Photo provided by Bruce Kaskubar
Photo provided by Bruce Kaskubar
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School Board Position 2

Official Bio:

Born and raised in Wisconsin. I've lived in Rochester for almost 40 years since starting a job with Mayo Clinic in 1980. Married. Four grown children and four grandchildren scattered across the country. My kids attended a total of 39 years of Rochester public school. Retired from Mayo Clinic and some independent contracting, all in the realm of systems analysis, and software product design, development, project leadership, and management. I've spent time volunteering with the Jaycees, Civitan, Olmsted county's Community Services Advisory Board, Children's Rights Council, and the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Greater Rochester class that built Rochester's Miracle Field.

Your key platforms 

We're all in this together: students learn, teachers teach, staff supports, citizens foot the bill. Let's act to help all of us. Keep expectations high, insist on respect for everyone, and strive to allow everyone in the system to achieve in their roles. To that end, the school system should be focused on teaching and learning, not providing social services. Impediments to teaching and learning, systemic and personal, should be removed.

Why should Rochester vote for you?

I appreciate your consideration and may be your man if you think: you'd like a straight talker, we pay too much for our poor test scores, we're paying attention to things that don't matter, we don't know enough about what's going on, more money is not the cure to every problem, the taxpayer is taken for granted, we can do better.

What do you envision for the future of Rochester schools?

I envision schools of tolerant and competent students and staff, with a curriculum that prepares our students to succeed beyond our schools, based on policies grounded in high expectations, respect all around, achievement by everyone in the system, and continuous improvement.

What is your stance on school security?

The need for security is due to damaged people who would do us harm. That's anywhere, not just school. The solution is better identification of troubled individuals, interventions with them, and figuring out how to reduce the number of such people in the future. It wouldn't be surprising to be related to our discipline problem. With or without behavioral success, there are always holes in any system. Gun bans won't protect us any time soon (or ever). Unfortunately, our media under-reports the times guns have saved the day. A Georgia school shooter was reportedly "subdued" by a teacher. Actually, that teacher had run out to his car, retrieved his licensed firearm, and run back into the school to challenge the shooter who surrendered. If a horror unfolds in a Rochester school, do we want to wait for 9-1-1 or have defense on site? I prefer defense on site and for potential bad actors to know it exists (as a form of prevention).

What is your stance on the potential referendum for new schools?

I opposed the 2015 referendum but can be for or against a new-school referendum. Unfortunately, at this time, I don't have enough information to decide. Generally, I believe the district spends too much for what it is supposed to provide. In the face of a real need -- if there is one -- for new schools, I wouldn't expect to be able to save enough from existing revenue to be able to skip a referendum but I need more data.

What is your stance on student discipline?

Discipline is an essential part of education: both in the sense of a training regimen and as a response to misbehavior. We should understand the need for discipline based on an understanding of the reasons for misbehavior. Our school system policy implicitly subscribes to the belief that race is a root cause of a difference in disciplinary actions. That belief has no basis in evidence beyond disparate impact: a flawed method. Racism may cause differences but differences do not prove racism. I do not believe our school system has a racist discipline record. I believe our students are individuals, each with his or her own individual conditions, situations, and attitudes. Let us get to work understanding root causes and the ways we may address them.

Favorite Rochester Moment?

August 21, 1883. Not for the tornadoes but for the aftermath that included the collaboration of the Mayos and the Sisters of Saint Francis.

What’s one thing you want the Rochester community to know about you?

I'm ready to give you four years of my best effort to try to improve our schools and make our policy-making and goings-on as sensible and transparent as possible. Should I get a seat on the board, recalling that we're all in this together, your future assistance, counsel, and insight will be important.

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