Four of the Austin Public Schools Board seats will be filled at the election on Nov. 4. With three incumbents and three newcomers running, there will be at least one if not more newcomers elected this year.

Incumbents Don Fox, Angie Goetz and Kathy Green, as well as newcomers Lisa Haase, Peggy Young and Rolando Benitez Ocampo are vying for four seats on the school board. Incumbent Greg Larson decided not to run again due to family obligations.

When asked during a debate on Oct. 22 what the members would hope to accomplish if elected, Fox said he would like to see existing programs grow, such as the gifted and talented program, the preschool programs at the Community Center and science programs for kindergartners.

Fox taught in Michigan for five years. He served as a guidance counselor, a football coach and a physical education teacher. He was the principal at Southgate Elementary and the assistant principal at Austin High School. He’s taken a few interim positions as principal.

Haase emphasized the need for technology in the classrooms.

Haase has a degree in teaching. She currently works in the finance department at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin. She has served on various chamber committees in the different places she and her husband have lived.

Goetz noted the achievement gap, which she said is always existent because of the diversity of student background, that she hopes to close. She agreed with Haase that the district should focus on using technology wisely.

Goetz has worked as a substitute teacher, as a dance coach, and she has worked as a college admissions counselor. She also worked as a volunteer mentor and a youth group leadership member. Goetz currently works as the property manager for an apartment complex.

Green hopes to make the Austin Public Schools District attractive to newcomers, and hopes to help different programs continue to stand strong.

Green has a bachelor’s degree for dental hygiene. She’s served on the school board for about 15 years and has been a director for Minnesota Schools Boards Association. She is also a trustee and vice president for the Minnesota Public Employee Retirement Association.

Young noted the district must be fiscally responsible, as well as the need to listen to families to make sure students’ needs are met. She also supported an increase in technical programs at the schools.

Young was on the parent teacher council at Southgate Elementary School and was involved at Ellis Middle School and in the I.J. Holton Intermediate School project.

Benitez Ocampo was not present at the debate.

Benitez Ocampo received his two-year degree and attended classes for communication. He works at Hormel Foods Corp. in Austin and at the Austin Municipal Airport. He is a member of the Salvation Army board and is on the Bike/Walk Committee for Vision 2020, as well as Spruce up Austin. He was also on several boards during school.

The five candidates agreed with the desire to get more technical programming back into schools. Haase pointed out those skills can not only help in future employment situations, but also in daily life, whether it is fixing the plumbing or fixing a chair.

Green supported giving students more control over which classes they take, but because of state mandates, the district would need to get creative in how it brings the programs back.

When asked about how to help improve test scores, Green said she’d aim to help the district address every student’s needs individually with the help of teachers.

Goetz said the district is already doing things well, but she hopes to see improvements as the calendar committee looks at potential calendar changes the district can make. She suggested a later start time as an example.

Fox mentioned the programs already in place to help students, such as REACH, which is new to the district but has shown positive signs already. He also suggested holding students back a grade in elementary school as a possible solution.

Haase suggested the district focus on reading in all subjects like math and science. She agreed with Goetz about making changes to the calendar, and said she would support a 45/15 schedule for the district.

Young suggested putting in place more support systems for students who may not have them at home. She also said the district could try adding more real-life situations to what the students are learning. She ended with saying the district needs to make sure the students have all the tools they need to learn, and gave an example of text book shortages.