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Letter to the editor: Saugstad seeks support in school board run
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From Nikki Saugstad

Monroe

To the editor:

My name is Nikki Saugstad, and I am running in the April 7 Monroe school board election. For four years, I taught at Parkside elementary. My husband, Brad, still teaches at Parkside and coaches tennis at Monroe High School. Currently I am a stay-at-home mom to our 2-year-old son, Peter, and I also run a small business, selling the artful items I make at the Green Chicks Studio.

I'm frustrated. Forgive me for being blunt, but I want to be honest. We have many wonderful teachers and staff working incredibly hard to give the students of our community a great education. However, there are numerous areas within our school district that are of great concern and need to be addressed. As a former teacher, a taxpayer, and a parent, I want my son to attend school in Monroe when he is of age, but I am concerned about the direction our district is headed. Having taught and still connected with many other teachers in the district, I have a realistic view of many of the challenges that are being faced day after day. Year after year, many of these challenges are being passed by and not addressed.

If elected, I will work on creating an honest dialogue between the school board, the administration, the teaching staff, the support staff, parents, and students to diagnose the biggest problems within our schools and collaboratively work on solving them. It takes a community to raise a child, and without any one of these key groups of people, we are missing vital pieces to this puzzle of growing our kids and community as a whole.

Being an artist, wife, and mom in our young family, running for school board was the furthest thing from my mind. However, I care so strongly for our kids, our schools, and community that I cannot continue to sit on the sidelines. I love this community, and I care deeply for our schools, which I know are crucial for our community's long-term success. I am in the habit of praying for our schools and spending time specifically praying for our students, staff, and parents.

Please join me in prayer for our schools, and I encourage you to vote for Nikki Saugstad on April 7. I seek to bring truth and positive changes to our schools and community. Thank you for your consideration.