District 196 School Board Candidate Gary Krueger

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.

My wife, Cindy, and I have been district residents since 1990. Our three sons, Brian, Scottie and Eric all went to District 196 schools (Pinewood, Dakota Hills, Eagan High). I have been a coach/volunteer for numerous teams with the Eagan Athletic Association, been on the travel basketball board (equipment coordinator) and in-house baseball board (umpire coordinator). I have been an active volunteer in District 196 (PTA, Eagan High band/drumline and cross country booster, Eagan High parent link crew). Other community activities include church volunteer at St. Thomas Becket, and volunteering with Minnesota Brass Drum Corps, Twin Cities Marathon and USA Cup soccer tournament.

I have a bachelor's degree in natural resources the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My current employer is the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, where I am a project manager in the Superfund program. I am responsible for the investigation and cleanup of contaminated sites, either through hiring a state contractor or oversight of responsible parties in conducting cleanup actions.   Current projects include oversight of 3M in the cleanup of PFC sites in Washington County, and the University of Minnesota’s investigation of the Gopher Ordinance Works site in Rosemount. I am also the overall contract/budget manager for the Superfund program.

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

In my role as a Superfund project manager [at the the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency], I have had to deal with some very stressful and controversial projects. I want to bring my public sector technical and budgetary experience to the board. I have had to make some tough fiscal choices for state-funded projects, and it is the board’s responsibility to ensure taxpayer resources are utilized appropriately and efficiently. Throughout all my projects, I have always tried to focus on making decisions that will best serve the taxpayers of the state.  

With budgets becoming more restrictive, the board will need to make tough choices on which programs receive priority, much like I need to make in managing state funds responsibly. I also believe I can bring a fresh perspective to the board. While I commend the current board members for their many years of service, any board, commission, or advisory council needs some turnover in members, which is good for its long-term strength.

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

First, the district needs to be fiscally sound in providing services to the community. Probably the biggest issue facing school districts today are funding shortfalls. … This is especially true in Minnesota, with continued delays in funding to districts from the state. The board and administration needs to manage its resources efficiently, to ensure educators have the resources to provide a high-quality education.

Second, the district needs to find ways to maintain the core educational programs, without negatively affecting the noncore programs such as music and the fine arts. The district also needs to provide all students the opportunity to participate in co-curricular programs …. With three sons being part of the Eagan drumline and ultimately participating in the University of Minnesota and UW-Eau Claire Marching Bands, I have first-hand experience of how strong music/fine art programs can have a positive impact on students.

Third, the district needs to maintain an open and transparent process to not just keep the community informed, but actively engage the community in the decision-making process. … This is a public school system and like myself, being a public employee, board members and school administrators/principals are public officials, entrusted to serve the whole community.

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

The district should develop or continue/expand current district/private business/community organization partnerships. Other opportunities may exist to develop cooperative agreements with local units of government for similar services, or utilize state-managed contracts/purchasing services.    There even should be consideration for inter/intra district agreements for similar programs which are offered in each. This may include schools combining some co-curricular activities to ensure they can continue. While booster organizations may need to find ways to raise funds to keep programs, schools need to be as supportive as possible to these volunteer organizations in order that these valuable activities continue.

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

One area of concern to me is the adjusted middle school schedule, which limits the availability of the non-core classes. I realize some budget reductions were necessary, but it seemed that the middle schools were affected more than their fair share. Limiting opportunities to students to explore their creative side could possibly limit their enthusiasm for school itself. It seems that the changes made this past year were more for a short-term budget fix, which could have long-term negative impacts on the non-core programs at the high school level. I realize it can be difficult to measure success of non-core programs because of the lack of standardized tests for such programs as band and art, but these programs can develop valuable lifelong skills and provide outstanding life experiences.   

What is the purpose of public education?

A sound public education system is the foundation to prepare students to become good citizens and ensure a high quality of life is maintained in the community. Public schools need to prepare students for their post-secondary life in an ever-competitive world. They need to be prepared to compete not just on a national level but also in the global environment. School districts need to find ways to keep up with advances in technology to provide students the necessary skills to be productive in their post-secondary career. Public school districts also need to serve the whole community, not just the K-12 grades. Early childhood education and continuing education opportunities for adults are an important component that must be continued. Districts must also adapt to ever changing demographics, so that a high quality complete education is provided across diverse cultures.