Three Shakopee School Board Applicants to Interview Today

The three applicants for the vacant spot on the Shakopee School Board will be interviewed during a special open meeting of the board today starting at 5 p.m.

Jeremy Casper, Bill Mars or Scott Swanson will be the latest addition to a board that will see three other  (Angela Tucker, Reggie Bowerman and Matt McKeand) join in January. The seat in question was vacated by Tony Bonsante, who resigned in September after moving out of the district.

Casper, 32, said he would like to focus on improving student achievement that is currently at state average. He also said he’d also make it a priority to manage the population growth in the district while being a good steward of taxpayer money. Casper has lived in Shakopee since 2007 and works at the University of Minnesota in web development. He’s married with two young children and ran unsuccessfully for seats available in the November elections.

Mars, 52, said he would like to help shape and guide the district in the next five to ten years as it faces major strategic decisions including 1) a new high school, 2) arrangement of classes, and school settings/groupings, 3) continuing the operating levy, 4) continued state funding issues and 5) refresh and enhance the district’s long-term strategic plans. Mars has lived in Shakopee for 23 years and is the current chair of the Shakopee Public Utilities Commission. He works at Target Corp. in the credit card division and is married with four grown children.

Swanson, 40, has served on the district’s Facilities Task Force since its formation in the fall of 2010. He’d like to help plan for well-orchestrated community education on the issue to acquire the support needed for another high school. Swanson also said running parallel to the facility needs of a growing community is the need to re-invest in Shakopee’s commitment to excellence in academics. He is an Assistant Vice President and Operations Manager for Wells Fargo Funding. Swanson is married with two young children and has lived in Shakopee for 10 years.

The new board member could be selected as early as tonight, according to Cristina Oxtra, communications coordinator for the school district.