Three vie for seat 1 on Rochester School Board

Bobbie Gallas, Richard Hinds and Bill Moe, candidates for seat 1 on the Rochester School Board, have one thing in common: All have made previous runs to be on the board.

The Aug. 14 primary will determine which two will face off on the Nov. 6 general election. The race for seat 1 is one of two primary races to fill openings on the seven-member school board. There is a third race for school board, but it's a two-person race that will be determined in the general election.

Bobbie Gallas, a paraprofessional at Ben Franklin Elementary School, said she is running so she can get the answers to the questions that she feels aren't being asked.

Along with her husband, Greg, who is running for seat 3 on the board, Gallas has been attending board meetings for several years, learning about the issues. Gallas said the board needs to be more proactive in dealing with a projected $10 million deficit in 2013-14. There doesn't seem to be any conversations or planning at the board level for such an eventuality.

"Nobody really talks about what's coming up. Everybody just reacts," Gallas said. "We need to start working on it now."

The mother of two college-age children, Gallas, 48, said board members also need to get out in the community and into the schools and learn more about their constituents.

"They need to start making those connections with the staff, and I don't see that happening at the level I believe it should be," she said.

Richard Hinds, a Mayo Clinic researcher, cites his North Dakota upbringing as one of his reasons for running. Though his background was far from affluent, Hinds said, there was an emphasis on education, hard work and living life with integrity. Having seen how critical an education was in his life in securing a "wonderful career," Hinds said he wants to make sure those opportunities exist for others.

Hinds said Rochester has the potential to be the "best school district in the nation" but that it has yet to be realized.

"When you look at our size, when you look at our resources and you look at our motivated staff, there's absolutely no reason that that can't be true (for Rochester)," he said.

Hinds said Rochester does many things well, including giving parents choices. There is a growing emphasis on early-childhood education. But there are also roadblocks, and one of them is the constraints placed on districts by the state. St. Paul needs to give schools more flexibility and local control in how they use resources.

"I think that if we could get more flexibility on that front, we wouldn't have to be hounding the taxpayer here in Rochester as much," he said.

Bill Moe, a Mayo Clinic analyst, said he is running, in part, because he would be a good board member. Married and the father of three children, Moe said he wouldn't make a decision until he felt he had all the facts. He would be approachable and a good listener, he said.

"I think too often people have made up their mind one way or the other, and they hear only the information that supports their argument," he said.

The biggest challenge facing the district is funding, Moe said, and it's imperative to come up with creative programming that not only retains students, but also brings in new students. That's how Rochester will improve its fiscal picture.

"We can't do things the ways they've always been done," Moe said.

Offering more online courses is one way. Rochester also could use interactive television to offer programming to students outside the district. Few districts have a Chinese language program like Rochester. Interactive television could extend Rochester's reach, draw more students and bring in more revenue. The district should also consider offering all-day, every-day kindergarten.

"If you lose them at kindergarten, you're probably not getting them back," Moe said. "And if you lose them for 13 years, it's about $100,000 in impact from losing that one student in kindergarten."

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Name: Bill Moe

Age: 40.

Occupation: Analyst/programmer at Mayo Clinic.

Family: Married, three children.

Community involvement: Member of the school district boundary committee when the lines were redrawn when Gibbs Elementary School was built. Active in the church.

Have you held political office before: No.

Why are you running?

Because I believe I would be a good problem-solving, financially responsible, creative member of the board who would listen to the community and staff and come up with the best solutions to maximize our children's educational achievements.

Name one issue that is driving your candidacy and where you hope to make a difference?

I'd like to encourage the district to try new ideas to retain and attract students. It's easier to keep doing things the way they've always been done, but we need to experiment if we want to grow.

The district is looking to implement a one-to-one iPad project that would equip many of the district's students with their own tablet. Do you support the plan in its current form?

Its current form is drastically reduced and not a one-to-one program. As staff has brought forward a plan that in total does not increase taxes, I support it. Personally, I would have preferred a smaller next step.

The district faces a $10 million deficit in 2013-14. Would you support or be open to putting an override referendum on a future ballot?

At this point, no. Without knowing what the Legislature will do next year, it is impossible to plan for a deficit that might or might not exist.

Name: Richard Hinds

Age: 28.

Occupation: Clinical researcher/respiratory therapist.

Family: Married.

Community involvement:Regular presenter for STEM; business and finance director at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church; Interfaith Hospitality Network; regular guest presenter for the High School Health Careers course.

Have you held political office before:No.

Why are you running?

We have one of the most intelligent communities in the country, and with the right leadership, we can ensure our district both provides students the opportunity to explore their full potential and becomes the best district in the nation.

Name one issue that is driving your candidacy and where you hope to make a difference?

We need more local control over our budget. The idea that someone in St. Paul knows our needs better than we do is absurd. I’ll lobby to ensure that we can use our money for the services our students need.

The district is looking to implement a one-to-one iPad project that would equip many of the district's students with their own tablet. Do you support the plan in its current form?

Despite some reservations, I support the current tax-neutral plan. One-to-one has the potential, in the long term, to create capacity in our district by converting computer labs back to classrooms, as well as provide substantial energy savings.

The district faces a $10 million deficit in 2013-14. Would you support or be open to putting an override referendum on a future ballot?

We’ve struggled to gain support for a referendum in the past. We need a clear plan for use of the funds if we expect a different result. I support providing the community the opportunity to decide on a referendum.

Name: Bobbie Gallas

Age: 48۬.

Occupation: School district paraprofessional.

Family: Married to Greg Gallas; two children, Codey, 22, who attends Mankato State, and Kylar, 20, who attends Brookhaven Community College in Dallas.۬

Community involvement: SEMVA, a nonprofit art gallery in Rochester — four years on the board and now on the gallery committee.

Have you held political office before: No۬.

Why are you running?

I’m very passionate about student success and our district. I believe we need a proactive approach to opportunities, and I think it’s vitally important to fully understand and communicate our district goals and how we are going to achieve them.

Name one issue that is driving your candidacy and where you hope to ۬make a difference?

The board needs to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to funding and programming. We need to understand what is being implemented in our district, the future costs and how it affects our staff, students and community.

The district is looking to implement a one-to-one ۬iPad project that would equip many of the district's students with ۬their own tablet. Do you support the plan in its current form?

I support the technology, not the plan. With the unforeseen costs to our district and if we are to be the first district of this size to implement this program, our program should be to a level of excellence for our district.

The district faces a $10 million deficit in 2013-14. Would you ۬support or be open to putting an override referendum on a future ۬ballot?

To support a referendum at this time would be premature because we have not looked at what is no longer needed in our district, what programming no longer meets the needs of our students and where costs could be cut.