Louise Hinz

FAQ:  What is on the ballot for this election?

You can find a sample ballot for your location by entering your address at the following site:

https://myballotmn.sos.mn.gov/

Recently Asked Question:  What would you say is the purpose of education?

My response:  What a great question. The purpose of education is to make our lives better. Education satisfies our natural curiosity to understand our world, how to live in it, how to enjoy it, how to thrive in it and how to contribute to it.

FAQ:  You took the School Board Integrity Project pledge.  What is that?

My Response:  Here's a copy of the pledge:

I pledge to be a candidate and school board member who will be a champion for the principles of integrity, respect, excellence, belonging, and truth.

I will uphold those principles by:

• Always leading with integrity and putting students and their success first -- particularly over any outside or national political interests.

• Leading with respect, compassion, and care while allowing space for productive and civil dialogue on issues where community members may disagree.

• Recognizing that an excellent education includes an honest depiction of our country’s history, an appreciation of science- and evidence-based data and sources, books depicting a variety of perspectives, experiences, and more.

• Ensuring we protect the freedom to read and the freedom to learn for all students by rejecting book bans and supporting the use of age-appropriate curriculum and materials

• Advocating for students of every background regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, faith, ability, or zip code and being willing to push back on the politicization of our children’s lives and well-being and lead with empathy.

• Fostering a welcoming environment where all students can come to school as their authentic selves and have a sense of belonging to learn and thrive without fear of harm regardless of their differences.

• Building back trust within our public education systems by rejecting attempts to spread lies about teachers and administrations, their curriculums, and their motives.

• Supporting our teachers, staff, and administrations and providing them with the full complement of resources they need to focus on providing a world-class education for our students.

FAQ: What are some of the benefits of smaller class sizes?

My Response:  With smaller class sizes, teachers can tailor instruction more individually and provide more one-on-one attention to students. Students get to know each other better and are more likely to work together both in and out of class. There are less disruptions and administrative tasks with smaller class sizes which means there is more time for instruction.

FAQ:  What do you think of the district's roll out of the READ act and literacy curriculum?

My Response:  Minnesota's READ (Reading to Ensure Academic Development) Act became law in 2023 with the goal of having every child read at or above grade level every year and providing support for multilingual learners and students with individualized reading goals.

SoWashCo schools is far ahead of the state timeline for training.  I am proud of that foresight and proud of the high engagement level of our more than 1400 teachers.  

FAQ: What knowledge do you have related to school administration and finance?

My Response:  I am an incumbent school board member and am serving on the curriculum and the data & assessment committees.  I was previously a part of the citizen's finance committee.