About
Friends to Elect R Scott Smith, Dan Skaar, Tim Klecker for White Bear Lake School Board is an organization supporting the following candidates.
R Scott Smith: Return to Academic Excellence – We need to be laser focused on the mission of education, to ensure that every student is proficient in the basics of reading, writing, math and science so that they can thrive once they graduate and move to their next phase of life. Safety, Order and Respect - Students and teachers need an environment free from distraction, fear and uncertainty in order to learn and teach effectively. I will strive to help establish policies that protect all students and staff, policies that will require consistency in reporting and response, policies that will support teachers so that their time can be spent teaching rather than disciplining the few at the expense of the many. Transparency in Leadership - We need to understand the impact and effectiveness of policies that are being implemented at the district level. Every policy should have a positive impact on student outcomes that can be measured. What gets measured, gets attention. I want to ensure that the board and administration are being transparent with the important metrics that indicate success at the student level. Parents and community members (tax payers) deserve to know how their school funding is being spent, what the expected return on investment will be and how it will be measured
Dan Skaar: Constructive and Positive Leadership - I am a leader and executive with over 30 years of experience serving K-12 schools, communities and coworkers in leadership roles for profit and nonprofit organizations. I have been on boards and served in a variety of roles, including chair. I have collaborated with urban, rural and suburban school districts from California to Pennsylvania to provide healthy and safe school environments. I want to build on our strengths and investments to meet our challenges in academics, enrollment and funding. Lets get better together. WBL has declines in test scores and rigor. Let's turn the corner. WBL pays higher taxes. Let's make sure we get a good return on our new facilities. WBL is losing students and we need to stop the trend. Keep our kids here! Ever-changing requirements and complexity create clutter without results. More focus! I support our teachers and parents - bringing accountability for our taxpayers for the benefit of our kids. Pride in our community. I am the candidate to bring us together with fresh thinking and strength. I can get things done. I am Back to Academics.
Tim Klecker: Their potential. Their future. Our responsibility. The quality of our children's education is powerfully linked to their future quality of life. If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that parents can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines when it comes to the wellbeing of their children and the school system they entrust them to each and every day. Schools should be safe, enriching environments that reflect the values and standards of the community in which they reside. The fall of 2024 will undoubtedly be a season of high tensions and feuding political ideals. Signs and slogans will fill our front lawns, showing our neighbors where we stand. But our children should not be made to play a part in such things. On November 5th, every one of us who steps into that voting booth has a choice to make: that political allegiance should guide our hand with every box we check, or perhaps allow at least one category to be decided by conscience. My name is Tim Klecker and I ask for your vote this fall for White Bear Lake school board. Together, we can raise the bar for our children, our schools, and our community. GO BEARS!
