of the plan should be to have a continuous improvement plan. The Anoka-Hennepin School Board works very hard with the administration to evaluate what we are doing and why and to measure the effectiveness of our programs. This examination is an ongoing process, and we get better every day.
HAYES: I believe Anoka-Hennepin’s biggest strength is its staff – a large, smart, well-trained, committed group of professionals dedicated to student success. Anoka-Hennepin’s weakness is not much different than other school districts in Minnesota. Public schools continue to be looked to for providing services and addressing needs beyond the classroom. The gap between special education services provided and funding received is growing, students in poverty is rising, and in our community, we continue to see an increase in English language learners. Rather than labeled as a weakness, however, I see it as an opportunity to be innovative. All of these children deserve to have their potential discovered and encouraged. The weakness is really a challenge, to find ways to meet growing student needs while providing the best educational opportunities possible.
SIMMONS: This suburban district benefits from the parents and professional teaching staff that are actively engaged and committed to students’ success. Active parenting and exceptional teachers are key indicators in student learning and whether students ultimately achieve economic opportunity and success. A hidden strength is the skill and competence of the administrative staff that manages the state’s largest district. I recognize that there are challenges within the community and across the state and nation. No one can disagree that there is significant room for improvement. Unfortunately the Anoka-Hennepin district is the largest in the state and suffers from some of the inefficiencies that are inherent in large organizations.
3. Anoka-Hennepin administrators are planning to present between $4 million and $6 million in budget reduction options to the school board in November. What options are off the table for you? What steps can be taken to prevent budget cuts in the future?
HEIDEMANN: It is always my goal to keep budget reductions as far away from the classroom as possible. An increase in class size will be something very difficult for me to support. We need the Legislature and governor to focus on funding the programs we have before deciding to fund new programs. We also need to find ways to be more efficient with our resources while still providing an excellent education with higher levels of student achievement.
ANDERSON: Nothing is off the table. In order to work transparently and thoughtfully through this process, nothing can be off the table. Just like anyone, I have soft spots for certain academic programs and activities, teachers, administration, school spaces, etc., all of which could be affected with budget cuts. Those personal feelings need to be set aside so that I can evaluate each recommendation based upon the effect on student achievement, which is the district’s primary focus. With regard to what can be done to prevent budget cuts in the future, our legislators need to understand that if they continue to fund schools without addressing the inflationary impact, we will continue to be underfunded, and budget cuts will continue to be our reality.
HAYES: Nothing is “off the table” but the purpose of the 20-plus member group that is studying reduction recommendations is to think broadly about how to do more with less, to be more efficient, and prevent cuts that will impact the classroom as much as possible. My responsibility as a board member is to listen to the recommendations with an open mind. Every person in the district, and on the school board, is committed to providing the best educational opportunities possible for every child – that will be the guiding force in determining how to trim the budget. Future steps include continuing to advocate at the state Legislature for funding that is equitable and fair.
SIMMONS: There always appears to be a crisis in public school funding. However, the pain is rarely self-inflicted. The state Legislature is mostly to blame for not allowing districts to be flexible in how they use public dollars. School districts are not all created equal, and Anoka-Hennepin would benefit greatly from less state management and more local control. Still, if there are cuts, funding that relates in any way to student achievement and academic performance should be held harmless. Absent significant state funding reorganization, the prudent use of budget reserves to address some of the unpredictable funding shortfalls is a reasonable short-term step.
Contact Olivia Alveshere at olivia.alveshere@ecm-inc.com