The candidates running for election to the Crookston School Board include Adrianne Winger, Katya Zepeda, Jim McBride, Marcia Meine, Patty Dillabough, and Tim Default. We asked each candidate to introduce themselves and why they are running.
Q: Would you please tell us about yourself?
Adrianne: I am originally from Crookston and graduated from Crookston High School. I’m married to my high school sweetheart, Mike Winger. We have two children, Lucas is a tenth grader and Gavin is an eighth grader. I teach music with the Climax-Shelly School and have been there for 12 or 13 years. I am actively involved in the marching band at the school, helping with the shields and I coach for the treasurettes. I love this community, I love the Pirates and the Pirate Pride idea. I’m excited to run one more term as a school board member for the school district.
Jim: I have McBride’s Automotive, live here in town. I’ve got 20-something years of coaching experience and have been around schools’ systems. I’d like to implement some different ideas.
Katya: I’ve been living in Crookston since 1991 and I’m a graduate of Crookston High School. I believe I’m the only candidate who graduated from the new high school. I graduated from UMC with my degree in Organizational Psychology. And I’m married to Victor Obisakin, who works at SunOpta and is a firefighter with the Crookston Fire Department. We’ve been very fortunate to have two children, Arhi goes to Sunrise and Azomali is in Mrs. Bubna’s kindergarten class. A fun little note, we learned that my husband and Mr. Bubna are alumni from the same little school in Brazil. What a small world we really have.
Marcia: I am a grandmother and a foster grandparent. My husband, David is a lifelong resident of Crookston, and we have resided in Crookston for 37 years. I’ve been very active with my children and my four grandchildren while they’ve been in school. A lot of my free time I spend with the kids helping out with activities at Highland. And this year I’ve gotten my foot in the door at the High School. I’m excited about that.
Patty: I was born and raised in Crookston. My husband, Duane Dillabough, is from Crookston. We have six children and all our children attended school in Crookston. We have four grandchildren who attend school in Crookston. I’m very invested in what happens in our community and its so important to have a good education.
Tim: I farm in the Gentilly area with my wife Marlene. I have three grown children who all went through the Crookston School District and I’ve been on the board for eight years.
Q: Why are you running?
Adrianne: I want to run to make Crookston amazing with Pirate Pride. I want the community all together to have community spirit and giving my two children and every other child in Crookston the best education and experiences they can possibly have.
Jim: I think we need to do a better job with our marketing. We need to do a better job being held accountable to the public for the things we do. I also think there are some opportunities with open enrollment we can take advantage of.
Katya: The reason why I want to run is I strongly feel there needs to be [diverse] representation on the board. Many of the families are migrant families that have been coming for generations and their voices haven’t been heard. We also have families that are new Americans as well, which brings challenges and rewards. There are great benefits to having a diverse board and school system. That’s why I want to be on the board, to bridge those gaps and bring unity to our school system.
Marcia: I think there needs to be a little more communication. There are some gaps and I’d like to see the concerns between the teachers, parents, and community fill that gap. Being in the classroom and with the teachers, I’ve seen a lot of things hands-on and I think its time for some positive changes. I was one of the ones who was an active advocate for getting the resource officer back in the school system and was elated when Officer Don got that position. We’ve only seen positive things since that has happened, so we need to see more things like that.
Patty: This is my second term. My first term was more of a learning session and this year I want to see things develop. I want to see a bus garage go up, want to continue to see bullying issues get better. We need more communication and parent involvement. I would like to see these things happen while on the board.
Tim: Patty said it well [during the forum] that it takes a while to get used to all the ins and outs of education, the budgets, the acronyms, and the programs. I feel that I’ve really gotten my feet wet and have a good standing with where I’m at. With the new superintendent Jeremy Olson coming on board I think a little continuity on the board would be very good. So, I’m looking forward to maybe getting a chance at another four years.
Q: Anything you would like to add?
Adrianne: Go Pirates.
Jim: Vote for me, Jim McBride
Katya: Go Pirates.
Marcia: I hope everyone listens [to the forum] so they can hear and see what everyone has to say.
Patty: I encourage everyone to go out and vote. It doesn’t necessarily matter who you vote for as long as you know are voting for who you believe is best and you are applying yourself in the community.
Tim: I just want to thank everyone who came to the forum. It was great, this is democracy in action.
The Candidate Forum held on October 1, will be replayed in its entirety on KROX Monday, November 5 at 5:30 p.m.
