Four candidates have thrown their hats into the ring for one of three seats on the St. Anthony-New Brighton School Board. Leah Slye, appointed to the board in 2022, is not seeking re-election. Two – Cassandra Palmer and Ben Phillip – are seeking re-election. Laurel Hood and Eric Sonnenberg are newcomers to the race. The Northeaster asked each of them three questions. Their answers have been edited for style and length.
Q: Why are you running?
Hood: Education is in my blood. My parents were both educators, and I saw firsthand the power of learning. I’m a mother to two SANB students, a preschooler and first-grader. My husband recently joined the fire department and together, we’ve committed that this is where we want to raise our kids. Because I am not an educator myself, the school board is the best way for me to ensure our schools remain an equitable, inclusive, challenging and supportive place, not just for my children, but for all students, families, teachers and staff in the St. Anthony-New Brighton district.
Palmer: Every child has the right to a high-quality education. Being a parent in the district, working full time, and serving on the School Board for two terms has provided me with knowledge and experience that is needed to guide the district at the board level through changing expectations and demands regarding what our schools can and should provide for students. I believe public education forms the foundation of future citizens in our representative democracy and that a well-functioning, high- quality system of public education provides the backbone for a vibrant economy and community. My top concerns for our school district include providing academic rigor for every student, safeguarding the financial stability of the district and ensuring school safety for all. I hope to continue to work on each of these areas to ensure that every student is provided the opportunity to succeed.
Phillip: I am running for reelection to continue what I started during my first term four years ago in helping the district move forward with what I feel are my strengths: teaching and learning, community engagement, communications and technology.
Sonnenberg: I had the privilege of volunteering for the SANB Facilities Task Force last year where I presented the findings of the group to the school board. It was very rewarding to serve the school and my community and piqued my interest in finding other ways to continue to contribute. Additionally, I was approached by several members of the community and asked to run. This support was humbling and encouraged me to exit my comfort zone and take a more active role in our schools.
Q: What experience do you have?
Hood: I am a Minnesota youth ski league coach, former preschool aide, youth group advisor and camp counselor. I know the joy of watching kids master a skill or overcome an obstacle. As a Wilshire Park Parents Association volunteer I see how hard our teachers and staff work to give our students an unparalleled education. I have extensive experience leading teams and projects, making difficult decisions and managing a budget. As a senior leader and trusted counsel to executives, I also have experience being told “no,” advocating for others and working closely with people who have differing perspectives. I always try to understand where other people are coming from, so I can approach situations with empathy and appreciation, even if I may disagree with their position. I don’t have to agree with someone to respect them, and I always look for ways to partner and move things forward.
Palmer: I am serving in my eighth year on the St. Anthony-New Brighton School Board and have lived in St. Anthony Village since 2005. Both of my sons will have spent their entire K-12 experience within the district. I am a first-generation college graduate who went on to medical school thanks to public education. I am a trauma and acute care surgeon at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. My strengths include empathy, independent and critical thinking, asking important questions, bringing perspective from outside the K-12 system, working well under pressure and my ability to compromise. I will continue to align what I do and how I vote with whether it is in the best interest of all students.
Phillip: I have been in the field of education for over 25 years, mostly within academic technology, teaching and learning, and customer service. This experience has been primarily within higher education institutions. I have been a part of teaching and learning staff that helps teachers with their pedagogical practices. As well, I have had to step into the classroom and instruct students. I also have a master’s in higher education. With my background, I have a firm understanding of the approach the district is taking to make students successful within the classroom and I understand how that learning can be measured. I also feel that I can work with anyone, even those who might not have the same opinion as me, having participated in numerous committees and groups both within St. Anthony Village and across the state of Minnesota. Finally, I am currently the Rising Star Award recipient for 2023 by the Minnesota School Board Association for the work I have done in education and advocacy.
Sonnenberg: I have a strong skill set developed from years of working in the construction industry. I manage budgets of large-scale construction projects (typically in excess of $100 million) on a daily basis. The construction process involves mediating disagreements professionally and negotiating with stakeholders to maximize results. I believe these skills will transfer well to board duties. Furthermore, my wife Erica has spent over ten years working for the high school in an administrative capacity and as a coach and advisor for several sports and activities. She has been an invaluable resource throughout the campaign, offering insight into the school’s process, successes and challenges.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing SANB schools?
Hood: We are living in a post-COVID world and continue to feel the ripples of the pandemic, often reaching the classroom in the form of students acting out, teacher and staff burnout and a widening opportunity gap. Our community was physically removed from one another, and emotionally drained following changes to staffing, administration and how we approach teaching — a change that is equitable, but different. And different is hard. Change is hard, even good change. And while our district continues to grow and adapt to meet the needs of our evolving community, we also need to support that process with additional transparency and communication when appropriate. I want to make sure that our district remains on top of societal and economic changes. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is here, whether we like it or not. We should establish guidelines on how students and teachers can work with the technology, so we are preparing our students to enter into a world that will have AI, while also finding ways that the technology can support our teachers. I believe it is critical that the school board stay abreast of societal, technological and academic changes and advancements, to ensure the teachers are supported and prepared so they can do what they do best — support and teach our students.
Palmer: There are three big areas of concern for the SANB schools including academic rigor, school safety for all and financial stability of the district. The biggest challenge is ensuring academic rigor for our children while respecting the unique needs and diversity of our students and staff. Our district must ensure that we regain and accelerate learning for those who have been negatively affected from the systemwide changes made during the COVID pandemic. Additionally, we must make meaningful gains in closing districtwide academic gaps. We have significant academic challenges in front of us and I believe that we are well-positioned to meet them. All the while, we must ensure that our students feel that they belong, they are safe, and they are learning the 21st century skills that they need to succeed. School safety is a broad term that encompasses physical safety, cybersecurity and the mental health of students and staff. The final challenge in our district is our financial stability. Financial stability ensures that we are able to hire and retain high quality teachers and staff, maintain our curriculum and technology and meet infrastructure and accessibility needs of our buildings.
Phillip: Balancing the needs of our district while being fiscally responsible is always a big challenge. When I think about our students, the effects of COVID have profoundly affected their social and emotional well-being and that manifests itself in many ways in the classroom today. We need to ensure that we have the correct support structures in place to help our students the best that we can, so it does not simply fall to our teachers who are with our students the most during the school day. In general, when students’ basic needs are not being met (Google “Maslow’s hierarchy of needs” for a reference), effective learning cannot take place. Therefore, the district has a part to play to help with those needs, and there is a cost associated with that.
Sonnenberg: We need to continue to focus on bridging the achievement gap. I support the strategies outlined by school staff in the October 2022 World’s Best Workforce presentation. We have an obligation to provide the highest level education to all students, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, disability or economic status.
St. Anthony has three voting precincts. Hennepin County: Precinct 1: Autumn Woods, 2600 Kenzie Terrace; Precinct 2: St. Anthony City Hall, 3301 Silver Lake Road. Ramsey County: Precinct 1: Silverwood Park, 2500 County Road E. Enter your address at https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/ to find more voting information for your precinct.
Laurel Hood
Cassanda Palmer
Ben Phillip
Eric Sonnenberg