Wrenshall candidates show team spirit

Come the Nov. 5 general election, voters in Wrenshall will be saying hello to three new school board members. Barring a successful write-in campaign, the new faces will be the three candidates on the ballot - Jon Beck, Ashley Laveau and Erin Riley.

The trio has gotten to know one another, and agreed to put all of their names onto one campaign sign.

"Three open seats for three people," Riley said, "we figured we'd save resources."

"We've all kind of talked and feel like we can work well together," Beck said. "So, it just made sense."

"We wanted to show we're a team," Laveau added.

The terms of Misty Bergman, Alice Kloepfer and Nicole Krisak are coming to an end. To hear the newcomers say it, that block of board members - along with the remaining ones in Eric Ankrum, Mary Carlson and Ben Johnson - have done their jobs well by stabilizing the administration, while simultaneously overseeing improved enrollment and the school's first budgetary surplus in at least four years.

"The current board has worked really hard to get us to this point," Riley said. "We've got some really good momentum right now."

Riley, 48, is a part-time communications coordinator within the district. She is the longtime editor of the school's monthly publication, Images, and has two daughters at Wrenshall - one a graduate, the other in 11th grade. Laveau, 38, is a former community education director at Wrenshall and, like Riley, a graduate of the school. All three of Laveau's children are in elementary school. Beck, 44, is a project engineer working for OilQuick Americas in Superior, with two elementary age daughters in the school.

"I'm in a place to make a commitment and give something back and hopefully do some good for the community and all the kids and staff in the school," Beck said.

Riley said she could never have done board work with younger children in school. The idea of splitting up classes or deciding on teachers' fates was too pressurized then, she said.

"Now, there's a chance to sit back and listen," Riley said. "I have a different perspective now than I would have had. I feel a little more carefree and am looking forward to hearing from parents with younger kids."

In addition to maintaining positive directions on enrollment and the budget, Laveau said she'd like to be a part of a board that oversees improved scores on students' standardized testing.

"Wrenshall school has always held a special place in my heart," she said. "I look forward to working with everyone as a team."

The candidates gathered in the school commons area on Monday night - the same night boards for Carlton and Barnum were discussing proposed consolidation between those districts. The news hit Wrenshall hard, as its school board has been involved in stalled talks with Carlton on proposed consolidation. The districts already cooperate together for sports and other extracurricular activities.

"We're doing band together with Carlton now," Beck said. "There's definitely programs where you need more kids and a bigger district to be able to offer."

The candidates all approved of consolidation with Carlton, because it gives kids more opportunities, they said.

"I'm for it," Laveau said. "I believe it would benefit our kids."

The candidates also said consolidation needed to be conducted fairly between Wrenshall and Carlton.

"Affordable, fair, equal representation on both sides," Riley said. "Both parties need to benefit equally."

Riley's daughter competes in cross country with the Raptors, and she said there would not be a scoring team without cooperation between the schools.

"It's nice to have a team and to be able to go out and score as a team," Riley said.

As far as other big decisions the next board will face, Beck noted the upcoming selection of a new superintendent. Part-time superintendent Jeff Pesta is expected to be done after his contract expires at the end of the school year.

"That's probably one of the more important things the board is going to be tasked with over the next couple of years," Beck said.

The projected budget surplus has put the district in position to be able to hire a full-time superintendent again.

The candidates said they wanted to learn more before committing to going back to a full-time superintendent - though Laveau did say it would be nice to have a full-time presence to help support day-to-day and disciplinary matters.

"I don't think any of us really knows what the needs are until we get in and see it," Beck said. "But it'll probably be easier to find someone that's going to commit to Wrenshall and stick with us for the long haul if we offer a full-time opportunity as opposed to part-time."

During their interview, Pesta walked through the commons and said of the candidates, "I'd grill them," drawing a laugh from the table.

The candidates praised the leadership Pesta has provided in two years at the district.

"He's been invaluable," Riley said. "He cares about our school and he cares about our future. We've been very fortunate to have him."

Asked if they were prepared for the arduous work for little pay - $1,000 stipend in Wrenshall - that's associated with being on a school board, the board members were realistic.

"We know it's going to be hard work, but we're willing to put that in," Riley said. "We're all going to try and do our best and put the effort in to keep the momentum going. We can't stand still from here. We have to keep cultivating."

The others agreed.

"I'm excited," Beck said, describing how an earlier hesitancy has grown to being fully committed. "This is something I want to do and feel committed to."

"I'm just excited and ready for the [board] training in January and our first meeting," Laveau said. "We're going to be a great team - open-minded and transparent. We all have what's best for students at heart."