On Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the St. Francis High School Performing Arts Center, the St. Francis Area Schools Community Education Advisory Council (CEAC) will host a Meet the Candidates event to feature people running for SFAS School Board in the general election.
Four seats on the School Board will be on the ballot in the general election held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Early voting is now open. Elected board members will take office in January 2025 and serve until January 2029.
Who’s on the ballot: The community is invited to the Meet the Candidates event to get a better idea of who they want on the school board. The 10 candidates who have filed to be placed on the ballot and have been invited to the forum are: Andrea Anson, Matt Beukema, Jeff Blake, Karen Costello, Thomas H. Hall, Jake Humphrey, Ashley R Metz, Kwadwo Osei, Rob Schoenrock, and Chad Working. Not all candidates will be present due to prior commitments.
The meeting will be recorded and uploaded to the District’s YouTube channel within a few days after the event.
Voting information: Polling locations are where citizens would vote for city, state and federal elections. For more information, contact the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office at 651-215-1440 or go online to www.sos.state.mn.us.
Learn more about the candidates. All 10 candidates were emailed the following three questions and those who responded to the request have their answers listed below. Follow the School Board Candidates web page for updated information.
Questions:
Please tell us about yourself and why you are interested in becoming a member of the St. Francis Area Schools School Board. Be sure to highlight your current and past involvement with St. Francis Area Schools.
How do you plan to commit the considerable time and energy required for weekly meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to district school buildings, and professional development, seminars and workshops that are necessary to do the work as a school board member?
Where can we find more information about your candidacy?
Andrea Anson
My name is Andrea Anson, I have lived in MN for most of my life. I am married with two children who are school aged. I have chosen to run for school board, because I think there's some opportunities for improvement in how our boards are run and how the public schools operate. Currently, my main areas of focus include school safety, academic based curriculum, and appropriate budgeting.
I work full time and as noted above, I have a family. With that being said, I've spoken with a number of current school board members and it sounds like there's flexibility in certain areas. Additionally, remote participation is also feasible. At the end of the day, this is too important not to make the necessary time.
I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thomas H. Hall
Lynnette and I have called East Bethel our home since the winter of 1999. We have been married for 26 years and we have three children that have all been part of ISD15 both in classroom and extra-curricular. Our oldest son graduated in 2017 and we will have a senior and a ninth grader (both girls) at SFHS in the fall of 2024. Since graduating from Coon Rapids Senior High School, I served honorably as a member of the United States Army, graduated from Augsburg University with a bachelor’s degree, and graduated from the University of St. Thomas with an MBA with a marketing concentration. I am proud to currently serve on a fantastic team as the senior executive at American Converters, Inc. (Amcon) headquartered in Fridley, MN. We are a manufacturing operation with four manufacturing plants located in Minnesota and Colorado as well as three additional DCs around the country. I have been a part of the leadership team at Amcon since 2012 and have worked primarily in manufacturing companies in Minnesota for the past 30+ years where I have held every position from shop floor employee to President and COO. Daily I strive to lead by example, communicate effectively, and empower my teams with the resources and support they need to accomplish our mission. My family and I attend Eagle Brook Church (EBC) in Ham Lake, MN. This is the place where we find strength, hope, and a sense of peace on a weekly basis and it is foundational to our family health and well-being. We have held a variety of volunteer positions during the time that we have attended EBC; these include youth/children’s ministry, greeting, bookstore and café positions. I believe that my faith, my family, my experience, my work ethic, my education, my ability to communicate and my dedication toward doing things the right way will assure that I will be an impactful asset to the ISD15 School Board, and I would be happy to serve in that capacity. Continuous transparency and a sincere connection with the community that I serve will be at the core of my efforts as a member of the ISD15 School Board.
I have participated on a variety of voluntary boards on both the local and state levels and I am also a paid member of a professional corporate board in addition to my full-time job at Amcon. I have been a member of SFHS Booster Clubs over the last 15 years and have held positions including Director, Member, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. I believe that I have fulfilled each one of those positions admirably. I am always driving myself to learn, grow, and be an impact player on the teams that I participate in, this role will be no different. I am fully prepared to meet the challenges of this role head on and to do what it takes to perform these required duties in an exemplary fashion.
Jake Humphrey
My name is Jake Humphrey. I am 50 years old and have lived in Oak Grove since 1996. My beautiful wife Nicole works in Cambridge as a Dental Hygienist. My daughter Tess had a wonderful experience in St. Francis Area Schools, graduating in 2021, and is now in her fourth year of undergraduate education at Creighton University in Omaha. She is planning on becoming a Dentist so she has a lot of school left wherever she chooses to go to Dental School. My son Jack is a junior at St. Francis High School involved in Speech, Debate, DECA and other activities. Our family is highly involved with the School District through Boosters, PTO’s, athletics and activities, and we donate much of our time and money to help those causes which directly benefit students. I ran and was elected for a four-year term and served on the School Board from 2018 to 2022, and as a Libertarian I am a big fan of term limits so I decided to step aside after serving in order that others would volunteer in this position. In my absence, and upon hearing of three of the four current board members retiring, I was asked by many in our community to run again, and with my family's blessing and encouragement, decided to do so.
I am already highly active in the district and in life as I am a small business owner (electrical contractor) who sets his own hours and is accustomed to working on many projects at once and does so quite successfully. During my initial term on the School Board, I had no problem juggling all the responsibilities and considered myself highly accessible and responsive to my constituency. I answer EVERY email, phone call or text, or request for an in person meeting, with those community members needing such time, in order to bring those voices and concerns to the table. I serve as the type of elected representative I choose to vote for and respect.
Anyone wishing to find out more information on my candidacy can email me at jnhumphrey74@yahoo.com or call or text me on my direct line at 612-685-4530. These are the same ways any students, parents, employees, or community members can get in touch with me to have a conversation on things going well or when things are not going well when they are needing concerns brought to the table. I humbly ask for your support and vote so I can work alongside you to better the educational experience in St. Francis. Thank you for your time in reading this!
Kwadwo Osei
My name is Kwadwo Osei, but people know me by “K” or Coach K due to my involvement with the Recreation and Travel Basketball programs. I live in East Bethel with my wife of 19 years, Sarah, our 3 children and our dog Lola. My children currently attend school in the district and they're all very active in sports. I am a Christian and my faith informs and guides my principals. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's degree in Business Administration all from Hamline University in St. Paul. I currently lead a Distribution team at Hennepin Healthcare (HCMC Hospital) and I have several years of experience in the retail, bio-medical and healthcare space. I’m running for school board because I’m passionate about my children’s education and I believe I can contribute positively to the course. I am a consensus builder by nature, and I believe I have what it takes to be able to work with others to meet our district and community needs. Our district has had some challenges in terms of funding, test scores, educator support...etc, and I believe I'll be able to work with others to bridge some of those gaps. I want to be a part of the solution that elevates the schools in our district to where they need to be for the benefit of my children and yours. Representation also matters, and I believe that I’m uniquely positioned to be able to bring forth and discuss some of the issues that minority students and families face in our district.
I’m aware of the time commitment that it takes to be on the school board and I’m willing and able to rearrange my life to make time for any commitment that will be required of this role. Ultimately, I believe any time commitment is a small price to pay for the benefit that my children and others in the district would gain from an effective school board.
For any questions or inquiries about my candidacy, please email me at kwadwo.osei001@gmail.com.
Rob Schoenrock
I have lived in the district, with my amazing wife Andrea, for 20 years. We have 4 kids, Caleb (freshman in college), Emily (sophomore in high school) and Haley & Sophie (7th grade). I am seeking reelection to the school board, so I can continue to fight to ensure our kids are prepared for the real world. I will continue to advocate for more program offerings like tech ed and nursing classes, additional foreign language options and other after school opportunities. I will also continue to advocate for livable wage and benefits for all our staff. I have been very involved in the community from PTO's, President of the St. Francis Basketball Association, assistant coach on the high school girls' basketball team, also current member or have been on the following committees American Indian Education Parent Advisory Council (AIEPAC), Joint Standing Committee, Bond Oversight Committee, Community Education Advisory Council, Activities Advisory Committee, Early Childhood Family Advisory Council, Facilities Committee, Minnesota State High School League Rep (MSHSL), Level III Grievance Committee, Cedar Creek Elementary School Board Rep, plus I try to go to a lot of different events throughout the district to see what our amazing students and staff are doing.
I have been a member of the school board for almost 8 years. As listed above I have been on several committees and am active on each committee I volunteer for. I am successful at balancing my work, family, and board member responsibilities. Committing time to responding to community members, parents, staff, and students is important to me. When there are hot topics, I take the time to gather input via social media or in person at events. I know what it takes to be a great board member and am dedicated to serving our District for another term.
You can find more information at https://www.facebook.com/RobSchoenrock4SchoolBoard. I love hearing from everyone in the district because I will not claim to know everything about everything. The more people communicating with me the better, it helps me understand issues from all perspectives. The best way to get ahold of me is email at Robin.Schoenrock@ISD15.org or call, or text 763-232-7902.
Chad Working
I was born and raised in the northern metro area of MN. A 2001 Graduate of Spring Lake Park High School. I then continued my education at Minnesota State, Mankato. There I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Corporate Finance. Following graduation, I excelled in the banking industry in many positions for 10 years. I then decided to use my leadership skills, logical decision-making and finance background in a new opportunity. For the last 10 years I dedicated my career to owning and operating multiple small businesses. Although I have passion for business, I'm a family first man of faith. My wife Destinee, 3 children and I have lived in Oak Grove for over 10 years. We love the St. Francis community and I want to help build on our kids getting the best education with a small town feel. My oldest son started 8th grade this year, and I have been involved in our district since he began preschool. I have volunteered for multiple events in ISD 15. Which includes track and field day, classroom mentoring and field trips. I most look forward to attending lunch, where I can sit and talk with the kids. Followed by throwing the football during every student's favorite time of the day, recess. I have also been a youth football, soccer and basketball coach for 7 years. I have built relationships with parents, students and the local community. I want to advocate for what they want to see in our schools. I want to be their voice, while encouraging them to be personally involved in the process even in small ways. I have children currently in the district and am invested in improving their school community and educational performance. This can be done by keeping focused on curriculum to guide them to excel in their classes now and prepare them for the post K-12 world. The school board is responsible for helping ensure a healthy partnership between the students, their parents, and the educators in the best way possible. Also to be an advocate for what's best for our students and making difficult decisions unbiased to what other districts or the state may be doing.
I plan to keep things simple and stay focused on what impacts the big picture of our children's education. Analyze facts and statistics of results that can be presented to the district and the public to improve or support our children. I will remain flexible with my scheduling and be available to the ever changing needs of our schools. I am someone that will be there if I have committed to something.
Information can be found via Facebook @destineechadworking.