How I'd Serve
Make Detroit Lakes the district families choose.
Enrollment is the challenge underneath every other challenge. We won't out-recruit demographics, but we can be the district families in this region actively want their kids in — and that starts with protecting what makes an education here distinctive.
Protect what makes a Detroit Lakes education distinctive.
The college coursework, the arts, the activities, the breadth. When budget decisions come — and they will — I'll start from the position that these are the district's competitive advantage, not the first things to trim.
Ask what the numbers actually say before deciding what they mean.
Enrollment, budget, open enrollment, outcomes. I've spent my career running programs on real budgets. I'll do the reading, ask the uncomfortable question, and decide on evidence.
Support teachers so they can teach.
Give them the resources, the trust, and the time to focus on students, and clear away the distractions that get in the way.
Govern in public.
Boards work best when families understand what's being decided and why. I'll show up, explain the reasoning, and be reachable — including to people who disagree with me.
Keep the bar where it belongs.
The best small-town district in Minnesota. Full stop.