Voters Guide To SoWashCo School Board Election, Ballot Questions

WOODBURY, MN — October is coming to an end, which means Election Day is just around the corner.

Residents of the South Washington County School District — which encompasses all or parts of Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Newport and St. Paul Park — are tasked with electing four school board members and deciding whether to authorize new operating and capital-projects levies.

School board candidates

Nine candidates are seeking a seat on the board: Sharon Van Leer, Marge Lindberg, Patricia Driscoll, Jaime Kokaisel, Katie Schwartz, Michael Bestler, Enrique Ramos, Eric Tessmer and Vicki Holst.

Three incumbents running for re-election to the South Washington County Schools board share similar platforms.

In her Patch candidate profile, Sharon Van Leer said she is seeking a third term to “continue to support academic excellence that is student-centered and provides children the opportunities that will prepare them for academic success.”

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Van Leer said she would not have changed many aspects of the district’s responses to the coronavirus pandemic, saying she “believe(s) the current board made the most responsible decision that benefits the safety and welfare of all children.”

She supports South Washington County Schools’ new racial equity and inclusion policy, which she said “ensures educational equity is woven into the fabric of the district.”

Patricia Driscoll is running for a second term to continue using her nearly four decades of experience as a teacher and administrator to help the district provide “an excellent education for every child.”

The district’s most pressing issue is keeping students safe and in schools during the coronavirus pandemic, Driscoll wrote in her candidate profile, adding that “masking keeps our schools open.”

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Masks are currently required for all students, staff and visitors in ISD 833 elementary and middle schools and are “strongly recommended” for everyone in its high schools, according to the district’s website.

Driscoll also supports the district’s new racial equity and inclusion policy.

Katie Schwartz is running for a third term on the board, telling voters she “will listen to all sides of the issue, ask questions, and then vote for the best interests of the students.”

Schwartz said in her candidate profile that she supports masking in grades where kids are too young to get vaccinated.

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Financial security is the district’s biggest issue, Schwartz wrote.

Challenger Michael Bestler also said the district’s financial health is its most pressing issue.

“I feel the board could have been more prudent with taxpayer monies,” he wrote in his candidate profile. “But nobody could have seen the pandemic (coming) and what that would do to the education system.”

Bestler said his platform is “quite simple.”

“I want what is best for all students so all can get the best education possible,” he wrote.

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Enrique Ramos said effective “pedagogy” — the art or science of teaching and educational methods — is the district’s most pressing issue.

“I believe the number 1 issue is always effective pedagogy — are our kids learning?” Ramos wrote in his candidate profile. “Effective pedagogy requires a comprehensive approach. That means listening to our students, our educators and our families.

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Vicki Holst, Marge Lindberg, Eric Tessmer and Jaime Kokaisel are running together as the "Vote 4 Common Sense" slate. The candidates oppose mask mandates and support giving more power to parents in the district, as well as keeping critical race theory out of South Washington County Schools.

Eight of the nine candidates made their pitch to voters last month in short videos on the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission's YouTube channel.

Ballot Questions

Voters in the South Washington County Schools district will also see two questions on their ballots.

The first ballot question asks voters to increase the district’s operating levy by revoking levies from 2015 and 2017 and combining them into one levy that officials say will generate an additional $6.9 million each year.

The district made cuts worth $9.4 million for the 2021-22 school year to try to balance its budget, according to officials.

Property taxes would increase about $160 per year for a home worth $300,000 if the new operating levy is approved, officials estimate.

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If voters do not approve the new operating levy, district officials could have to cut some staff and programs, including athletics, Superintendent Julie Nielsen said in a virtual meeting about the ballot questions.

The second ballot question asks voters to increase the district’s capital projects levy to fund new classroom technology and infrastructure.

South Washington County Schools’ current capital projects levy of $2 million per year is the lowest in the state on a per-student basis and does not cover all of the district’s technology costs, Dan Pyan, director of finance and operations, said in the virtual meeting.

The new capital projects levy would generate about $5 million per year if approved, according to district projections.

Property taxes would increase about $50 per year for residents with a home worth $300,000, officials estimate.

How To Vote

Residents can vote early in person at four locations in Washington County from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Monday:

• Washington County Government Center — 14949 62nd St. N, Stillwater
• Cottage Grove Service Center — 13000 Ravine Parkway, Cottage Grove
• R.H. Stafford Library — 8595 Central Park Place, Woodbury
• Headwaters Service Center — 19955 Forest Road N., Forest Lake

Mail-in ballots will not count if they are received after Election Day.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Minnesota has same-day voter registration, which means you can register to vote at your polling place on Election Day.

Click here to use the Minnesota Secretary of State's Polling Place Finder.