How To Vote
Visit the St. Paul school district's website here to find your voting times and locations.
Election Survey
| Ward | Candidate Name | Responded |
|---|---|---|
| Ward A | Darcy Younghans | ❌ |
| Ward B | Jan Rajoo | ❌ |
| Ward C | Lorette Andersen | ✅ |
| Priscilla Gagnon | ❌ | |
| Ellen Reid | ✅ | |
| Sylvie Smyl | ❌ | |
| Ward D | Dale Hedrick | ❌ |
| Anita Hellquist | ❌ | |
| Glen Avon Ward | Udo Mueller | ❌ |
Question 1
Parents have consistently said they believe school boards should prioritize core academics. Do you believe that priority is currently reflected in your school board's budget? If not, what would you change?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: Yes our schools have core subjects prioritized
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: Don't have enough knowledge here to comment on this but would hope that it would be so.
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 2
Do you believe the money following the student to the education that parents choose is an important element of accountability for public education or a threat?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: Important element of a accountability
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: If the parents priorities are not for core subjects then we have a problem.
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 3
Do you believe local decision-makers should take responsibility for local decisions, or do you believe decisions are best made centrally?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: Centrally, but with advice from local decision makers
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: Depending on the decision I suppose. If it is a very controversial one it may be hard for trustees, at the worst, to feel safe in their communities.
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 4
Do you believe your school board is currently transparent enough with parents and taxpayers? What would you change?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: Our present school board is totally transparent with parents and taxpayers
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: Don't know enough about this to comment whether the school board is transparent enough, but do believe it should be.
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 5
Can you commit to removing any policies that require secrets to be kept from parents by policy, without an individual, exceptional circumstance being identified?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: Yes, I could commit, but as you know, the whole board would have to also commit
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: Yes I don't believe parents should be shut out, unless in exceptional circumstances.
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 6
Do you believe parents should be informed before abortion, sexual assault, marriage, or questions about deciding to have children are covered in school, in a way similar to the requirements around sexual identity or religious identity?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: To be honest, this question does not make sense. How are parents informed about sexual assault before it happens? We all know that you have to be 18 years and older before you could marry without your parents consent, so yes if they are younger than 18 years of age. Nobody can predict if a person chooses abortion and does not tell their parents.
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: These subjects if approached with care & sensitivity, could help students to understand better, life and the world around them.
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 7
Do you believe program and course development at the school board level must be transparent and focused on clearly defined knowledge outcomes?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: Yes, they must be transparent
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: Yes
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 8
What are your thoughts on communicating progress clearly with letter grades and percentages, as opposed to "descriptive grading", at all grade levels?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: I'm OK with letter grades and percentages
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: I do believe the grading is a better idea. I know it hurts to not make the mark but it can also be an incentive to work harder. I haven't
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 9
Professional development days for teachers and other school board staff are negotiated locally. Do you believe your school board currently has negotiated the right number of professional development days? If not, what changes would you like to advocate for?
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: Our schools have the right number of professional development
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: Not sure about this. Have not asked teachers what their thoughts are on this. I think if they have high stress classrooms, a professional day is probably a nice break.
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.
Question 10
Do you support or oppose the impending teachers' strike? Please explain your reasoning.
Ward A
1 To Be Elected
Darcy Younghans: No response.
Ward B
1 To Be Elected
Jan Rajoo: No response.
Ward C
2 To Be Elected
Lorette Andersen: I would wish that this would be able to be resolved without a strike, but yes, I support the teacher strike. I have been in schools where I see how much teachers in this world today have to put up with so much disrespect from students. Teachers now have way more on their plates than what teaching used to be, therefore, I really believe that all of their demands are justified.
Priscilla Gagnon: No response.
Ellen Reid: I do not want to say “yay or nay” as I hear lots of conflicting information. I do know that my daughter in law, a teacher told me of some of her experiences in the classroom & they were not good. Not enough help with special needs children. I have entered classrooms & found special needs students that yell all day. How would you be able to stand this?
Sylvie Smyl: No response.
Ward D
1 To Be Elected
Dale Hedrick: No response.
Anita Hellquist: No response.
Glen Avon Ward
1 To Be Elected
Udo Mueller: No response.