Patch Candidate Profile: Bianca Virnig For ISD 196 School Board

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — This fall, Eagan, Apple Valley and Rosemount residents will vote on school board members for ISD 196.

Bianca Virnig is one of 13 candidates running for School Board in the Nov. 2 election.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles over the coming weeks.

Are you running for School Board? Contact Morgan Reddekopp at morgan.reddekopp@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

Age (as of Election Day): 43

Position Sought: ISD 196 School Board Member At Large

Family:

My husband, Ken, and I have three lovely children. Our oldest son is in 6th grade at Blackhawk, our daughter is a 4th grader at Deerwood and she is joined by our youngest son who is in kindergarten. Our family is rounded out by a spunky golden doodle that keeps us on our toes.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?: No

Education:

Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Minnesota
Associate of Arts from Century College
Certified ADA Coordinator (ADAC)
Certified Accessibility Specialist (MN #AS002949)

Occupation:

I work for Metro ECSU, an educational service cooperative, as the Facilities and Environmental Health and Safety Specialist. Currently, I am on redeployment as the Regional COVID Coordinator for metro area schools where my contributions to the pandemic response were recently recognized by Dakota Co. I am the recipient of the 2021 Public Health Achievement Award. Finally, I am a Regional Data Coach for SLEDS (sleds.mn.gov).

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: No

Campaign website: www.biancavirnig.com

Why are you seeking elective office?:

As we enter the third year of pandemic learning, it has become evident that we need more parent involvement to drive positive change. I believe we all want a quality education for our students in a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment and I want to ensure that our staff have the resources to fulfill that mission. I would work on strengthening the COVID/public health response plan and, more broadly, ensure safe, inclusive environments for all students. I would also work to improve community collaboration with diverse populations on strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, continue to support strong fiscal stewardship, and increase access to Pre-K for district students.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it:

Funding. As a member of the Budget Advisory Council continuing strong fiscal stewardship is essential for our district. We also need to raise awareness on the lack of funding for special education services and how that impacts our budget, students and staff.

Another major issue is staffing. From the classroom to the boiler room, positions are becoming harder and harder to fill. We need to evaluate our current practices to ensure that we are supporting our staff effectively for our students to have the best education possible.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?:

As a mother of three school-age children with a strong background in school health, safety, and accessibility, I bring a unique set of technical skills to this work. I have a deep appreciation for the challenges we face and an understanding of how we can leverage partnerships to impact change, explore innovative solutions, close the equity gap and support the health of our students and staff.

Working through complex issues to find common ground energizes me. Together we can ensure our schools are safe and welcoming for all students, families and staff. Students and staff must have access to the resources, opportunities, and supplies they need to succeed and thrive.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency):

It is important to reflect on the impact the pandemic has had on different racial and ethnic groups and populations facing inequities such as students with disabilities. We need to continue to focus on what students bring to the class and develop instruction around that and measure outcomes, so teachers are better informed.

One way to improve would be to expand our ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) programs. Currently, we are only engaging between 10-12% of the districts’ 3 and 4-year olds in pre-k programming. Children participating in ECFE are more likely to succeed in school and later on in life.

How do you think local officials are performing in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?:

I think Minnesota’s response began to unravel when it prioritized politics over public health. I would have better leveraged our state’s deep bench of experts in fields ranging from local public health to OSHA and invested in public health infrastructure to better address the current and future challenges we face.

As a parent with a background in public health, I would have liked the district to have developed more robust digital supports for all students, provided synchronous learning opportunities and additional supports for students in isolation or quarantine, increased resources for effective contact tracing and I would have aligned our current practices with the recommendations of MDH/CDC.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

(Didn't answer)

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?:

I’m a parent of three school-age children. I’ve served 4 years on ISD 196’s Budget Advisory Council, was on the COVID Incident Command Team and I am the PTO President at Deerwood Elementary. I have spent the last year as the Regional COVID Coordinator for metro area schools where I have received multiple awards for my contributions. I have served on many boards and I have decades of experiences in public service at both the state and local level.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

(Didn't answer)

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?:

I look forward to working with all stakeholders to strengthen our district and our community. I will work hard to ensure that issues and concerns are brought to the table, that we capitalize on state and federal resources to support our educators, that we amplify the voices and concerns of our most vulnerable and marginalized students and that we shift from being reactive to proactive in addressing issues facing our schools. I will work hard to build and foster healthy relationships within our community. It is imperative that each student feels safe, welcome, and included in our schools. It is our responsibility as a community to provide the tools and opportunities needed to all students so that they may achieve their personal best.