District 196 School Board Candidate Fay Coggshall

Editor's note: The seven candidates running for four seats on the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district board of education responded to questions posed by Patch to help Patch readers learn a little about them.

To promote fairness, we asked each candidate to limit responses to 200 words for each question; we reserved the right to edit for clarity and length if necessary.

The general election is Nov. 8.

Tell readers a little about your background.

I’ve lived in ISD 196 for 33 years. All three of my children attended district schools from elementary through high school. They received the best public school education possible because we lived in this district. I know the area well and the variety of educational settings we’re fortunate to have available.

I have a bachelor's degree in communications from St. Catherine’s University, and my professional training and experience is in the field of human resources management. I’m a strong leader with the ability to bring diverse groups together to meet common goals. I believe in building relationships to solve problems and have done so throughout my personal and professional life.

Why do you want to be on the District 196 school board?

I believe in our public school system. As we know, our public education system is facing enormous challenges. I’m concerned about our ability to continue to provide the same quality education to current district children as we have in the past. Because of this concern, I’m running for school board. I’ll work hard to ensure we maintain the quality and strength necessary to continue improving education for our students. 

I also feel it’s important to bring a fresh perspective to the school board. We need to have experienced members on the board, but we also need to generate new ideas to meet new challenges in our schools.

I believe we need to work even harder to ensure district residents have the information they need to better understand the decisions we must make and the challenges we face. All of us have to be a part of the solution and I’m willing to commit the required time to learn and remain well informed about the programs and issues that impact education and the goals we must meet as a district.

What would be your top three objectives as a school board member?

1.     To maintain a strong public school system that can meet the needs of our changing and diverse student population. As the cultural and economic diversity of our district continues to change, we need to ensure we’re ready to meet the challenge. 

2.    To protect funding for our school district. I would work to build proactive and effective relationships with state legislators and remain diligent in my commitment to ensure our educational dollars are preserved. As a board member, I would reach out to residents on a regular basis to ensure everyone understands how decisions at the state capitol will impact the services we can provide for our students.    

3.   To ensure all students have the same opportunities for learning in an environment in which they feel accepted. We need to prepare students for all post secondary educational opportunities including college, vocational technical training and life skills.

What opportunities do you see for any future cost savings or additional revenues in the district?

Tough economic times have forced us to continually review cost saving measures. Our school district is doing more with less and we can’t continue to provide a quality education if we must keep cutting back. Of course, we should always be looking at ways to be more efficient in the administration and governance of our schools, but we cannot make cuts that diminish the education of our children.

Do you have any specific changes you would want to make to district policies, curriculum, staffing or programs?

District resources need to be balanced between the varying needs of all our students. We must strive to meet the educational needs of all children as fairly and equitably as possible. I’d propose reviewing the curriculum to be certain we’re not only meeting state requirements, but preparing our students for many different roads in life. We have to work together to make our school system work for all kids. In order to do this, we must maintain adequate staffing levels in all student contact positions.

What is the purpose of public education?

Public education is a vital part of a democratic society. Learning is a cooperative process that public schools do well while providing a community where our kids are not only educated, but learn what community means.

A strong public school system is the foundation of our future. It’s offered to all children regardless of who they are or where they live. Public education must be preserved in order for our country to thrive.