Where do the candidates stand: Faribault School Board

It is a loaded ticket as seven people are trying to secure one of the three spots open on the Faribault School Board.

Incumbents Richard Olson, Jerry Robicheau and Cassie Steeves are asking voters to give them another term on the board, while Mike Cross, Candace Knudson, Tabitha Kuperus and Janet Moline are also seeking to join the board.

The Daily News asked the candidates where they stand on some important local topics.

Background: In 100 words or less, how are you connected with and/or involved in the Rice County community, and/or what local government experience do you have.

Mike Cross

Age: 63

Occupation: Semi-retired — Contractor for USPS Bulk Route

Education: Associate Of Arts Degree — Pima College

I’m the father of four children that along with myself, have attended classes within the Faribault Public School District. I was born and raised in Faribault. My family moved back to Faribault in April 2014. I recently served on The Board of Directors at Cannon River Stem where I term limited out. While on the board, I held the offices of Treasurer and Board Chair. I also served and chaired on many committees. I’m a member of the Faribault Booster Club (Go Falcons), The Loyal Order of the Moose, and the Building and Grounds Committee at First English Lutheran Church.

Candace Knudson

Occupation: Teacher

Education: Faribault High School Graduate, Antioch University LA, BA Psychology; Minnesota State University Mankato, BA Teaching — licensed in Social Studies, Reading and Special Education.

I retired from Faribault Public Schools (FPS) in 2022 after teaching Special Education at the Area Learning Center and Faribault High School. I currently teach adults part-time at the Faribault Education Center and substitute teach. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to talk with many students and parents as well as FPS employees including secretaries, teachers, paras, maintenance, administrators and coordinators. Because of these connections I learn a lot about what works and doesn’t work so well within the FPS. I have also volunteered at the Paradise Center for the Arts, Riverbend Nature Center and Furball Farms.

Tabby Kuperus

Age: 47

Occupation: Personal Care Assistant

Education: AAS degree in Accounting

I have no previous local government experience, this is my first foray into the governmental sector. I am excited for the opportunity to learn and grow while supporting and fostering the needs of our teachers and students.

Janet Moline

Age: 65

Occupation: Artist, Taxpayer advocate

Education: Bachelor’s Degree, University of Minnesota.

I have been involved in the Faribault community almost 25 years. I am a volunteer driver with Aging Services for Communities, and I served on the School Reorganization Committee this summer.

Richard Olson

Age: 73

Occupation: State of Minnesota Master Building Official and Real Estate

Investor

Education: Degrees in Architecture and Structural Engineering

Served 16 years on the Faribault School Board, former delegate to the Minnesota School Board Association, former clerk and treasurer on the Faribault School Board, President’s Award for the amount of school board education.

Jerry Robicheau

Occupation: Retired educational professor

Education: Graduate degree Doctorate, PhD

I’ve lived in Faribault since 1981. I was a school district employee for 13 years. I’m a member from Sertoma, a community service organization. I currently serve as President of the Allina Health Faribault Medical Center Hospital Board. I’m currently on the Chamber Board for “Faribault Cares,” a board that is addressing child care programs in Faribault. I’m the chair of the Faribault Public Schools Educational Trust Association, a nonprofit that annually awards scholarships to FHS Students. I am currently a member of the Faribault school board and prior to this term I served for 8 years on the board.

Casie Steeves

Age: 37

Occupation: Director of Operations, Faribault Chamber of Commerce

I am actively involved in the Faribault community through my career at a private membership-based organization dedicated to enhancing our city’s quality of life. My husband and I have lifelong ties to Faribault, choosing it as the place to raise our three children. Over the last several years, both in my personal life, and professional role, I have developed a strong understanding of our local government operations, as well passion for how our government can work for its citizens. I was elected in 2020, and am now seeking a second term.

Why are you running, and what are the most significant issues and/or topics you want to address?

Cross: With having a daughter in 10th grade I would like to stay involved in what she and others do in the school system. Remember NOT every student will go on to college. Every student deserves a well rounded education to help them succeed in life after High School. I (and many others) worked hard over this past summer as a member of the Reorganization committee to help bring proposals to the current board. I truly care about this town and the district. Budgeting and low enrollment seem to be 2 major issues. These are the same 2 issues that most districts in the country face.

Knudson: During my tenure in the Faribault education system, I spent a lot of time in the schools. Because of my experience, I can provide an insider’s perspective on the board that will help our community understand what is needed in the classrooms to better work with students. I will advocate for the staff in our buildings as I feel it is important that they have a voice when making decisions that impact our schools. We need to focus on our students and put our efforts into improving their ability to read, write, do math and provide career pathways for them to be successful in the future.

Kuperus: I am running because I would like to support and foster our teachers and students. Firstly, I would like to appropriate more funding to teachers and students to meet their needs. Secondly, would like to implement a more basic learning structure to support teachers and students in the learning environment. Finally, I would like to work on empowering our students and teachers to create a safe and secure learning environment.

Moline: I am running to be a School Board member because in cost/benefit analysis our educational outcome is highly disappointing. The taxpayers are spending almost $30,000 per student and our students are not meeting standards in math, reading or science. (Students meeting standards according to the Minnesota Department of Education: Math 19.5%, Reading 32.4% and Science 20.3%)

Olson: I am running for school board to ensure or children’s schools are the best in the State. I desire to give back to my community and represent them by serving another term. I will strive to fix specific issues in our district, like increasing student achievement, improve school safety (fights and cyberbullying) and get back to basics (reading, writing, math, science) and not social engineering. I have always told the truth to the stakeholders and will continue to be consistent with my voting.

Robicheau: I am a lifelong learner. I know the value of education and how it can positively impact a person’s life/career goals. Consequently, it is critical that the education they receive is relevant and aligned with preparing the learners with the goals they hold. The most significant issue I see is to ensure that the education our students receive and continue to receive is of the highest quality. That they learn in a Culture of Educational Excellence. An educational environment where all students are accepted and engaged and taught by compassionate caring educators. This is the most significant issue I wish to address and advocate for as a school board member.

Steeves: As a lifelong resident of Faribault, I understand the importance of having a strong public-school system and offer a unique perspective on how it relates to the economies of our community. As a parent of tiny Falcons, not only do I have a vested interest in serving the community of Faribault, as a school board member, it is something that has become my passion, and I hope to encourage others, primarily parents, to become involved. Growing student achievement, with a less than ideal budget is one of my top priorities, along with growing our student base by offering unique and innovative programming, such as Career Readiness, Dual Programing, Language immersion, and more.

How would you like to see Faribault Public Schools support diverse learning needs and address achievement gaps?

Cross: At this present time they are doing good job with making everyone feel welcomed to the district. Zac and his crew do a fantastic job in finding grants (Free Money) to help ALL students grow within the district. Faribault is a very unique community. We have students from many different countries speaking many different languages. Test scores are obviously going to be lower. The question is Not why! The questions is WHAT are we doing to improve???

Knudson: I do believe that early childhood programs and pre-kindergarten education is key to improving achievement for all students. By making students ready for kindergarten, we improve their ability to learn which carries throughout their education. I would like to see smaller class sizes and more adult support for students who need the help and encouragement. I would like to see the Spanish immersion program expand to support our Spanish speaking students and give our English speaking students an exceptional opportunity to learn another language at a young age. This could extend to other languages as well. I would also like to see career pathways expand at the middle and high school levels to help our students learn skills that will help them after high school.

Kuperus: I feel a more consistent and simple approach would allow a more empowered learning environment. Allocating more materials to support students with differing learning styles will support and foster learning for our students in all areas.

Moline: Educational outcomes and enrollment have been declining for more than ten years. And despite an admirable 1:11 teacher student ratio and a nearly 90-million-dollar budget, we have not seen a turn around. We need to take a hard look at how we are addressing “diverse learning needs” and the “achievement gaps” and reverse policies that are exacerbating the problems.

Olson: We, as a district, must re-evaluate our teaching materials and methods to ensure that they represent diverse voices. We must get to know our students and use their unique qualities to build a diverse school culture. We must be willing to address inequality in our district. The district must connect with families and community to ensure fairness for all of our students. Finally, the district must meet diverse learning needs but still emphasize back to basics learning.

Robicheau: I see the way to support diverse learning is to ensure that our educators are culturally competent. That they understand and appreciate diversity and can be inclusive in their teaching. Moreover, they set high expectations for ALL students. High Expectations for academic achievement, behavior and attendance. All three need to be clear and understandable for all. We need an educational system that is engaging and student focused. Further, we need to be sure our teachers hav the needed resources to teach in a diverse environment.

Steeves: I believe Faribault Public Schools does a great job of addressing diverse learning needs and promoting equitable education. It’s essential that all students—regardless of their financial status, race, or religion—feel valued and have access to the resources they need to succeed. Students should be both challenged and supported in areas where they struggle, which is why I strongly advocate and support for the WIN (What I Need) model. This approach ensures that every student receives the tailored assistance necessary to thrive academically and are challenged in the areas they are excelling at.

What will be your approach to balancing the school budget in terms of reducing spending and/or raising taxes and fees?

Cross: Let’s put things in perspective: The school district is a business. How do they get the majority of their revenue? State funded money (taxes).What determines the amount? Students — Students — Students. As a business you must have opportunities for all students to keep them enrolled within our district. With that being said: You can not spend what you do not have. The school board has the responsibility to “help educate other people’s children with other people’s money.” I do not take that responsibility lightly — I would be honored to represent The Faribault Community with the “COMMON SENSE” vote.

Knudson: The birth rate in Rice County is generally declining which leads to declining enrollment. This is part of the reason we have been cutting teaching staff, but I don’t want to see that lead to large class sizes. I would rather look at the entire budget of FPS to see which cuts make the most sense for our students before cutting teachers and other staff that work directly with students. I also wonder if we have positions that are redundant or could be combined. I have been a volunteer on the reorganization committee which should lead to reduced spending by closing/selling the ALC building and using our other buildings more efficiently.

Kuperus: I would like to simplify the budget. In doing so I feel we can emphasize teacher and student support. This will help the teachers to foster the motivation to learn and create a more supportive environment for both students and staff.

Moline: As families are taxed more, ever more families are unable to make ends meet. I would oppose any solution that increases the burden on families in this economic environment while educational outcome and enrollment numbers continue to decline.

Olson: School spending and budgeting are not only dynamic but also very complex. A step by step approach includes reversing the spending from the past year. Begin by analyzing the previous year’s budget and performance to gain insights into our school’s spending habits. Next, create a list of reasonable goals and objectives and calculate existing expenditures. Finally, implement a strategic plan of action and then follow up on the plan. We must live within our means and not pour money down a rat hole, therefore, no new taxes or fees.

Robicheau: First and foremost I would want to be sure our limited resources are being allocated to teaching and learning and the education of students. This is a multi step process. First step is to ensure budgeted resources are allocated to the “classroom.” Second, is to evaluate how our resources are supporting the classroom. Third, determine if the board is being fiscally responsible considering the direction on enrollment. Fourth, is to advocate for appropriate allocation of state dollars. If all of these can be answered with “we are being fiscally responsible,” which we currently are, then it would be necessary to ask the community: What kind of educational system do you want and would you be willing to support it with a tax increase?

Steeves: During my time on the board, we’ve cut multiple-millions of dollars from the budget, as well as taken a hard look at programming that is working, and what is not working as well. While reducing spending seems like an easy answer, or the most conservative answer, it needs to be carefully weighed to avoid cutting programs that are showing a benefit to academic growth, and/or drawing students from other districts to our schools.