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Willmar School Board
The Willmar School Board has three openings and the top three receiving votes will serve. The candidates are: Mary Amon, Steve Biesterfeld, Randy Frederickson, Jay Lawton and Laura Weatherby.
Amon, Frederickson and Lawton are incumbents.
The school district faces three challenges: hiring a new superintendent to replace Superintendent Jeff Holm, who plans to retire in 2024; declining enrollment; student achievement gap; and a looming budget deficit in the next fiscal year.
Amon, Frederickson and Lawton have served the district well during their board tenure. They bring a diverse background to the board: Amon is a physician, Frederickson is a retired educator and Lawton is employed in inventory and logistics in the poultry industry.
They also have the wisdom of board experience and will be able to handle the difficult decisions facing the board in the coming year. They all have a positive outlook on the school district.
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Weatherby is a psychologist. She has a positive outlook on the district and has children in the school system. Her medical background would be a positive, but Amon brings that to the table as well as board experience.
Biesterfeld is a shift supervisor in a secure detention facility. He is among those who spoke at a school board meeting concerned about critical race theory being taught and claims that “principles of (CRT) are being taught.” He appears to have a negative opinion of the school district and would not be a good fit on the board or for the school district.
Incumbents Amon, Frederickson and Lawton are our recommendations for re-election to the Willmar School Board in 2022.
This Tribune Opinion editorial is the opinion of the West Central Tribune Editorial Board, consisting of publisher Steve Ammermann and editor Kelly Boldan.
