District 196 School Board Candidate Joel Albright

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 family and I have been residents of District 196 since 1995 and I have been on the school board since 2004. I grew up in Lake City, Minnesota, graduated from Salisbury University in Maryland, and have been a credentialed actuary since 1992. My wife and I have been married for 23 wonderful years and we have two children attending District 196 schools.

I have served in numerous capacities on the board, including as board clerk and treasurer and on the Policy Review, Curriculum and Instruction, and Legislative committees. I have been a member of the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) for the past eight years. I represent the board in several outside organizations, including as President of Schools for Equity in Education, an organization of Minnesota school districts working toward equitable and adequate funding of public schools across the state.

I have been active in youth athletics, coaching in EVAA or RAAA every year since 1997. I have coached softball, volleyball and wrestling in that time. I was the founding director of the Eastview Lightning Strike Tournament, an annual girls fastpitch softball tournament that draws teams from Wisconsin, South Dakota, and across Minnesota, including all seven District 196 cities.

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

I am running for re-election to the District 196 school board because there are still many challenges ahead for public schools and I want to continue doing everything I can to ensure that District 196 is able to handle those challenges and succeed in its mission of “Educating our students to reach their full potential.”

Financially, the state of Minnesota has fallen far short of its constitutionally mandated duty to establish and make provisions to secure a general, uniform, thorough and efficient system of public schools. Despite this, District 196 has been a good steward of its limited financial resources. On the occasions where the school board has had to consider making cuts, we have done so very prudently, after looking at alternative options and considering the impact of the cuts on our students, staff, and community. If re-elected, I will maintain this fiscal prudence and approach any future cuts with caution and restraint.

Academically, District 196 continues to perform above both state and national averages. Despite this overall success, however, we still have individual students that are struggling and we have not yet been able to close the achievement gap.  If re-elected, I will continue working to resolve these issues.

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

• Student success
• Continued fiscal prudence
• Long-term financial stability

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

The board, administration and staff in all our buildings are always looking for cost saving opportunities and initiatives. The Schools for Energy Efficiency program, which has generated over $2 million in energy cost savings over the past four years, is a good example. Cost savings through efficiencies are much better than cutting programs, and we will continue to pursue such opportunities throughout the district.

Although small revenue raising opportunities, such as advertising in our schools and on our websites, have come before the school board, the ultimate source for significant additional revenues is through action by the state Legislature. Specifically, the state must develop a dedicated and stable source of funding for education and reduce the inequitable and burdensome reliance on local property tax levies. Short-term solutions include re-establishing the statewide general education levy and increasing the local levy equalization factors, both of which will significantly help the students and taxpayers of District 196. The long-term solution is to re-evaluate the entire system of education funding in Minnesota and develop a plan to tie school funding to the actual cost of educating our students. The recommendations of the Governor’s Working Group on School Funding are a good place to start.

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

As a member of the board’s Policy and Curriculum & Instruction committees, I am involved with annual reviews and periodic adjustments in these areas. These committees, along with the Curriculum and Instruction Advisory Council (CIAC), provide the framework for reviewing, analyzing and implementing any necessary changes on a regular basis.

One of my main areas of concern over the past few years has been the success of our middle school students, which is why I volunteered to be on the Middle School Program Review committee. The committee spent a lot of time studying programs, formats, and ideas that have been successful in schools outside our district while, at the same time, looking at what has worked and what hasn’t within our own buildings. I believe the curricular and structural changes that have been implemented in our middle schools this year will have a significant positive impact on our students and their achievement.

The process the Middle School Program Review committee used was a good model for any future significant curricular, structural, or program changes that may be required.  If re-elected, I intend to be involved in any such committees as they are needed in the future.

What is the purpose of public education?

On an individual level, the purpose of public education is to provide a level playing field for all students and to give everyone the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation or age.

On a community level, the purpose of public education is to prepare the next generation to be productive, contributing members of society and to equip our future workforce with the tools and skills necessary to compete in a global economy.

Albright is an incumbent in this race.