School Board Candidate Profiles The Courier asked candidates relevant questions Read their answers
General Election Information
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Page 15
October 2016 | Volume 24, Issue 2
Events for Fall
Junior Professional Golf Association players Page 27
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Independent School District 15 Communications Department St. Francis, Minnesota Serving the communities of Andover, Athens Township, Bethel, East Bethel, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, St. Francis and Stanford Township
Dedicated staff work hard to support district operations Heidi Anderson
Staff Writer
At the Central Services Center, staff in three departments work hard year-round to support the operations of Independent School District 15 (ISD 15). The departments of Human Resources, Curriculum & Instruction and Business Services support the District’s mission each day by providing necessary services to the District. According to Director of Human Resources Brandon Nelson, “Human Resources is one function that impacts every employee at some point in their employment with ISD 15.” Nelson says that to support the District’s mission, ISD 15 needs high quality employees and the Human Resources department strives to recruit the best candidates possible. He also says that Human Resources employees help staff members of ISD 15 resolve employment and life issues. This helps relieve stress from employees so they can focus on their work of supporting the District’s mission. The Human Resources staff often takes extra time with employees to
help them through difficult or stressful situations, whether it is completing necessary paperwork to begin their employment with ISD 15 or resolving questions regarding their benefits. Even though Human Resources employees take extra time in conversations with employees, they are also consistently evaluating and accessing systems to become more efficient in their work, commented Nelson. Nelson says that he is appreciative of the hard work from his staff. “It makes me proud when an employee tells me how helpful and amazing the Human Resources staff members were when dealing with their question or concern,” Nelson said. In the Curriculum & Instruction Department, staff members work throughout the year to provide programming and preparation to address the spectrum of needs of students in ISD 15. The Curriculum & Instruction Department has been busy working on the development of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). PLCs provide staff with an opportunity to collaborate and continue
developing strategies to best help student learning. The District has used PLCs for the past couple of years, but this year, licensed staff will meet with the PLC groups during the morning of nine scheduled days and one full day during the 2016-17 school year. Curriculum & Instruction Department staff also collaborated with ISD 15 to hold a professional development day for licensed staff August 31. Mike Mattos, an expert on PLCs and Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies, held an all-day presentation for around 500 ISD 15 staff members on how to best collaborate during their PLC time and how to better understand RTI strategies. At the September 12 ISD 15 School Board meeting, Superintendent Troy Ferguson thanked the Curriculum & Instruction Department for their hard work in setting up the event and said
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School board election set for November 8 Ann Johnson
ISD 15 Election Official
An election for members to the Independent School District 15 School Board will be held Tuesday, November 8, 2016 in conjunction with the national election. Candidates running for the 4-year term are (in alphabetical order): Suzanne Erkel, Meri Hass, Janet Hunt, Sarah Hunt, Alicia Johnson, Amy Kelly, Rob Schoenrock, Mike Starr, Sean M. Sullivan, Laura Waterworth. Running for the 2-year term are Jill Anderson, Peter Onstad, Scott Schwarz. Candidate profiles begin on page 6. A Meet the Candidates forum will be held Tuesday, October 11, 7:00 p.m. at the ISD 15 Central Services Center, 4115 Ambassador Blvd. NW.
Despite the rain, it was a great first day of school throughout Independent School District 15 September 6. These St. Francis Middle School students were excited to reunite with their friends and begin the 2016-17 school year. The Courier photo
that feedback regarding the professional development day was positive. Staff of the Business Services Department supports the District in achieving its mission by accurately processing all financial transactions for ISD 15 in a timely and effective manner. This involves processing payroll for over 1,000 ISD 15 employees and tracking funds coming in and out of the District. The Business Services Department has won multiple Minnesota Department of Education School Finance awards for sound financial practices and compliance with state statues. Business Services staff members continue to monitor the budget throughout the year and develop creative cost-effective changes if an adjustment is necessary. They also create financial reports and answer community members’ questions
Voting locations The polls will open at 7:00 a.m. and will close at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Polling locations are where you would vote for city, state and federal elections.
Register to vote Before you can vote, you must register. In Minnesota, you may register on election day at your polling place with appropriate identification showing residency in the precinct. For more information, contact the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office at 651-296-2803 or go online to www.sos. state.mn.us or call the Anoka County Elections office at 763-323-5275. Your registration remains current until you move, change your name or do not vote for four consecutive years. You may update your registration information by completing another voter registration application.
Inside Schools in Action..................................... 2 School Board Highlights...................... 12 Community & Business........................ 16 Sports & Outdoors................................ 26 Community Education......................... 28 Meetings, Events & Benefits................. 31 Life........................................................... 32