Meet School Board Candidate Danielle Busby, a Human Resources Officer

In just a few short months, Edina voters will be able to weigh in on four open seats on the school board.

The election will be held Nov. 5. All school board seats are at-large, meaning the entire school district will be able to vote for each seat.

Nine people—seven newcomers and two current board members—are vying for the seats.

Early each week, Patch is running a profile of one of the candidates. 

Today, meet Danielle Busby, a human resources officer with children in the Edina schools.

Occupation: Human Resources 

Which neighborhood do you live in? Countryside

Website, Facebook page or other contact information: www.dmbusby.com

What unique perspective, experience or expertise would you bring to the school board?

A genuine concern about the welfare and well-being of the both the school district and the community as a whole. And a desire to have our children grow up in a district that prepares them for a progressive and global world. My professional experience in human resources provides me a comfort level with all levels of communication and working with and assisting a diverse workforce.

What are the top challenges facing the Edina School Board?

- Fiscal Health as it relates to maintaining EPS excellence.
- Being Attuned to the changing demographic of the District and the needs of the community as it relates to academic performance and needs.
- Willingness to implement changes in order to support and grow EPS performance in the future generations.

What role does a school board member play in helping raise academic achievement for all students and close the achievement gap?

Focusing on student achievement drafting policies ensuring success for all students and being an advocate at the local, state and national level for public education. And take advantage of opportunities to share the needs of EPS to other levels of government to promote strong schools thus creating an all for all win. The school board needs to demonstrate to the community through open communication opportunities their interest, awareness and concern to improve achievement gaps. Also, using Partnerships within the community is key to addressing the achievement gap to help understand the challenges, solicit viable action steps and identify resources to support improvement.