Three incumbent members of the Becker Board of Education are unopposed in their quest for new three-year terms in Tuesday’s election.  Their responses to the “Citizen” election questionnaire are published below, in alphabetical order.

 

My name is Aaron Jurek and I am proud to say I live in Becker. My wife and I have lived here since 1999 when we started our family.  I have 16 years of teaching experience and currently teach in the Sauk Rapids-Rice School district.

 

Becker is a strong community because of the people who live, work, and go to school here, all who continue to strive to make it the best.  As a board member I am committed to help Becker Schools maintain and improve their excellence.  I will work to ensure hiring and retaining highly qualified staff, providing a challenging and competitive education for all students, and progress toward financial stability.   I am running for a second term on the board out of a desire to continue to serve and to be an advocate for education.

 

I am the son of Lester and Phyllis Olson of Becker.  Nancy, my wife and I, just celebrated 39 years of marriage.  We have 5 children all of whom graduated from Becker.  Our four oldest children are married and we have the blessing of having 12 wonderful grandchildren.  I have worked for Cretex Concrete products since 1975 and currently am the operations manager for our Minnesota and Red River Valley plants.  I have served on the Becker School board for 17 years and have coached a number of different youth sports and helped start and have coached Becker Girls Lacrosse.  Nancy and I have attended Riverside Church in Monticello for over 35 years where I have taught Sunday School and worked with youth programs over the years.  

 

I believe our board must continue to focus on academic rigor, fiscal responsibility…good stewardship of public resources and providing the best educational opportunities we can for our students and community.   Extracurricular activities provide opportunities for our students to establish core values that can help them be successful.  Becker Schools have enjoyed much success over the years.  We’ve had and still have many excellent teachers, support staff and administrators in our schools.  Former Dean of Students, Bill Gallipo once stated, “The best educational system starts in the family living room.”  Our schools must continue to welcome parents into our schools and help support our families as they assume their responsibility to educate their children.

 

We moved to Becker Township in 1999. I have been married for 21 years to Helen (Holt). We have three girls that go to Becker Schools, Noelle (11th), Melody (9th) and Isabelle (7th). I work at St. Cloud State University as Assistant Professor and the Director of the Medical Technology Quality Graduate Program in the College of Science and Engineering and maintain a consulting business for medical device manufacturers. I am active in the Becker American Legion (current membership director, past commander, past finance officer, past adjutant), Becker Swim & Dive boosters, and South Santiago Lutheran Church.

 

My three major concerns which are the reason I look to continue serving are: Student academic performance, financial integrity of the schools and leadership excellence. I have been encouraged by the progress we have made in test scores in the district (particularly in middle and high school), but I think there is more work to be done to restore the performance of our schools for the education and success of our kids. Since I have been on the board we have worked very hard to live within our means (maintaining a balanced budget) and have not asked for any increased operational funding. Having successfully resolved most of our facility issues, the next large issue we need to turn our attention to is the funding to restore and grow our academic programs. I look forward to continue working with the other current board members in providing the leadership necessary to ensure the success of Becker students.