Next Tuesday’s election ballot includes two decisions that affect the future of Moorhead Independent School District Number 52.

One is a routine reauthorization of the school system’s operating levy — one that will have no effect on property taxes. Voters are being asked to renew the tax levy, which provides $223.66 per pupil to support education in the district.

The renewal extends current funding to support learning for the district’s growing student enrollment. Its goals include supporting learning and the district’s new and existing schools, providing stable and predictable revenue, maintaining and replacing technology equipment, maintaining access to early childhood and world language programs … and maintaining average class sizes.

Virtually all Minnesota schools rely on operating levies like Moorhead’s. The local cost per pupil is a total of $947.66 each – well below the state average of $1,187. The balance (beyond the levy on the ballot) is board-approved.

Eleven candidates – two incumbents, Scott Steffes and Matt Valan, and nine challengers – are running for election to the school board. Voters can cast their ballots for four of the candidates.

Cassidy Bjorklund

Cassidy Bjorklund owns and operates a photography business, is a nurse and works as a substitute work in the Moorhead school district. The Moorhead native and husband Greg have three children, one at each level – high school, middle school and elementary.

“The district will need to move forward on the decision of a new or second high school,” Bjorklund says of issues the school board must decide. “I would love to explore the option of making the current high school a 9th and 10th grade center, and building an 11th and12th grade center to the east of the current football field, if funding allows this.”

Melissa Burgard

Both Melissa Burgard and her husband, Rick Foster, grew up and attended school in Moorhead all the way through college. They have two school-age children; the excellent experience son Bert has had at Robert Asp, she says, sparked her interest in running for school board. She has a master’s degree in social work and more than 20 years of research and work experience

“I believe one of the most important issues that will continue to face us over the next four years is rearranging the students,” she says – “moving the kindergarteners back into the grade schools and the fifth graders into the middle school as we fill the new school. Even though this is set to happen next fall, this will take a lot of time, preparation and continued effort as the process unfolds. Ultimately this is related to the core issue of community growth and expansion.”

Bert Chamberlain

A Moorhead resident for 25 years, Bert Chamberlain and wife Barb have one son, Kevin. Chamberlain is a veteran and retired physical education and reading teacher and school administrator – former principal of Catholic and public schools and assistant principal of Robert Asp School. In the past, he wrote grants totaling $450,000 for Moorhead schools. A member of Kiwanis, he has built a sailboat he christened “Box Turtle.”

Chamberlain comments, “One of ten challenges is to increase our district’s academic performance. Five institutions identify our district as average. The solutions: Reduce testing and increase teaching time. Teachers should decide on techniques, materials and, support programs. The administration must champion teachers. We should be one of the top 50 school districts in the state.”

Cherie Clark

Cherie Clark is the mother of two adult children, both Spuds and both active in sports and extracurricular activities. She has studied public administration and law and currently serves as an assistant Cass County states attorney. She says this places her in a good position to look at the policies associated with mandates from the federal government and to incorporate them into local school policies.

“Our school district continues to grow with a diverse population,” she comments. “My priorities are increasing our graduation rates and closing the achievement gap. I think the keys to the success of our students are implementation of a full-service school and joining with community partners.”

Ruel C. Johnson

Ruel Johnson is an entrepreneur with a degree in communications from Bethel University, as well as graduate degrees in management and business from the University of Mary. His wife is a former teacher and MSUM graduate; they have two daughters in third and fifth grades. The native of Strandburg, South Dakota, has lived in Fargo-Moorhead since 1992.

He told the Moorhead Extra, “Growth projections demand we be proactive to study scenarios and develop a comprehensive plan to identify high school space and classroom needs. Good stewardship and budget planning require we manage growth trends, seek community input, and wisely plan resources to determine if we should remodel, build new, or add a second high school building. Research will determine our best actions.”

Scott Kostohryz

Scott Kostohryz is a patrol sergeant with the Moorhead Police Department, where he’s served for 16 years. He is vice president of Moorhead Babe Ruth Baseball and spent eight years with the Minnesota Law Enforcement Explorer Association, three as its president. He works closely with school resource officers and counselors in administering the “Every 15 Minutes” anti-drinking and driving program begun in 2011. He and his wife, who also works in the schools, have three children, ages 12, 10 and 8.

Kostohryz says, “The most pressing issue facing the district is our growing class sizes and student population. The addition of the Horizon 5/6 wing and Dorothy Dodd Elementary will help; but thinking long term, we need to come up with a plan on what to do about the high school. I believe we will need a new building soon. Whether that comes in the form of one new high school or a second high school in the district needs to be discussed.”

David Marquardt

David Marquardt has been an elementary teacher in Fargo for 18 years and is president of the Fargo Education Association. He earned a bachelor’s degree from MSUM and a master’s in education leadership from NDSU. The Chokio, Minnesota, native is married to Mindy, who is a social worker for Fargo Public Schools; they have 3 children.

Marquardt says, “One of the pressing issues will be what to do with the high school. I am in favor of what is best for the students on Moorhead Public Schools. I want to be transparent with all the information and include the staff and stakeholders on this decision.”

Scott Steffes

Incumbent school board member Scott Steffes, who is running for reelection, has been a Clay County deputy sheriff for 24 years. He has an associate degree in law enforcement. Currently he serves as vice chair of the Moorhead School Board, and has also been its treasurer. A native of Glyndon, Minnesota, he’s a member of Our Savior’s Church. He and his wife Kristi, a 1987 graduate of Moorhead High, have two daughters – Kassidi, a 2016 MHS graduate who’s a freshman at NDSU, and Hayley. a sophomore at MHS.

Scott cites enrollment growth and school facilities as his priorities. “With the continued growth in the Moorhead School District, the board and administration will be watching class sizes and the enrollment in each facility. We have been graduating approximately 430 to 440 for the last few years. Kindergarten enrollment has been between 500 and 575. Those students will put pressure on the high school as they move up in the district. We might have to look at improvements to the high school to accommodate this growth. If the growth continues, I would be in favor of improvements.”

Matt Valan

Incumbent Matt Valan currently serves as clerk of the Moorhead school board. The Moorhead High graduate earned his degrees from Concordia College and Luther Seminary. A fourth-generation family farmer and Lutheran pastor, he has worked with Moorhead youth and their families for 31 years. He and his wife of 40 years, Kathy, have three adult children and three grandchildren, two of them in Moorhead schools.

“The most critical issue we face will be managing our enrollment growth while maintaining our excellent educational program,” Valan says of the issues facing the school district. “Our taxpayers have honored our careful planning and fiscal responsibility by passing the recent bond issue. We must continue to honestly and equitably balance wants verses needs and move into the future with cautious optimism.”

Keith Vogt

Keith Vogt, a graduate of St. Cloud State University, has lived and worked in Fargo-Moorhead since 1999 in information technology and customer service. He and his wife live in south Moorhead. All four of their children are in the district’s Spanish immersion program – their three sons at Ellen Hopkins, and their daughter at Probstfield.

“Enrollment, safety, and improving graduation rates would be my areas of focus,” he says. “We need to understand our current and future enrollment trends and the diversity that come with them so we can be prepared to look at what would be best for our school district going forward. I also want to ensure the safety at our schools. and to make sure we improve our graduation rates so that our kids are ready for their next step after high school.”

Tina Walker

No information was provided.