School Board Elections

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS

We are extending the application window for community member seats to Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 4PM. We are still in need of community member applicants, please pass this along to candidates who may be interested in supporting our school through this important board role.

Beacon Academy is currently seeking interested candidates for a position on the School Board. The term of office will be for three years, from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028, except for the community member seat, which is a term of 2 years.

Elections for voting will run from April 25th through May 9th.

Board elections logistics:

All elected board seats are for three-year terms; except the Community member which is a two-year term.
A board member may run for an additional three-year term.
Current state statutes require a board consisting of a teacher majority until the respective teacher population votes to defer this requirement.

Beacon Academy has a teacher majority board. The open board positions are for one teacher seat and one community member seat .

Interested eligible individuals are requested to apply and have their completed applications turned in no later than Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025 at 4 pm.

Board election procedures are as follows:

PROCEDURE

Election filing opens upon the distribution of this announcement. Candidates submit the following information to share with Beacon Academy voters to [email protected] subject: “ELECTION BIO.”

BOARD CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

Name, Mailing Address, Phone, and Email Address
Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?
What areas of expertise would you bring to board work?
What aspects of Beacon Academy do you think are most important to maintain?
What issues do you think need to be addressed by the Board of Directors in the next few years?

Election application filing period closes April 11, 2025 at 4 pm.
Voting will be conducted online. A link will be sent to all eligible voters on April 24, 2025. All staff and parents or legal guardians of current students, ages 18 and above, are eligible to vote. Paper copies of election materials will be available upon request.
Voting will close on Thursday, May 8, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. Hard copy ballots must be received by 4:00 p.m.
Election results will be verified on May 9, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
Election results will be posted May 15, 2025 during the school board meeting.
New board members will be ratified by the board at the June 12, 2025 board meeting.
Officers will be elected at the July board meeting.

EXPECTATIONS OF BOARD MEMBERS

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

A willingness to give the time to serve conscientiously
Motivated, willing to “roll up their sleeves” and work as a team player on issues facing the school and board
Must attend board functions regularly
The highest level of honesty, integrity, loyalty and prudence
Ability to act without bias operating in the best interests of the organization as a whole
An inquiring mind open to both sides of an issue
A willingness to disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interest
Ability to be organized and prepared for board meetings
Enthusiasm
Innovative thinker
A positive attitude

PROFESSIONAL/BOARD

A commitment to the importance of service to the school and community
A willingness to balance a prudent concern for fiscal stability with a spirit of creative risk-taking
A willingness to learn while preparing for and serving as a board member
Ability to work in a group and be a good team player
Ability to approach topics and others’ opinions with an open mind
Commitment to provide services to all students
Ability to focus on the overall good of the school rather than special interests only
A willingness to give of your time and talents and follow through on commitments
Ability to further knowledge about charter schools
A commitment to understand and support the mission and vision of Beacon Academy
Be alert to alternative solutions by keeping an open mind
A willingness to serve within the directives outlined in the Beacon Academy by-laws
A willingness to support board decisions even if not fully agreeing
Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, orally and in writing

TIME COMMITMENT

3 hour board meeting once a month
2 hour working (committee) meetings up to 1-2 times monthly
Meetings are generally on weeknight evenings
Special tasks as assigned
Must serve on 1 board committee
Preparation time for reviewing meeting materials
Required annual training, note: due to changes in MN legislation in 2024, all board members must complete certain training prior to being seated; Beacon will help facilitate access to training and pay any related expenses
Making/maintaining community connections
Participation in/leadership of task force projects or committees
Summer marketing events
Open house/ informational sessions attendance
Other occasional commitments

Candidate Bios

Lindsey Graske North

9128 Jefferson St NE

Blaine, MN 55434

952.261.5664

[email protected]

Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?

I care a lot about Beacon Academy and do my best to make it a great place to work and learn. Serving on the Board would give me the opportunity to make even more of a difference in the Beacon community, and to contribute even more to the school I have come to love.

What areas of expertise would you bring to board work?

I have worked both in the elementary and middle school of Beacon Academy, I have been helping lead after school activities with students for years, and through my work leading Student Ambassadors I have learned to coordinate school-wide events. I have also worked in the summers with the marketing team making and distributing flyers and signing us up for marketing events. I have held leadership positions like being on the Covid leadership team and being MS Lead this year, and at my previous school I was the clubs/activities coordinator.

What aspects of Beacon Academy do you think are most important to maintain?

I think it’s important to maintain our focus on character education and being a place where kids can learn to be kind people and good members of their community. It’s important that we remain a safe place for all students to learn, find support, make friends, and feel successful. I think it’s important to maintain and even bolster our standing as a member of the local community where we are located here in Crystal.

What issues do you think need to be addressed by the Board of Directors in the next few years?

I think the current Board of Directors does a good job of prioritizing the issues they address in meetings, and the board level committee topics (ERCC, curriculum, finance, governance, marketing) are ones that should remain at the forefront of board discussions. I think we should work on finding ways to welcome more families into our building and celebrate the different backgrounds they bring to our school community. I also think the issue of marketing and getting our name out in the community should be more of a focus as we’re trying to increase enrollment numbers.

Robert (Bob) Forman

123 14^th Ave NW

New Brighton, MN 55112

cel: 612-247-3290

[email protected]

Why are you interested in serving on the Board of Directors?

I have been a third-grade classroom teacher at Beacon Academy for 4 years. In that time, I volunteered and served in various capacities beyond my primary job as a classroom teacher. I have also attended several board meetings in recent years and have developed a desire to be a voice of support and advocacy for my co-workers and the direction of Beacon Academy. Most importantly, as an elementary school teacher, I believe that my voice and experience at Beacon would add some balance to the spectrum of teachers currently represented on our school board.

What areas of expertise would you bring to board work?

In my 4 years at Beacon, I have learned a lot about our school community from participating in and volunteering at many events at our school. Aside from regularly assisting with the after-school band program, I have volunteered for summer marketing events, been a PTO teacher liaison, volunteered at PTO events and tutored for the after-school literacy program. I have built good relationships with parents outside of the classroom through these interactions and gained insight into many of the successes and challenges of our charter-school community. My previous work experience in other school districts, as well as previous careers in graphics and design have helped me in my ability to listen and work well with others, consider the pros/cons of difficult issues and not make choices based on personal preferences. Lastly, as a parent of school-age children (ages 14 & 17) I can see issues from a parent's perspective, which I feel would be a positive quality for a school board member.

What aspects of Beacon Academy do you think are most important to maintain?

Our "community" is crucial. Maintaining our commitment to character education is important as well as engaging parents in their child's education beyond twice-a-year conferences. Maintaining our "small school" community with smaller elementary class sizes (<28) is also important.

What issues do you think will need to be addressed by the Board of Directors in the next few years?

I believe that our Board will have to address issues of teacher compensation and the challenges of retaining and keeping quality teachers in an economic environment that is changing rapidly. I believe we will need to address challenges in funding/staffing/supporting the needs of special education students in an era of decreased state and federal resources for these areas. Lastly, I believe we may need to address the use of technology in our schools and examine our approach to using 1-1 devices (or not) for students especially at the upper elementary and middle school levels.