Photo provided by John Eischen
Photo provided by John Eischen
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School Board Position 4

Official Bio:

John Eischen is Executive Director of Rochester Area Builders, Inc. (RAB), an education and event management company that reinvests its profits in advocacy on behalf of the construction industry in southeast Minnesota (in other words, a local builders’ trade association). With 25 years’ experience in the construction industry, John is uniquely qualified to understand the challenges and opportunities that the industry faces, and works hard to provide RAB members with an environment that helps them to be successful. Under Eischen’s direction, RAB partnered with CTECH and Rochester Public Schools to form a pilot mentorship program, matching high school students with one of its members for learning experiences with trained professionals and job shadow opportunities in the industry.

John studied English and Business Administration at The Winona State University while working as a bartender and server. Unbeknownst to John, that job experience would prove beneficial to his role at RAB when preparing for events, meetings, and interacting with RAB members.

In his spare time, John enjoys spending time with his family, his new Golden Retriever puppy Brewer, and is a home brewing enthusiast. As a Board member of the Rochester Area Zymurgy Enthusiasts (R.A.Z.E.), the local home brewing club, he organizes the annual Chili Challenge Homebrew Contest to benefit Boys & Girls Club of Rochester. He currently is serving on the Board of Project Build MN - an organization which educates parents, students, and teachers about the viability of careers in the construction industry, the Coalition for Rochester Area Housing through the Rochester Area Foundation and is an activist for Breast Cancer Awareness. Past experience includes service on the Mayo Civic Center commission and advisory committee; Rochester Area Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors.

Your key platforms 

The goal for education is to prepare young people for the future. Schools, along with their parents, provide the foundation needed for success. We would do a disservice to our children, our community, and our country if we didn’t provide the best education possible. My focus, if elected to serve on the School Board, would be to:

Aggressively pursue direct paths to employment: A four-year degree is not the only path to a viable career. With a nationwide shortage of over 250,000 skilled labor positions, it is imperative that our school district understands there are multiple paths to career success. Through CTECH, the District took a tremendous first step to address those students who thrive with a more direct path to employment and we must encourage that path.

Align the District’s future physical site plan with the City’s Comprehensive Plan: While our schools are made up of students and educators, they are also physical buildings. We must be sure to look at all possible options for housing our students. Perhaps the next schools are not traditional schools with traditional locations? We need to monitor the City’s Comprehensive Plan and advocate for opportunities to place schools within the transit nodes where commerce, community, and the schools connect.

Fiscal responsibility: The school board must be good stewards of the community’s funds. Expenses should be directed as much as possible to improving our students learning experience and the student/teacher relationship. Financial decisions should be based on data-driven information and those decisions must be monitored and adjusted if results were not those anticipated.

Why should Rochester vote for you?

I will bring a different perspective to the School Board with my connections to the construction and businesses communities. Every day I see who is moving into and around this community. I hear what they want, what they need, and what they expect from their schools and government. These connections are extremely important as the district looks to expand its mentorship and career exploration programs. I was involved with the pilot mentorship program for CTECH. Its purpose was to pair students with individuals with various experiences in the construction industry. We have a very successful job shadow program with Kasson-Mantorville High School that, in its first year, had nearly 100 students exploring a multitude of career options from catering to carpentry. These experiences will be very beneficial to the district moving forward. Serving as the Director of a not-for-profit business for the past eight years has made me aware of the importance of diversifying revenue streams and controlling expenses. The school district is no different as it attempts to balance its varying needs. District expenses should be directed as much as possible to enhancing the student/teacher relationship and, most importantly, learning.

What do you envision for the future of Rochester schools?

I hope the Rochester School District’s programs (like CTECH) will become a nationwide model for how the school system can address the fact that it is the responsibility of the District to assist students and parents and make them aware of all possible paths after graduation. The metric of a District’s success should not be measured only by the number of students who advance to four-year colleges, but the number who become self-sufficient and realize their full potential as community members.

What is your stance on school security?

It is a shame we are in a place where this question even has to be asked, but it is the reality. Our students and staff deserve a safe environment. Every school in the nation is struggling with the best way to prepare, as am I. The District recently hired an additional police liaison officer, which is a step in the right direction. This program should be continuously monitored and adjusted as needed. Is it possible to reduce the number of exits and entrances to our schools and still serve the student population adequately? Do we have adequate professionals on hand who are trained to support students with emotional or psychological needs? Whatever decisions we make must include input and direction from parents. If we have their ideas and support, we will be successful in our implementation.

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

With the passage of the Destination Medical Center economic development initiative, the City of Rochester has committed to growth. Commercial construction activity over the past three years is evidence of that growth. As businesses expand and come to Rochester, there will be a need for additional employees, bringing additional students to our city. With that growth will come the need for additional schools, but we must use data to determine when it is appropriate to build the schools. The data should demonstrate that the schools are at capacity, classroom sizes are growing too large, or the student/teacher ratio is no longer acceptable.
As we wrestle with this question we must keep asking: what will be best for our students?

What is your stance on student discipline?

Our student discipline policy needs to be fair and equitable to all students as well as providing our teachers the opportunity to correct student behavior. Again, we need to ensure a safe learning environment for students. Disrupting the learning of other students can’t be tolerated – for the disruptor or others. While the recent report on discipline cases is troubling on its face, it does not provide the answers I would need to make recommendations on any changes to the policy. Once I have the necessary data, solutions can be offered. The continued growth of our community will require us to be proactive creating, with parental involvement, the best possible discipline policy.

Favorite Rochester Moment?

People want to live in a community that is active with events like Thursdays on First, community celebrations, and varied entertainment options, while being close to the finest medical care in the world. When my eldest daughter was diagnosed with Supra Ventricular Tachycardia in the St. Mary’s emergency room at age 14, and the doctor said he needed to give her a medication to stop her heart for a moment, I was scared. But I reminded myself that if something like that has to be done, there is no better place to be than Rochester, Minnesota. The subsequent surgery was the longest five hours of my life, but I was comforted by the fact she was in the hands of the world’s best surgeons. That experience solidified her career path, and today she is one year away from completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

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

When I was reading this question out loud at home, one of my daughters said "You always told us that you know everyone and everybody's watching us." While this was an effective tool to help keep my daughters on the straight and narrow, there is some truth to that. I work for a diverse membership organization which has given me the ability to seek input from a variety of perspectives so I can provide my leadership with the information they require to make appropriate decisions. My role on the school board would put me into a leadership position, but I understand the value of listening and respecting all perspectives to help me make the best decisions on matters that come before the board.

If elected, I will do everything in my power to make Rochester schools the best they can be. Good enough isn’t good enough for our students.

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