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On Thursday night, the American Association of University Women held its second of two political forums this week, this time focusing on the race for Austin Public Schools Board.

Three seats are up during this race as Don Leathers and Cece Kroc run for re-election. The third seat is open as Evan Sorenson, who currently serves, has opted not to run again.

Those running for the seat include Berghyn Hull, Watsana Thiravong, Robert Hartman II. 

Kroc and Hartman could not be at Thursday’s forum.

At the same time, there is also a special election to fill a fourth seat, currently held by Kathy Green, who announced earlier this year that she would be retiring from the board. Isabella Krueger and Dan Zielke are running to fill out the remainder of that seat.

The night started with a question of district priorities and how candidates would allocate resources to approach those priorities.

Zielke, who advocated that APS could be a state leader in educational excellence in part by leveraging its strength in diversity, referred to a March 2023 swatting incident that drew law enforcement from numerous agencies to Banfield Elementary School on a report of an active shooter. It’s also where his wife is a teacher and all three children attended.

For him, the incident was a jarring reminder of the safety priority.

“School safety is absolutely my No. 1 priority, not only for students, but for teachers,” he said. I believe there is a lot of work to do on that.”

Meanwhile, Krueger said she wanted to create an environment of safety from bullying for LGBTQ+ students, but that she also wanted to heighten comprehensive sex education in the district.

“I think it’s really important to give young people information and support … (help them) learn how to communicate their boundaries. I think it’s important for us to realize our roles in that,” she said.

Leathers, a longtime board member in the district, said there should be a focus on mental health and believes the recent ban on cellphone usage in district schools is an important first step. 

“I believe part of the cellphone ban is a response to mental health issues facing young people in our society,” he said, adding that those considerations for mental health should be extended to teachers as well. “I believe the most honorable profession in the world is being a teacher. I believe in mental health for teachers as well.”

Hull, the Marketing and Resource Development Coordinator for the United Way of Mower County, stressed the importance of addressing the academic divide in the district and that a route to that is embracing a connection to the community.

“One thing we can really do is allocate resources – resources already in the community,” Hull said. “There are a lot of nonprofits in town and they are great at the work they do.”

Thiravong stressed the need to continue forward with the strategic planning of the district.

“Uphold the vision of the school district,” she said. “I have a great respect for our finance department. I’m pretty aware they are taking care of their funds and allocating them to the best of their ability.”

Talk shifted to how candidates see the role of school board member versus community member. Leathers said he sees it as a balance where the sides can work as one to serve the entire community.

In that role, Leathers said he not only attends several school-related functions as well as representing constituents while on the board throughout a school year, he also interacts with the public during his time driving buses for SMART Transit.

“I have a lot of contact with parents who have children in schools,” he said. “When I go to poetry readings at the Hormel Historic Home, there are a lot of parents there.”

Hull said that communication is key.

“You have to bring your issues to the school board and talk to members,” she said. “It’s about building relationships. Making sure you are taking their voice and amplifying it.”

Thiravong followed a similar pathway, stressing a need for partnerships between school and community, which she said can work toward expanding philanthropic opportunities as well as expanding partnerships. 

“Our family has been helped in many ways and I know there are resources out there we can tap into,” she said.

Similar to Leathers, Krueger spoked to finding a balance in the community and enhancing the relationship between the two areas.

“I appreciate both and I want to work in conjunction with the community and the school board,” she said. “When I think about what I’m going to advocate for, I’m going to look at statistics of young people … and use that for what I’m going to push for.”

Zielke explained that it’s important to be involved in both areas, no matter how hectic it can get. To that end, he further explained that there isn’t always one route to being involved.

“In reality, there are ways to be involved,” he said. “There are a lot of different ways to be involved and that’s important — being seen and to be there to listen.”

In answering the third question of the evening regarding understanding of policy governance and how it’s used by the board, Hull said that it’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of policy and that at times the board will disagree.

“It’s important to remember that as a board … we stand as a unified front and stand by the decisions we make,” she said. “If there are questions that come up, we explain how to get to that decision we got to and we don’t waiver. Stand united and stand behind the choices we’ve made.”

Thiravong said the key is about working together.

“I’m all about partnerships,” she said. “Cultivating lasting relationships.”

Krueger used past opportunities to attend a couple meetings and was impressed by how the board worked through things and held meaningful conversations. She feels that needs to continue.

“I really liked how when people disagreed there wasn’t automatic shut down,” she said. “I appreciated different ideas and that people would listen. We’re not trying to go over one specific set of values or ways of doing things. Just try to work together over what works best for our community.”

Zielke, who works in Human Relations for Hormel Foods Corps, referred to his work in policy everyday. While policy is important, he also added that there needs to be versatility.

“Policy is there for a reason. Whether we see eye to eye or not, it’s important that we lock arms and move forward,” he said, but added, “Policy can change. It’s important to review what policies exist, shift and continue to evolve.”

Leathers explained that he sees the question a little differently and that often it can be a relationship between policy management by the superintendent and administration and governance by the school board.

“To me, what the question asks is what is the responsibility of the school board and what is the responsibility of the superintendent,” Leathers said. “In the last several years it’s been called oversight vs. management. That’s a fine balance you have to go between.”

The night was wrapped up with a question regarding how candidates would see their work regarding safety of students and facilities.

Thiravong, whose family has been raised in the district, said that safety needs to be an important facet across the board and that there needs to be consistency.

“Safety is No. 1,” she said. “Without safety, we run into a variety of unsafe practices. Kids need rules and policies in place to keep them safe. Teachers need rules and policies to keep them safe.”

A teacher at the Southern Minnesota Education Consortium, Krueger understands that security might be different from that of APS and continued by saying that there needs to be a community aspect to this question.

“I would prioritize listening to the community and finding out what things make you feel secure,” she said.

Zielke returned to the 2023 incident in Banfield, and said that while he was impressed with the law enforcement response, which in his mind showed how prepared they were to deal with these incidents, there’s more work ahead.

“There is still a lot to be done,” he said. “I applaud the several police agencies that came to that building that day. We need to find ways to approach that in the future.”

Leathers believes this question boils down to the classroom level, explaining that during his time as a teacher, the classroom was a place for learning and respect. In order to reach that point, there needs to be a realization that it’s a never ending process.

“I think we really need to be vigilant,” he said. “We need secure buildings, but it’s a never ending process. We can never say it would never happen to us.”

And for Hull, that process starts with leadership.

“It’s all about leading by example,” she said. “Put up a safe front. Procedures you follow yourself. It’s all about creating a safe environment. I think it’s primarily about having those rules in place. Make sure (students) are being held accountable for their actions.”