Voters elect Steve Bartz and Francesca Pagan-Umar to School Board BY KATHERINE KREGNESS Steve Bartz and Francesca Pagan-Umar were elected to the Eden Prairie School Board on November 2nd when Eden Prairie held a special election after the resignation of Veronica Stoltz in May of 2021 and the more recent resignation of Beth Fletcher this past September. According to preliminary final voting results from the Minnesota Secretary of State website, Bartz had 1,979 votes or 39.03% of the vote. Pagan-Umar had 1,841 votes, or 36.31% of the vote. Albert Born came in third with 566 votes or 11.16%, followed by Michelle Mattison with 363 votes or 7.16%, while Darryl Stanton had 311 votes or 6.13%. As the candidate with the most votes, Bartz filled Stoltz’s seat which is up for election again in January 2023. Because of the late notice when Fletcher resigned, there was no election on the ballot to fill her seat.The board voted to appoint the candidate with the second most votes, making Pagan-Umar the replacement for Fletcher. Pagan-Umar’s seat is up for election again in November 2024. There are seven elected school board members at a given time tasked with governing the Eden Prairie School District. “This involves hiring the superintendent, approving budgets, monitoring finances and the progress of the strategic plan, making sure the educational opportunities offered are aligned with the values of our community, and that student achievement meets community expectations,” Bartz shared. School board members set the goals for the year through the strategic plan and monitor how the superintendent is carrying out said plan. “The role of the school board is to hold the superintendent accountable to the policies that the board has voted into place. To scrutinize his performance and to scrutinize the data,” Pagan-Umar said. The newly elected school board members will be part of that process for agenda setting in the upcoming years. As a community member and a mother to students in the district preschool through high school, Pagan-Umar holds a great stake in the work of the school board. From teaching general education in New York City Public Schools to working in a Special Education District, Pagan-Umar feels that her classroom
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experience will prove invaluable to her work on the school board. “I think that having taught in those kinds of environments, I’m well prepared for whatever challenges the school board might bring,” she said. Pagan-Umar made the choice to run because she saw a need for better representation and diverse perspectives on the school board. “We have a pretty homogenous board,” she said. The district has a sizable Muslim population, she noted, “yet our community has literally never had anyone sit in any elected seat in our community who’s Muslim.” Her biggest priorities moving into her term on the school board are to bring that new perspective to all conversations and to ensure that the needs of students are being consistently met. “I want to take the opportunity to restructure our policies through the lens of cultural competency,” she said. Bartz is also looking forward to serving the community on the school board. He is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist in multiple healthcare facilities across the metro area and enjoys a career in service. Bartz decided to run because of his family’s involvement in the community. His oldest son is a graduate of EPHS and his two daughters are current juniors. “Eden Prairie is my home, my kids go to EP schools, and I care not only about their success, but the success of all the students in our schools. I realize that public education is the only option for the majority of the families in the district, and that it is in the best interest of our community to provide a high-quality academic experience to each student in our schools,” he shared. Bartz’s biggest priority during his term is to maintain Eden Prairie’s strong reputation and competitive standing in the metro area. “I want to do my part to keep high quality education the focus of our district and ensure EP schools remain a top choice for families in the district as well as an attractive first choice for folks considering making EP their home,” he shared. Both Bartz and Pagan-Umar are excited to be working with the community and hope that students will reach out with concerns or questions. Pagan-Umar
encourages students to email the school board and get involved with district proceedings like school board meetings. Bartz looks forward to meeting community members at events and sharing stories.
Francesca Pagan-Umar, School Board Director
Steve Bartz, School Board Treasurer
