I support the district's current approach of having middle and high school students start later because the research is clear: adolescents benefit from later school start times. Improved sleep is associated with better mental health, increased focus, stronger academic performance, and overall well-being. 

When it comes to elementary students, I believe we should carefully examine the available research, community feedback, and the practical impacts on families before making any decisions. While the evidence for later start times is strongest for adolescents, I'm open to exploring whether elementary students could also benefit from a later schedule if it can be done responsibly.

One factor I believe deserves more attention is childcare. Our district has a significant need for before and after school care, and Adventure Club staffing has become more challenging because many high school students (who have traditionally filled these roles) are now in school later than elementary students. If transportation and scheduling allowed elementary schools to start later while secondary students continued to start first, it could create more opportunities for high school students to work after school, helping address staffing shortages and increasing access to childcare for working families. 

Ultimately, I don't believe these decisions should be made based on tradition alone, nor on a single factor. Good school board decisions require balancing research, transportation logistics, staffing, childcare needs, finances, and, most importantly, input from the families, students, educators, and staff who are directly affected. 

My approach will always be to listen, review the evidence, ask thoughtful questions, and make decisions that put students first while considering the needs of our entire community.

I support returning to a post-Labor Day start date whenever possible. While I understand there are legal requirements and operational considerations that must be taken into account, I believe the school calendar should reflect the needs of our students, families, and community.

For many families, the days leading up to Labor Day provide valuable time for vacations, family commitments, and a smoother transition into the school year. I also believe there are important considerations for our local businesses, community events, and the overall rhythm of summer in Stillwater.

At the same time, I recognize that calendar decisions involve many factors, including instructional time requirements, transportation, staffing, athletics, and other district operations. A school board's responsibility is to carefully consider all of these perspectives and make decisions that best serve students and families.

I believe community feedback should be an important part of that conversation. When decisions impact the daily lives of families, students, and staff, we should listen, evaluate the impact, and ensure the community understands how and why those decisions are made.

Our district faces real financial challenges, many of which are driven by increasing costs and state mandates that aren't fully funded. I believe we need to be honest with our community about those challenges while also working proactively to address them.

My first priority would be advocating alongside other school districts for increased state funding so local taxpayers aren't asked to shoulder an ever-growing burden. At the same time, we have a responsibility to continually evaluate how district resources are being used, identify opportunities to operate more efficiently, and ensure every dollar is making the greatest possible impact for students.

If additional budget reductions become necessary, I don't believe any board member should walk into the process with a predetermined list of cuts. Those decisions should be made collaboratively with district leadership, staff, families, and the community. Financial data should inform our decisions, but it shouldn't be the only consideration. We must also consider the impact on students, educators, and families. 

There are certain supports I believe are especially important to protect whenever possible, including services that support students with disabilities, behavioral supports, mental health resources, and programs that directly help students succeed in the classroom.

If the district ultimately needs to ask voters to approve a levy, earning public trust will be essential. The district must clearly explain why additional funding is needed, how those dollars will be used, and what the consequences would be if the levy does not pass. Transparency and honest communication should happen year-round... not only during an election.

Every student deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued in our schools. When students feel like they belong, they are better able to learn, build relationships, and reach their full potential.

I believe a strong school district recognizes that every student is different and that students may need different types of support to be successful. This includes students with disabilities, students who need additional academic or behavioral support, and students who may feel marginalized or disconnected from their school community. 

Supporting students with special needs is an important priority. Families should have confidence that their children are receiving the resources, services, and individualized support they need, and our teachers, paraprofessionals, specialists, and staff should have the training, staffing, and tools necessary to support them effectively.

I also believe every student - including LGBTQ+ students - deserves to learn in an environment where they are treated with dignity and respect. Students should feel safe coming to school and know they are valued members of our community. 

At the same time, families are important partners in education. Parents and guardians should have meaningful communication about what their children are learning and opportunities to be involved in their child's educational experience. Decisions regarding curriculum, classroom materials, and student supports should be guided by transparency, age appropriateness, educational value, and a commitment to serving students well.

As a school board member, my responsibility would be to listen to students, families, educators, and community members; consider different perspectives; and make decisions that create the best possible learning environment for all students. 

Every student deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive in Stillwater Area Schools.

Our teachers and staff have one of the greatest influences on our students' success, and they deserve to be heard, respected, and supported. They are on the front lines every day and have valuable insight into what's working and where improvements are needed.

If elected, I will make it a priority to listen to educators and staff, seek their feedback, and ensure they have a meaningful voice in district decisions. Supporting our employees means providing the resources, training, and working conditions they need to help every student succeed.

Transparency and accountability are essential to earning the public's trust. My wife, Nichole Dinzeo, is employed by Stillwater Area Schools as a School Age Care Coordinator within the Adventure Club program, and I believe it is important to be open with our community about that.

If elected, I will follow all applicable Minnesota laws and district policies regarding conflicts of interest. Whenever a matter requires disclosure or abstention, I will do so. For example, because of my wife's role within Adventure Club, I would abstain from votes related to the Terms and Conditions that apply to her position.

Beyond situations that legally require abstention, my commitment is simple: every decision I make will be based on what is in the best interest of students, staff, taxpayers, and the district as a whole... not personal interests or family considerations.

I believe trust is built through transparency, consistency, and a commitment to serving the entire Stillwater Area Schools community.

Healthcare is a significant expense for our district, as it is for school districts across Minnesota. I believe our district currently provides strong healthcare benefits to employees, particularly when considering the district’s contributions toward premiums and deductibles.

That said, I am open to exploring whether there are ways to make healthcare more affordable and sustainable for school employees and school districts. I would want to better understand how a statewide healthcare option would work, what it would cost, how it would compare with the coverage our employees currently receive, and whether it would actually provide meaningful savings while maintaining or improving benefits.

I would also be interested in having conversations with our local legislators and other education leaders about the issue.

I do want to be realistic about the challenges, however. Our schools are already facing significant financial pressures, including state mandated costs that are not fully funded and the growing costs associated with special education. Because of that, I would have questions about the state’s willingness and ability to take on additional costs in this area. I don’t think we should dismiss the idea, but I also don’t think we should support a statewide solution without understanding the financial and practical implications.

Minnesota law prohibits public schools and libraries from removing books based on the viewpoints or ideas they convey.

I am not in favor of banning books. At the same time, I believe parents deserve a voice and should have the ability to decide what materials their children can access or check out. Our media specialists also deserve professional judgment when selecting and managing library materials, and students shouldn’t lose access to a book simply because someone disagrees with its ideas.

Ultimately I think we need to find the right balance and make sure we are serving all students while respecting parents and professional expertise.

I also think it’s important that we continue collecting data following the policy update in May 2025 to determine whether the policy is working as intended or whether adjustments to the language are needed to better support our students.

I don’t believe having a financial background automatically makes someone a successful school board member. If it did our financial challenges would already be solved. The district has professional staff who manage the day to day finances while the board’s responsibility is to provide oversight, ask tough questions, understand the information, and make decisions in the best interest of all in our district. I encourage everyone to look at the PowerPoints our finance team put together late winter it will help people understand our finances and how they operate more.

In regards to teachers I think the key is recognizing that we have two responsibilities during negotiations which are making sure our teachers are fairly compensated overall not just in regards to pay and making sure we don’t make promises that the district can’t sustainably afford. I believe that we have individuals in our community that believe because of our financial situation our teachers and staff don’t deserve raises or to step up on levels. While in a cooperate environment this might make sense, however in a school district perspective when teachers are leaving teaching altogether it isn’t realistic. I want to add to that we have several areas including our teachers that are under a Union and asking them to take a zero percent increase will just cause a strike and a zero percent increase won’t gain any support and will have a more negative impact on our district than offering something even if it’s little. I believe our Union and district negotiators understand this as well.

If the state isn’t providing enough funding to keep up with the cost of living and the cost of educating our students, we can’t simply pretend that money will appear. I would want the board and administration to go into negotiations with a clear understanding of our financial position, what we can responsibly afford, and where our priorities need to be.

Ultimately, I’d support a contract that is competitive and helps us retain excellent teachers while remaining financially sustainable for the district and taxpayers. And I would continue advocating at the state level for funding that actually keeps pace with the costs we’re asking our schools to absorb. The state has a responsibility to properly fund the commitments it makes to public education.

We are under a financial burden due to many unfunded mandates which also includes lack of legislature support and change. Over the next couple years we are looking at more cuts, unless we can get additional support from our state. Unless repealed Minnesota is facing a mandatory $250 Million in mandatory Special Education Cuts set to go into affect July 2027 unless repealed. If this goes through we are looking at having to pull more money from our general fund to support Special Education which would means the dollar amount we need to cut would go up. It isn’t clear yet how much more we would need to cut as the $250 Million is for the state overall.

Our first step before making additional cuts is we need to go back to our local leaders to advocate that we need to fund more of these mandates and need more per pupil support. We saw in our community the feedback and support against the original transportation plan forced some changes quickly. We need to partner with other districts and communities as a whole and push our state to give all schools additional support.

If I am being honest if we get to the point where we need to cut an additional 5-10 million dollars some of those cuts can have a huge impact on our community so it is important we get the support from our state. If you look at the presentation from March 3rd some of the items that didn’t make the final list to cut will unfortunately be up for discussion again unless we get new support on our board and support from our state. I think it is important to first look at our budget as whole and determine is there areas we are overspending that we don’t need to be spending?

One of the things we need to focus on is what are we sourcing out or paying for that we can implement ourselves to save money? If we are going to propose for changes that is going to cost us money than we need to make sure that the outcome is going to be a positive impact on us financially, but also a positive impact for our students.

 Regarding teacher compensation, the school board does not negotiate contracts directly. Those negotiations take place between district administration and the teachers’ union. The board’s role is to review and ultimately approve or reject the negotiated agreement.

I also believe it’s important to recognize that attracting and retaining high-quality teachers is essential to student success. During the district’s last budget challenges, the negotiated contract still included salary increases, and I understood why the board approved that agreement. While every contract must be evaluated based on the district’s financial situation at the time, I don’t believe eliminating raises altogether is a sustainable long-term strategy if we want to continue recruiting and retaining excellent educators.

 I think we need to look at declining enrollment from a few different angles. Birth rates and demographic changes are certainly part of the issue, but we also need to look honestly at the decisions we’ve made as a district and understand why some families are choosing to leave or not enroll in Stillwater schools as we can’t control birth rates as a school board. 

The 2016 school closures are one example. While we were able to adjust to two of those closures, I believe closing Marine Elementary had a lasting impact on our presence in that community. Marine Village School has grown from around 30 students five years ago to more than 120 today. That doesn’t mean all of those students would otherwise attend Stillwater schools, but it does show that families have other options. Every student we lose can also mean lost per-pupil funding, so we need to understand what is driving those decisions.

For our older students, we need to evaluate the changes we’ve already made and look for additional opportunities to attract and retain students. We’ve made changes at the high school, including block scheduling, start times, and additional online course options. We need to gather feedback directly from students through surveys and forums to understand what is working, what isn’t, and what could be improved. I’d also like to explore a full-time online learning option that could attract students from surrounding communities and homeschooled students who may be looking for additional educational opportunities.

We should also look at partnerships with local businesses and organizations that give students opportunities to explore careers and gain real world experience. For example, another nearby district has partnered with a local bank to give students hands on exposure to banking. Not every student will participate in a program like that, but opportunities like these can help make a district more attractive to families by connecting education to students future goals.

For our younger students, I believe we have more work to do to make sure families feel supported and heard. Through conversations with families, I’ve heard concerns about transportation, the school calendar, start times, and whether their feedback is being taken seriously.

Transportation is a significant expense for our district, and I understand the financial pressures involved, including contract costs and rising operating expenses. We need to continue evaluating our transportation model while also considering how decisions affect students and families.

When school start times come up for discussion again, I would like to take a closer look at the possibility of elementary students starting in the 9 a.m. hour while middle and high school students start in the 8 a.m. hour. I think we need to consider the impact on students, families, transportation, and staff before making decisions as our younger students and families were not properly heard.  I’m not arguing the science and evidence of the later starts for the older kids but this is a real concern for families. 

I would also like us to take a closer look at our school calendar. We have started before Labor Day for a long time, but I don’t believe that automatically makes it the best option for every student and family. I understand the scheduling considerations, particularly for high school students and final exams, but we need to weigh those against the needs of all our students and families. In a year like this one, I believe starting the week before Labor Day would have been worth considering rather than starting way earlier. We also need to make sure our buildings are ready before students return. Opening on time is important, but being ready to welcome students is just as important especially from a safety perspective. 

Most importantly, we need to do a better job understanding why families are leaving or choosing not to enroll in our district. Too often, we may not learn about their concerns until after they’ve already made that decision. I would like to see more proactive outreach, surveys, and opportunities for families to share their experiences before they reach the point of leaving. We need to identify patterns, take that feedback seriously, and determine what we can realistically address at the district leadership level. 

We also cannot expect to attract and retain students if we begin to cut support systems that help them succeed. Elementary social workers, Green Rooms, reading interventionists, and our district behavior specialist all play important roles in supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally. I want us to understand the impact of these programs and staffing decisions before making further cuts as our staffs voices are not being truly heard.

Ultimately, my strategy is to listen, evaluate the information we have, and be willing to make changes when something isn’t working. We need to be more transparent with students, staff, families, and the community, and we need to listen to the people who work directly with our students every day. Declining enrollment is not something we can solve with one decision, but we can do a better job understanding the reasons behind it and making Stillwater a district families want to be part of and be proud of like it used to be. 

  I want to be honest with our community. Based on where things stand today, I believe there is a strong possibility the district will need to ask voters to support a levy within the next one to two years. If someone says that isn’t a possibility, I don’t think they’re being realistic.

If that happens, earning the community’s trust will be critical. The district can’t simply ask voters to approve a levy we need to clearly explain why it’s needed, how the funds will be used, and what the impact would be if it doesn’t pass. That conversation needs to happen throughout the community, not just during election season. I would also welcome students, families, staff, and other community members who want to help share why strong schools matter.

If a levy does not pass, I don’t believe any one board member should come in with a predetermined list of cuts. Those decisions should be made collaboratively with the superintendent, our business and finance team, district leadership, staff, and the community. We should first examine whether there are opportunities to deliver services more efficiently or reorganize programs while maintaining quality, similar to how the district found savings through changes to middle school athletics.

The list of reductions that was considered but ultimately not implemented this past year will likely be part of next year’s discussion. Data should absolutely inform those conversations, but it cannot be the only factor. We also have to consider the impact on students, staff, and families.

There are several areas I wouldn’t cut, including elementary Green Room support, our districtwide behavior specialist, and additional reductions to social workers. These services play an important role in helping students succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. At the same time, I believe it is the board’s responsibility to remain open-minded, listen to staff and the community, and work together to make thoughtful, responsible decisions.