Five candidates hoping to be elected to three available four-year seats on the Annandale School Board will be on the Nov. 8 general election.
The three seats up for election are currently held by Katie Jones, Jon Scheer and Paul Zabinski. All three incumbents are seeking re-election to the board. Two additional candidates, Kelly Korpela and Will Dammann, are new candidates this year.
In 2012 Zabinski, Scheer and Jones ran unopposed.
Will Dammann
Dammann, 21, is a native of Annandale and a 2013 AHS graduate. Dammann is the son of Kathy Kittok Dammann, a 1983 AHS graduate. He has two brothers, Vincent Hylla, 2005 AHS graduate; and Ben Hylla, a 2007 AHS graduate. He is a resident of Corinna Township.
Dammann is a senior at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Upon graduation Dammann will take a position at US Bank as a compensation analyst.
Dammann has a history with the Annandale School Board.
"I went to my first Annandale School Board meeting as an eighth-grader who spoke out of turn to advocate for better athletic facilities," Dammann said. "I was a sophomore when I attended my second board meeting, where I fought to keep the German program at the high school.
As a junior and senior Dammann served as the student representative on the Annandale School Board.
"Even as started to attend school at the University of Minnesota, I kept attending school board meetings and keeping in touch with members," Dammann said. "Now, after gaining considerable experience through my work at the university, state and federal government, I have decided to come back and serve Annandale again.
"I bring an important perspective as a millennial who has seen and experienced the changes in education firsthand. The voice of our students can’t be lost, and I bring a perspective that can truly relate to them."
Dammann sees funding as the biggest issue the Annandale School Board will face in the coming years.
"We are already projected to have a deficit in the next few years, which means more cuts to programing and larger class sizes," Dammann said. "This isn’t a sustainable fix. One thing that Annandale prides ourselves on is our education, and I would hate to see that notion go away."
Katie Jones
Jones, 42, was first elected to the Annandale School Board in 2008. Jones is a 1992 graduate of Annandale High School and holds a degree in dental hygiene from Mankato State University.
Jones lives in Annandale with her husband Jeff and children Logan, a sophomore; Landon an eighth-grader; and daughter Kali, a sixth-grader.
Jones indicated that she decided to run for her third term in order to continue serving the Annandale community.
"My kids are in school and I want to help make decisions for them and all students who are in our district, Jones said. "I have learned a lot over the past eight years and I feel passionate seeing us continue to improve."
Jones sees funding and the school district budget as major issues in the coming years.
"The budget is an issue facing all school districts and we make adjustments, as needed, according to state funding and our student enrollment," Jones said. "We strive to keep our class sizes lower in the primary grades, yet at the same time offer as many opportunities for all students both in and out of the classroom."
Jones also pointed to technology and the need for the district to keep up to date to enhance the education of Annandale students.
She is looking forward to the completion of the Annandale Recreation Park, now under construction and due to be completed in 2017.
"Completing the construction of the recreational park will be exciting and brings new opportunities for the members of our school district," Jones said.
Kelly Korpela
Korpela, 38, lives in Lynden Township with her husband Paul and children: 15-year-old Camdonn, 13-year-old Chance, 6-year-old Trent and 4-year-old Dorothy.
Korpela is a 1996 graduate of Annandale High School and received an accounting clerk diploma from St. Cloud Technical College. She was an office coordinator at Ziegler in St. Augusta for 12 years. She has been a stay-at-home parent for the past two years.
Korpela has been active in the following organizations: Partners in Policymaking; the Stearns County Human Services Advisory Committee; the Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER) and Family Voices of Minnesota.
"I have decided that instead of being one of the people who complain about things in our community I’m going to be someone who gets involved to see how I can help make a difference," Korpela said when asked why she decided to run. "I have children in the school district. Some of my children are outgoing, energetic, social butterflies who will spread their wings and fly in any setting, and some of my children have learning challenges or special needs and may need some extra help at times in order to take off.
"Regardless of a child’s ability, communication between the school and parent are key to the child’s success. They all have the ability to learn, grow and become independent, self sufficient, contributing members of the community."
Korpela feels that all school districts have to do all they can to help children succeed.
"I believe the opening of more and more charter schools is an obvious sign that many feel the public school setting is not working for their children," Korpela said. "My goal is to find the best ideas that serve the children in our community."
Korpela indicated that she is open to hearing different ideas about how the school district could be doing things differently.
"As a board member I would acknowledge areas our community members feel need improvement," Korpela said. "I’m not afraid to roll up my sleeves and do some of the hard work and research. Whether it’s reaching out to other districts to find out what is working for them and adapting, or thinking ‘outside of the box,’ there are ways we can make our childrens’ education better."
Jon Scheer
Scheer, 41, is seeking a second four-year term on the school board. Scheer was first elected in 2012. Scheer lives with his wife Laura in rural South Haven with children: 16-year-old Jessica, 12-year-old Noelle, 9-year-old Kara and 7-year-old Rachel.
Scheer has a B.S. in nursing from South Dakota State University, a B.A. in biology from Southwest State University and a technical degree from Avera Mckennan Paramedic School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
"Our school district community has done some amazing things for our kids and I am so proud to represent the voters of District 876," Scheer said. "I am running to continue to ensure that our kids get the best possible education and that all district members feel that they have a voice through me in representing them."
Scheer points to funding for AHS and AMS roofing projects as one issue the school board will be facing in the coming years.
"We also need to continue offering small class sizes for the kids and deciphering the often challenging state funding so that we recoup as much of our tax dollars as possible to help with funding the needs of the district," Scheer said.
Paul Zabinski
Zabinski, 53, lives in Annandale with his family. His children include Paul, Bryce, Vincent, Schuyler and Shane.
Zabinski has a B.A. from St. John’s University and a master’s degree from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Zabinski was first elected to the Annandale School Board in 2012.
"The school district has faced a number of difficult decisions over the last four years," Zabinski said. "We have had to plan for tight budgets and more adequate budgets. We need to keep the district functioning and flourishing at its high level of performance, stewarding the resources we have available, and continuing to do everything we can to enhance the district and community. I look forward to taking the last four years of experience and applying it to keep Annandale School District one of which we are all proud.
"We are enjoying enviable enrollment levels and we must continue to draw families to our community to ensure the school and community continue to thrive," Zabinski said in response to a question about the major issues facing the district. "We must retain the attributes that cause us to be a part of this community and address the ongoing areas that need work that are identified."
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