Chad Mosser
What inspired you to run for the school board, and what specific skills or experiences do you bring to the role?
Six years ago, running for school board was not something I ever thought about. I was approached by a friend who said this was something I should consider. That friend apparently saw something in me that I did not see in myself. The experience and skills I have are, first, I am a parent to students. Secondly, I am a rational thinker who makes decisions based on facts more than feelings. Thats not to say I do not have empathy, but decisions made at the board level must be for all students, staff, and patrons, not just for the benefit of a few. At my day job, I am the leader of a team for Enbridge. Bringing those experiences, ways of thinking, and acting has been a benefit to me, and the district.
2. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing our school district, and how do you plan to address them if elected?
a) Planning for anticipated growth in our district with our current infrastructure b) Upgrading our kitchen / cafeteria and aging elementary wing c) Conducting our school business with financial responsibility while keeping the trust of district patrons with decisions we make d) How to best prepare our students to become successful, productive members of society whether going directly into the workforce, trade school, or further scholastic achievements.
3. How do you envision fostering collaboration and communication between the school board, administration, teachers, parents, and students?
Communication is always a challenge because the level of satisfaction is decided by each individual receiver of it. I am incredibly pleased with the introduction of our school app which gets "most" of the information to most who want it. I am also of the belief that the information is available, and the onus is on those who want it, to go seek it. My advice to everyone who yearns collaboration and communication is to get involved. There are countless opportunities for you to become more integrated with the school, you just need to take that step.
4. What strategies would you implement to promote innovation and adaptability in our schools to meet the evolving needs of students in the 21st century?
We need to allow our teachers to be innovative and creative in how they conduct their classrooms. They are the educators, and if allowed to create the environment they envision for the best student instruction, it is a win for everyone. My personal belief is that trades' skills are becoming increasingly more in demand and would really like to explore educational opportunities for our students who have that desire. More schooling is simply not the fit for many young adults and there are many opportunities for success in trades.
5. Finally, how do you plan to engage with the community and solicit input from various stakeholders to inform your decisions as a school board member?
In my six years on the board, we have come to rely on surveys through the school app. We have found great success in decision making because of the surveys. Additionally, we have created several committees who have done wonderful work gathering information and bringing recommendations to the board. As an elected board of 5, there can be a lot of weight making decisions that are satisfactory for the masses. We know that not everyone will be happy all the time, but we do our best to please the majority. Again, I encourage anyone who has a personal stake in the school to find a way to get involved through any of the countless opportunities, all you have to do is ask, how can I help?
Curt Olson
1. What inspired you to run for the school board, and what specific skills or experiences do you bring to the role?
I was inspired to get involved when we first became a school back in 2015. We had just moved into the district and my 2 kids were enrolled in 2014. We were instantly involved in many activities and seemed like we were at the school 2-3 times a week for sporting events. I was asked by the board President if I would be interested in running and it took off from there. I would like to have another opportunity to serve what would be my 3rd term. Our current board operates very effectively and we have diverse backgrounds, mine being corporate management. We have implemented many great things during my first 2 terms and I am proud to be a part of that.
2. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing our school district, and how do you plan to address them if elected?
One area of concern is a good thing, but we are nearing capacity in most classes and there are requests every month to add new out of district kids. We continue to consider each request carefully and plan for a future addition.
3. How do you envision fostering collaboration and communication between the school board, administration, teachers, parents, and students?
The role of a school board is not to be involved in the normal day to day operations of the school, we leave that up to the administration. We are here for when situations that have gone through the proper channels still go unresolved. Our job is to ensure policies are written and followed and provide guidance to the administration on how we can make South Prairie a better place to attend and be employed with. Within the walls of the school we need to continue to utilize the technology available to provide a clear and consistent message as well as improving real time communications.
4. What strategies would you implement to promote innovation and adaptability in our schools to meet the evolving needs of students in the 21st century?
We were able to build the new shop and we are getting up to speed with curriculum and staffing. We need to keep on the gas pedal with CTE classes and get our kids interested in the trades as that industry will be aggressively seeking new employees in the very near future.
5. Finally, how do you plan to engage with the community and solicit input from various stakeholders to inform your decisions as a school board member?
I am always available for a phone call and will listen to our patrons thoughts and ideas but I will not act on any item at that time, I will bring forward any areas of concerns to the full board.
Mark McMillan
1. What inspired you to run for the school board, and what specific skills or experiences do you bring to the role?
I’m a husband and father to three amazing kids. Our oldest started her school journey at South Prairie through open enrollment. We quickly realized the amazing potential at South Prairie, and sought annexation into the district to ensure our younger children would also be able to attend. I knew then, I had a desire to eventually serve on the school board and be a part of creating the brightest possible future for our kids. Though I am a big supporter of athletics and the arts as well, I also recognize that academics needs to be the foundation we build our educational system on.
During the week, I am a lead generator technician for Pearce Services, while many of my weekends are spent serving with the North Dakota Army National Guard as a Sergeant First Class. I’ve been enlisted for 18 years which has included two deployments to the Middle East. I’ve grown a lot through those experiences and learned a thing or two about leadership through my command.
Additionally, I have some ideas I hope to share with our schools if elected. I was inspired by a Farm to School program that was started in my hometown in western SD. This program coordinated local beef producers and local processing plants to provide affordable local beef to the school district. I would like to discuss how we could get a farm-to-table program started here at South Prairie. It could potentially lower food costs while improving food quality. This program would benefit our local producers and families in the district and give our school food security over their supply chain. If we learned nothing else from COVID, it should be that the long-distance food supply chain can be fragile at times.
2. What do you see as the most pressing issues facing our school district, and how do you plan to address them if elected?
One of the larger concerns I see facing the school district is traffic safety at the Highway 83 & County Road 20 intersection. We have a large volume of young, less experienced drivers, leaving the school every day who have to cross 4 lanes of high speed, highway traffic to get home. As our enrollment increases, so will the traffic, and potentially the accidents involving our children. We need to continue to work as a team with county & state officials, to help keep our kids safe. I know there have been efforts to address this with state/county already, but we need to continue those efforts. I would welcome a school survey to gain input from our district. Some points for discussion might be a reduced speed limit, multiple highway entrances, flashing yellow lights, & school zone signs.
3. How do you envision fostering collaboration and communication between the school board, administration, teachers, parents, and students?
Communication can start as simple as hosting an annual informal open house to meet the board members. It would be a chance for parents to learn more about the school board’s role and the administration’s role in their children’s education, and it would give both teachers and parents an opportunity to discuss needs and concerns face-to-face in a casual, non-threatening environment.
A round table discussion would be another opportunity to foster communication and hear comments and concerns from the South Prairie community. I would also recommend continued use of survey questions, especially prior to a round table event to give board members an opportunity to prepare for and respond to concerns they receive. Surveys are a great tool, but they also need to include open-ended questions, not just check the blanks, if we really want to get the conversation started. I think a lot of people would like to be more involved, but don’t always no where to start, so the board needs to initiate those opportunities.
4. What strategies would you implement to promote innovation and adaptability in our schools to meet the evolving needs of students in the 21st century?
We need to stay on top of technology trends to help our students succeed, and to help our graduates be competitive in the work force. It’s also important to recognize that everyone learns differently. Some kids will excel more through hands-on learning and trades, while others thrive in a formal learning environment. We need to be sure we are working with not only colleges, but also trade/tech schools to keep our graduates informed of all the opportunities out there, and foster the best learning environment for each student. We have always been impressed by the individual teaching styles at South Prairie when teachers are given the opportunity to be creative.
I would also like to discuss the pros & cons of a 4-day school week. A 4-day week is becoming increasingly popular among school districts, and we need to at least ask why, and see whether or not it would be a good fit for the South Prairie community. In my hometown of Wall, SD, they have successfully been on a 4-day schedule for several years, with childcare program being offered on Fridays for families of younger children. Their school year is not any longer than ours. They actually start after Labor Day and end before Memorial Day. The 4-day week has made travelling for sporting events easier on their athletes, so they don't miss as much school, and it also gives their students who need extra help, access to their teachers for one-on-one instruction on Fridays.
I also personally benefited from a block schedule my senior year of high school and would like to share my experiences with that. Block scheduling would be 4 classes one day, and 4 other classes the next day, and alternating days for classes. The class periods are longer so more material can be covered efficiently without losing as much time changing classrooms each day. It allows students to receive an additional credit during a semester, which can be especially beneficial for students looking to graduate early or begin college courses while still attending high school. A block schedule can also benefit students who may have been struggling somewhere along the way and find themselves needing an extra credit in time to graduate.
5. Finally, how do you plan to engage with the community and solicit input from various stakeholders to inform your decisions as a school board member?
I plan on talking to people within my township about my intent to run for the school board. If elected, I will make myself available to my community to address concerns and tackle these challenges together. My goal is to foster the most positive learning environment possible for all of our children, and I would hope to make more families feel comfortable enough to share their valuable input with us and become more involved in our school.