This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

Election 2011: Candidate Profiles for Hudson School District Board of Education

Hudson-area residents will elect Hudson School District Board of Education members on April 5.

Hudson Patch asked all the local candidates on the ballot in the April 5 election to provide some information about themselves. The following is the information submitted by Hudson School District Board of Education candidates with minor grammatical edits:

*****

Hudson School District Board of Education

James Kubiak

Find out what's happening in Hudsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Occupation: University of Notre Dame, BA in communications and marketing; numerous training seminars on leadership, management and various technical subjects.

I began my career with IBM where I developed a foundation in IT and systems engineering. Subsequently most of my career has been as a management consultant with Deloitte, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Computer Sciences Corporation. Currently I do freelance consulting projects, such as serving as an expert witness in lawsuits related to IT issues.

Find out what's happening in Hudsonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Experience: 

  • Recently was co-chair of St. Croix County Democratic Party
  • WESTCAP—participating in reading tutorial program
  • Member Taskforce for Development of Long Range Plan for City of New Hope, MN
  • Member of Minnesota Citizen’s League and participant in various study groups
  • Held various positions in large parish; council chair, finance chair, fund-raising chair
  • My wife and I were president couple of Minnesota Marriage Encounter
  • Active in various political campaigns
  •  

    Why do you want to be on the Hudson School District Board of Education?: I received a great education from the public high school that I attended in Indiana and our four children were well educated in public schools in Michigan and Minnesota. That education enabled them to go on to receive degrees from universities in Minnesota. Now our grandchildren are receiving educations at public schools in Minnesota and Wisconsin. These experiences have resulted in my being a strong supporter of our public school systems.

    My experiences and practical knowledge gained in 35 years as a management consultant in both the public and private sector will provide a beneficial addition to the Hudson School District Board of Education.

    What is the most pressing issue facing Hudson schools and where do you stand on that issue?: Last spring my interest in the board turned into action when the articles began to appear about salary increases being granted to the administration of Hudson schools. After doing some research, two colleagues and I prepared a report that discussed the salary increases and the circumstances surrounding them.

    As a result of the experience of preparing and discussing the findings and
    implications of this report, I believe that the Board of Education needs to develop
    a more transparent approach to communicating with the public.

    After studying the recent demographic study which was developed for the district,
    my conclusion is that Hudson schools are faced with the need for additional
    secondary educational space. The 2010 U.S. Census information has recently been released which shows that St. Croix County remains the fastest growing county in Wisconsin.

    Developing and taking action on a plan to acquire land and to move forward with
    solutions to the upcoming lack of classroom space.

    The Board of Education will be facing many challenges in the next few years and
    I trust in my experience gained in working with clients in city, county and state
    agencies. I also consulted to several of Minnesota’s Educational Computing
    Consortiums which provide administrative services to all of Minnesota’s primary
    and secondary schools. I will bring my practical experience in both the public
    and private sectors will provide a beneficial addition to the Hudson School District Board of Education.

    ----

    Lynn Robson

    Occupation: Independent business owner of Commercial Management. I have also worked as a corporate controller and an executive manager in land use development.

    Experience: Hudson School District Board of Education, 2008-2011; Houlton Parent Association; Y-Partners campaign leader; Relay for Life junior achievement.

    Why do you want to be on the Hudson School District Board of Education?: I am committed to community service and feel that the school board is the most important way I can contribute. My approach to school board service is premised on the belief that a quality education is the foundation for success in life. Furthermore, I believe that it is the responsibility for citizens to ensure that opportunity to all its children. I have two children, who attend Hudson schools and will do so for the next 13 years. As a result, I have a vested long-term commitment in the quality of education in Hudson. 

    As a school board member, my priority is to provide all our students with the quality of education they need to become successful and productive members of our community, in a fiscally responsible manner.  Today’s children will be tomorrow’s leaders. As a school board member, I take the time to study the issues, listen to the opinions of community members and come to the meetings prepared to make fair and reasonable decisions.  I represent the voice of the voters and enjoy the opportunity to advocate their sentiments.

    What is the most pressing issue facing Hudson schools and where do you stand on that issue?: Due to budget constraints, the system of education we are accustomed to is being challenged and must change. At the same time, we are poised for progress. How do we continue to give our children the education that they deserve and how do we honor our responsibilities to the community when resources are being cut drastically? The solutions will be found in determining which cost-cutting measures will have the least impact on educational goals.  

    The commitment and responsibility that I feel for the education of our children will remain in the face of these cuts. One issue that will spotlight our financial constraints is the  district’s documented need for secondary space. We need to continue the work of identifying what the secondary space should be. The question is more complicated than what should we build and where should we build it. We need to have a clear understanding on the future of education and how it will be delivered.  We need to evaluate how technology impacts the way education is delivered, how we plan to deal with the predicted and measured growth of our community all while respecting the financial difficulties that this economy has presented. These are all tough problems that need to be resolved with community involvement.  If Hudson wants to continue to be a strong community that attracts desirable growth, we need to maintain the quality of education that our community has come to expect.

    ----

    Dan Tjornehoj

    Occupation: Attended Luther College and William Mitchell College of Law, currently works as an attorney.

    Experience: Served on the Hudson School District Board of Education for more than 13 years, and has served as a committee member on the Finance and Personnel Committee.

    Why do you want to be on the Hudson School District Board of Education?: Tjornehoj declined to participate in the Hudson Patch candidate profiles.

    What is the most pressing issue facing Hudson schools and where do you stand on that issue?: Tjornehoj declined to participate in the Hudson Patch candidate profiles.

    We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

    The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?