Edina School Board Candidates—By the Issues

The four candidates—Leny Wallen-Friedman, Jason Berger, Cathy Cella and Sarah Patzloff—running for three open seats on Edina's Board of Education spent some time this week .

A wide array of questions came up during the League of Women Voters of Edina candidates forum on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at . Although the candidates seemed to be in agreement on many issues, there were some slight differences.

Here's a quick rundown of the issues discussed and where the candidates stood on them:

Areas ripe for innovation within the district

• All candidates focused on technology and the doors it can open for the district, noting learning in the future will almost certainly not take place in a traditional classroom setting.

"If we can incorporate that technology into the classroom, we'll be able to change the way we provide education," Wallen-Friedman said.

How to challenge state legislators regarding funding

• There was some divergence—Berger said he'd be happy to lobby legislators—though most candidates said they would like to see the community come together and send a clear message.

"We have to be a lot louder," Cella said. "Parents, communities and school districts need to work together and talk with one voice at the Legislature."

Their role in negotiations with teacher's unions

• Candidates largely agreed the board would need to closely monitor fiscal expenditures, but not make cuts at the expense of the district's quality.

"The bottom line for me is what's best for the students?" Patzloff asked. "What's going to make a difference in the classroom?"

Integrating the school district with Edina's elderly population

• Encouraging elderly members of the community to volunteer and get involved within the district was the main idea batted around, as the vast majority of Edina residents have some sort of connection to the district. Cella also mentioned the role they often play in the district's community education program.

"The people that we have in this community—the retired, those people who have the time—they're a tremendous hidden resource," Berger said. 

Social media and its role in bullying

• Kids are going to use it increasingly as years go on, candidates seemed to concede, so it's important to have a zero tolerance policy regarding bullying both in schools and via the Internet. Berger wants to see some control brought to students' use of social media, Patzloff said the district needs to embrace it as a great avenue of conveying information.

"We're kidding ourselves if we think that students who think that's probably the only way to communicate with friends … isn't going to be a force to be used in the classroom, too," Cella said. 

Working collaboratively with other elected officials

• Everyone seemed to agree working with the City of Edina is a natural fit, with some calling for collaborative efforts with the state and parents as well.

"We need to partner with the city … to work on our (kids') chemical health issues," Patzloff said. "It isn't just the schools that can fix this problem—it's the parents and the community and the city working together."

Stance on both school referendums

• All four candidates emphatically said they support , noting it would put the district in a tough financial spot if they are not passed. Berger admitted to being skeptical at first, but he now feels both levies are a sound investment.

"You just heard all four of us talk about innovation and all we talked about was technology, "Wallen-Friedman said. "None of what we talked about is going to be possible if we don't pass that levy."

The role of diversity in school curriculum

• The general stance was that curriculum needs to reflect more perspectives rather than one segment of the population alone. Patzloff said her kids haven't been exposed to much diversity at , though Cella said she sees the district as becoming more diverse over time.

"Diversity is just a fact of life," Berger said. "It's time to declare victory and shift the focus slightly to a diversity of learning styles."

Revenue via advertising within the district

• The general consensus seemed to be that—so long as it's tastefully done—advertising and sponsorships could be a decent revenue stream for the district.

"Accepting advertising is something we are going to have to start looking at," Patzloff said. "There are reasonable ways to accept advertising."

The importance of staff development

• Candidates agreed that staff development will be critically important moving forward, with some suggesting staff members with expertise in certain areas help train their peers.

"We cannot throw new technology and new curriculum at teachers without giving them the tools, the training and the time to become proficient and excellent users of those," Cella said.

Stay tuned to Edina Patch in the coming weeks for ongoing election coverage and candidate profiles.