BACK ELEVATION

4WHITE BEAR PRESS

OPINION

www.presspubs.com MAY 18, 2022

Plan to endorse a candidate?

Opinion pages in our newspapers have been abused and quite frankly it’s our fault. We have allowed what are really advertisements in our opinion pages. Prior to last year, our page count went up between four and eight pages each week during election season. The newspaper received zero revenue from this and took on the printing and delivery expense. When political candidates hire people and coordinate groups of people to submit letters that they prepared, have their campaign committees submit letters, or get friends and family to submit letters, these letters should fall under advertising. It’s been a real problem in the past decade. I’ve learned many newspaper colleagues feel the same way. As your local news source, we found a way to keep political endorsement letters in the papers Publisher’s and help it be transparent to the readers by labeling them as “paid

View letters” and charging a nominal fee. Carter Johnson As your local newspaper, we struggled with a decision. We struggled with the expense of publishing up to four to eight extra pages during the political campaign season. After last year, it was clear it’s the right thing to do.

This week Press Publications and our sister newspapers will again roll out guidelines regarding endorsement letters. So, what does this mean? It means we will continue to publish nearly all letters to the editor that meet our guidelines and will charge a nominal $35 fee for endorsement letters. What is an endorsement letter? It’s a letter that endorses or opposes a candidate or item on the ballot such as a levy, bond referendum, or items that require a vote. Our residents count on us to be transparent and we believe this is another way to continue to do that and prevent misuse of opinion pages in our local community papers.

A colleague who publishes the Proctor Journal near Duluth has been charging endorsement letter fees for years. I believe many of the newspapers in North Dakota are charging fees, as well as our friends at the Echo Press in Alexandria, to name a few. The local community counts on the opinion pages to discuss local topics of concern, but when we get into the political season, we get swamped with chain mail. This guideline should help our staff of journalists focus on their job by covering countless meetings you don’t have time to attend and stories of interest to our readers.

Paid endorsement letter guidelines:

“The White Bear Press accepts election letters endorsing or advocating for or against a ballot measure, party or candidate as paid advertising announcements. The fee is $35 for 350 words or less. Paid letters running longer will be charged $10 per 30 words after that. Like other letters to the editor, the writer’s name, address and phone number are required. Phone numbers and addresses are not published. The White Bear Press has the right to reject letters that don’t meet publishing standards and will determine if the letter qualifies as a paid endorsement. Paid letters will be identified with a label and may or may not appear on the opinion/letters page.

As always, we welcome your opinions. Contact us at news@presspubs.com.

Carter Johnson is publisher of Press Publications.

Distributed weekly in: White Bear Lake • White Bear Township • Mahtomedi Birchwood • Dellwood • Willernie • Gem Lake Pine Springs • Portions of Grant

It has been a good year

There is much to be celebrated as the 2021-22 academic year comes to a close. Collectively, we’ve put our best foot forward in student learning and found successes, and we’ve continued building our future through ongoing construction projects happening throughout the district.

Student Success

Our students have gotten back into the swing of things this year, coming back to school in the fall for fully inperson learning. While we continue to focus on complicated effects the last two years have had on students, families and communities across the world, we are encouraged to see that our students continue to learn and grow.

One example of our students’ success is data we received this spring regarding WBLAHS - South Campus’ Class of 2021 graduation rate (97.0%), which compares very favorably to other area high schools: Irondale High School (97.5%), Mahtomedi High School (97.2%), Centennial High School (95.9%) and Mounds View High School (95.6%).

Measurement looks different at each level, but success is being found at every age group. Glimpses of the creative learning happening in our classrooms can be seen in “The Week in 62.4 Seconds” videos shared on our Facebook and YouTube pages. Recent share-outs include elementary students visited by capybaras and middle school students sharing culture through affinity groups. High school highlights include manufacturing students creating fire pits, laser engraving their own designs and welding the seam of the metal rings. I hope you check them out to see the students’ fun learning in action for yourself.

Students at all levels represented the district at state, national and international competitions this year. In addition to athletic teams who competed at State, the roster of students receiving School Board Student Recognition honors this year include those in fishing, tumbling, scholastic art awards, and academic contests related to math, history and geography.

Building Our Future on the district’s Comprehensive Facilities Plan, made possible by the community’s support of the 2019 Bond Referendum, has been exciting to follow this year. The list of completed projects continues to grow, currently including the South Campus Phase I Addition (Gym), Transportation Facility, ALC Security Renovation and elementary additions at Lincoln, Matoska, Vadnais Heights and Willow Lane.

Groundbreakings have taken place at Birch Lake, Lakeaires and Otter Lake Elementaries and for the South Campus Phase II Addition (Classrooms and Office). In Hugo, we’ve watched the new North Star Elementary being built from the ground up, with the project being on schedule to open for students this fall.

Extensive progress has been made at the unified high school site, currently WBLAHS - North Campus, with the most notable building changes thus far being the shell of the fieldhouse and the 3-story classroom addition. The athletic field and track in the new stadium are expected to be completed before school begins this fall. In January 2023, North Campus students and staff will transition into the new classroom addition so construction work can take place in the existing building and development can happen on the east side of the site. The work will continue on the site through the fall of 2024, when the building will house grades 9-12 for the first time since 1983.

We invite you to continue to follow along with us on this process. The Building Our Future web page (isd624.org/ BuildingOurFuture) contains press releases and videos. Current project photos and video footage can be found linked to the construction crew button available on each of the individual project pages.

We know students’ success is bolstered by support they receive from others, both directly and indirectly. Thank you for your part in making it a good year.

Movers & Shakers Wayne A. Kazmierczak

Dr. Wayne A. Kazmierczak is Superintendent at the White Bear Lake Area Schools.

LETTER GUIDELINES FOR ELECTION SEASON 2022

• Election season is considered to be when filing first begins until the day of the election. • Limited to 350 words. Paid letters running longer will be charged $10 per 30 words after that. • Letters are free unless endorsing a candidate, party or question on the ballot.

Endorsement letters will have a $35 fee. Please call 651407-1200 to arrange payment by credit card or mail a check payable to Press Publications to 4779 Bloom Ave, White Bear

Lake, MN, 55110. Endorsement letters are labeled, “paid

letter.” • Letters for or against a candidate will qualify as paid letters. • Submissions must include a full name, address and phone number for verification. • Letter-writers must live, work or have another connection to

Press Publications coverage area. • Due to space limitations, letters that don’t address local issues are not guaranteed publication. • Repeat unpaid letters by the same writer about the same subject matter will not be published. Repeat paid

endorsement letters will be published as space permits. • Four weeks (or issues) must pass between publication of unpaid letters from the same writer. Exceptions may be made for rebuttal letters at the editor’s discretion. • Submissions containing libelous or derogatory statements will not be published. • Letters by campaign managers or candidates designed to champion the candidate’s position on a specific issue will be accepted as paid letters. • Letters reprinted as part of letter-writing campaigns are

paid letters. • All letters are subject to editing. • We reserve the right to not publish any letter. • The deadline to submit a letter is 5 p.m. Wednesday the week prior to publication. • The last batch of letters to be printed before the Nov. 8 election will be printed in the Oct. 26 issue and must be received by 5 p.m. Wednesday,

Oct.19. • To submit a letter, email news@presspubs.com, fax it to 651-429-1242 or mail/deliver it to Press Publications.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR PAID LETTER Hope to change politics

In today’s political climate, we are inundated with fear-mongering news stories, phony outrage, and are told to accept this is “politics as usual.”

I hope to change that.

My name is Elliott Engen and I recently had the privilege of earning the GOP endorsement to run in District 36A for the Minnesota House which includes Lino Lakes, Circle Pines, Centerville, North Oaks, and White Bear Township. I am a son, brother, husband, and sixth generation Minnesotan who never intended to run for office but was compelled to do so to change “politics as usual” and restore true public service.

I attended White Bear Lake public schools, where I met my wife, Faith. I graduated from Hamline University, majoring in Legal Studies and International Relations while also playing for the baseball team.

I have worked in manufacturing, the legal field as a prosecution assistant, the Criminal Division of Hennepin County Courts, and currently serve as Public Service Coordinator for a nonprofit dedicated to conservation efforts for hunting and fishing across the nation.

Experience matters, but integrity is even more crucial, which is what I intend to bring to the Legislature, and is lacking in most aspects of our government.

Career politicians focus on wealth, fame, and being big things rather than doing big things. Instead, I will prioritize answering your phone call, serving our communities, and bringing greater transparency to St. Paul.

Minnesota is not as safe as it once was. Our students are falling behind and struggle with mental health due to harmful policies toward the pandemic. The economy is setting families back while hindering entrepreneurship and causing stagnation. It’s time to change that.

I’ll work to address these issues. Something we can all agree on is that Minnesota should be a great place to live, work, and raise a family. To accomplish this, we must hold criminals accountable, put students first, and rein in government greed through excessive taxation.

Visit www.elliottengen.com or email me at info@elliottengen.com with any questions.

Elliott Engen Candidate, MN House- 36A

SCHOOL BRIEFS

Martina Wagner

District names Director of Educational Equity and Achievement

The White Bear Lake Area School District announces that Dr. Martina Wagner has been chosen to serve as the district’s Director of Educational Equity and Achievement. She will begin her new role on July 1.

Dr. Wagner currently serves as the Educational Equity Coordinator at Owatonna Public Schools, coordinating initiatives related to diversity and inclusion and coordinating equitable learning outcomes that align with the district’s equity action plan and strategic plan. She is also a consultant who has worked both nationally and internationally to increase awareness of educational best practice and systems restructure.

Wagner began as a mainstream teacher before moving into English Learner Teacher and Coordinator roles at Lakeville Public Schools. Her role expanded to include oversight of English Language Learner (ELL) services, Targeted Services, the ALC, Credit Recovery and summer programming when she served as Student Services Supervisor at North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale Public Schools. She has also worked in roles of consultant, specialist and director of E-12 services with Metro ECSU, a nonprofit educational cooperative that provides education services and programs.

“With her years of experience working with students from pre-K to adult education, and her passion for supporting teachers and leaders so that they can positively influence student learning, Dr. Wagner will be a terrific fit for this reimagined role in White Bear Lake Area Schools,” said Superintendent Wayne Kazmierczak. “I am confident that under her leadership in educational equity and achievement, our work will be both purposeful and transformational.”

Special Education paraprofessional receives Distinguished Educator Award

The White Bear Lake Area Educational Foundation presented the 2022 Lynn Mielke Distinguished Educator Award to Jackie Hook, Special Education Paraprofessional at Otter Lake Elementary. A nomination letter submitted by a colleague stated, “Jackie believes in the potential of every student that enters our room... Jackie truly believes that each of our students has the ability to learn and grow.” The award is given annually in memory of Lynn Mielke, a special education teacher in the White Bear Lake Area Schools for more than 25 years.

Celebrations

Baby Arrival

Hugo’s newest citizen Kendall Marie Domine arrived April 27th at 9:32 P.M. Her parents Amber & Cameron Domine couldn’t be happier with their firstborn baby girl!

• Superintendent Dr. Wayne Kazmierczak reported the board discussed at a recent work session changing school board elections from odd to even years.

The board believes that voter participation would be greater and election administration easier if school district general elections were held in conjunction with state general elections in

November of the even-numbered year. School Board Clerk Angela

Thompson asked what the cost savings would be if the board voted for the change. “The cost savings is more of a potential cost savings long-term,” Kazmierczak said. “The election manager felt that we could be in the neighborhood of 20-25% savings as we move forward.” The board voted to pass the resolution that school board general elections held after 2021 shall be held in the even-numbered years and establish a transition plan as recommended. • Kazmierczak announced that planning is underway for a celebration and reunion event from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 4 at Hugo Elementary. “Among the activities are an open house tour, memory boards, ice cream truck and class photos taken by decade,” he said. • Kazmierczak said that high school students who are studying

German met with delegates from

Germany. The guests visited

White Bear Lake to learn about sustainability efforts as part of the city's climate smart municipality initiative. “We are hoping the connection will lead to future partnership opportunities,” he said. • The school board recognized senior Bemnet Tessema and junior

Lauren Collier for their roles as the 2021-22 student representatives on the school board. “Not every school board in the state has student liaisons, we are really grateful for the service of our students,” Board Chair Jessica

Ellison said. • High school students are working as cooks, servers and hosts at

Donatelli's restaurant in White

Bear Lake every Tuesday in May.

“Students have worked hard preparing by writing resumes, cover letters and interviewed for positions with the managers,”

Kazmierczak said. “The program is a long standing one with the

Italian restaurant.” • The board congratulated Vadnais

Heights Elementary fourth-grade teacher Mae Haley for being named the White Bear Lake Area

Schools Teacher of the Year.

The next White Bear Lake School Board meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 13, at the District Center, 4855 Bloom Ave. in White Bear Lake.

Noelle Olson

WHITE BEAR LAKE CITY COUNCIL NOTES

WHITE BEAR LAKE — City Council conducted the following business at its May 10 meeting: • Heard presentations on Marketfest from new Chair Dan Perry and Manitou Days from Chair Bill

Weigel.

This year’s Marketfest, a summer festival that draws 5,000 people to downtown, runs Thursday evenings June 16 thru July 28.

Perry said last year’s Marketfest netted $16,000 in profits; the same is expected for 2022.

Theme nights include Hockey

Day MN on July 14 and the environmental resource expo July 28.

Weigel then announced “100 years of water skiing” as this year’s Manitou Days theme, which runs June 16 through July 4. The

June 17 parade is down this year from its typical 100 units as events recover from the pandemic, Weigel said. He thanked the city for its support, as well as special chairs

Si and Vicki Ford “who have done so much for this city.” Weigel also introduced Paul Carlson, who will be next year’s Manitou chair.

City Council approved a $7,000

“ask” from Marketfest. The city has been contributing financially to Marketfest since 1998 and has the funds in this year’s budget. The city provides staff and physical resources in support of Manitou

Days. Council Member Kevin Edberg asked Perry if he would please provide a balance sheet. • Accepted the annual financial audit report.

“Good reports all around,” said

Brad Falteysek of Abdo Eick &

Meyers. “The city had a good year financially.”

One noteworthy slide on taxes showed the city’s tax rate, 22%, is quite a bit lower — almost half — that of peer cities of similar size.

Taxes per capita had the same story. The report showed that White

Bear residents paid $323 compared to $600 per resident in peer cities.

Debt per capita is also significantly lower at $800 for White Bear residents and $1,300 for peer cities.

The complete report can be found

at the city website, whitebearlake. org. • Awarded sale of general obligation bonds in the amount of $3,010,000 to Northland Securities. The bond will fund the 2022 street improvement project. Once again, the city was assigned a AA+ long-term bond rating by S&P Global Ratings. S&P stated its outlook for the city is “stable.” The rating is one step below the highest possible rating. To reach that rating, the city would need to increase fund reserves and tax capacity, said Finance Director Kerri Kindsvater.

The city has eight bonds outstanding, not including this one.

The true interest rate for the new bond is 3.217%, which Kindsvater pointed out is lower than rates on two previous bond issues in 2018.

She told council it was a strong showing.

Edberg noted that staff deserved kudos for retaining the “impressive” bond rating. • Approved request by Sandra and

Joseph Claussen of Beartown Bar & Grill, 4875 Hwy. 61, for a variance to allow a 2,700-square-foot deck expansion. Outdoor seating now totals 74 with the expansion.

Live music one night a week will also be allowed between Memorial and Labor Day, like other establishments. Music is planned Saturdays 1:30 to 4:30 and 6 to 9 p.m. • Authorized city manager to invite participants for County Road E project team and advisory group.

A 20-member project team will identify goals and objectives of the corridor development initiative. A citizen advisory group will also be created to ensure diverse representation from a range of community interests and backgrounds.

Housing & Economic Development

Coordinator Tracy Shimek said staff recommends, and council approved, appointing council members Edberg and Dan Jones and Planning Commissioner Mike

Amundson to the project team, as well as business owner Jan Johnson.