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Do you support federally funded public education? Please explain why you do or why you don’t support it.

My support for federally funded public education can by summed up by Article 13, Section 1 of the Minnesota Constitution which reads as follows:

UNIFORM SYSTEM OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools. The legislature shall make such provisions by taxation or otherwise as will secure a thorough and efficient system of public schools throughout the state.

While the U.S. Constitution leaves public K-12 education to the states, I think it is appropriate for the federal government to supplement state funding in order to ensure a basic level of education for all students nationwide and to help educate students with the greatest needs.

In your own words can you tell us what’s wrong or right with the Eden Prairie School Board plan to “balance out crowded schools, flatten socio-economic differences, and make room for a sixth elementary school?”

The plan has merit because it creates a more effective learning environment for all elementary students in the district. First, it balances for capacity. Because the northern part of Eden Prairie is more mature and has fewer young children than the southern part of the city, elementary schools in the northern quadrants had capacity while the southern schools were bursting at the seams. Second, it balances the demographics of each elementary school for socioeconomic factors which will lead to better student achievement. The unfortunate reality is that there is an achievement gap in Eden Prairie as there is across the nation. While Eden Prairie has had success in closing that gap, that success cannot be sustained in schools where almost half of the students need to achieve at a faster rate. Also, in schools where less than 10 percent of the students need to learn faster, these students can become isolated which has a negative impact on their achievement. Finally, it creates an environment where children have more sustained, long-term relationships with adults. When more adults understand how an individual child learns, that child’s achievement will increase.

Here is a URL to an article from a January 2011 Integration Report from the National Coalition on School Diversity which shows the depth of what appears to be a national trend to turn the clock back on integration. Do you support integration of public schools?

I absolutely support the integration of public schools. Research shows that all students achieve at higher rates in a more diverse environment. Eden Prairie is changing as a community and I believe we should embrace that change in our schools.

Do you support anti-bullying state legislation? Tell us why or why not.

Sadly the impact of bullying in schools has been felt by the families of too many students in Minnesota. It seems obvious to me that bullying should not be tolerated. While the Minnesota law could be made stronger by defining bullying, it is a start. It holds school boards accountable for at least making sure that there is an anti-bullying policy in place.

Do you agree with the Hennepin County decision to take a neutral position toward GLBT students?

Given what appears to be happening in the Anoka-Hennepin school district relative to bullying of LGBT students, a policy of neutrality doesn’t seem to be working. That being said, I think the two issues should be separated. First, the school district should aggressively enforce anti-bullying policies regardless of the reason a student is being bullied. Second, LGBT students should be treated equally. For example, they should be able to attend school events as couples just as straight students do.

Do you support federal public funding going to religious/ private schools, i.e. voucher programs?

I do not support voucher programs. While I believe in the right of parental choice, I do not believe that schools that are not required to follow the same regulations as public schools should receive public funding. Private schools are not subject to standardized testing and they do not have to provide services to students with special needs. In addition, it doesn’t make economic sense as smaller schools do not have the economies of scale required to deliver results in a cost effective manner. Finally, the U.S. Constitution provides for the separation of church and state so I do not think religious schools should receive public funding.

Would you support teaching Creationism in Eden Prairie Public Schools? Explain why or why not.

I would not support teaching Creationism. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the teaching of creationism as science in public schools to be unconstitutional. Intelligent design has been presented as an alternative explanation to evolution in recent decades, but its "demonstrably religious, cultural, and legal missions" have been ruled unconstitutional by a lower court.

Please tell us about your educational vision for our schools?

I would like to see the Eden Prairie School District continue to focus on graduating students with the skills they need to be successful in the 21^st century. I think the introduction of STEM classrooms is a step in the right direction. Inquiry based learning is one of the fundamental elements of STEM curriculum. It requires students to actively engage in a situation in order to find the solution rather than passively being lectured to. In today’s world finding information is not a problem. The challenge is to be a judicious consumer of information and to have the skills needed to use information to solve problems and innovate. My vision for our schools is to give all students the opportunity to build these skills.

Do you believe 'Test and punish' is the way to educate children or evaluate schools?

Although standardized testing takes away from precious time in the classroom, I think it is necessary to better understand student achievement and the performance of the educational system. As for punishment, it has always seemed oxymoronic to me that the answer for a “failing” school is to take away resources. I would think you would do just the opposite; bring in resources to understand why the students are not achieving and to implement best practices to drive student achievement in those schools.

As an Eden Prairie School Board Member would/do you support the State and Local Funding Flexibility Act (H.R. 2445).

I would support giving local school boards more discretion in directing funds to programs that support student achievement in their district. I firmly believe that the administrators and teachers in the Eden Prairie school district know what students need to achieve so giving them more flexibility to direct funds to specific initiatives makes sense. I support H.R. 2445 because it includes requirements to ensure that federal funds continue to support students with the greatest needs but at the same time gives local school boards the flexibility to do what is best for the students in their districts.