By Aaron Vehling

Three North Branch residents interviewed with the district school board Thursday (Aug. 4) with hope of an appointment to a seat vacated by former chairwoman Mary Jo Ahlgren when she moved out of the district.

The North Branch school board interviewed Roger Keller, Karen Saltis and Corey Bergerson individually, inquiring about the candidatesí leadership experience, relationship with the school district, their comprehension of the duties of a board member, their views on the constant budget issues, and their methods for dealing with the public.

Following each interview the board members discussed their assessments of each candidate.

Roger Keller
Keller has been involved in the district in a few ways. He is on the board of the North Branch Soccer Association. He also coached girls basketball for Community Education. In addition, he helped teach the Business in Action class at the high school.

Keller, whose career involves helping corporations spend their travel dollars wisely, put together with students a study of the hotel industry in the United States. They presented it to eight corporations including Target, Medtronic and Best Buy.

Keller has tried to get on the school board in the past. In 2003 he competed for and lost a board seat twice - once for an appointed seat and another for an elected seat.

He told the board his understanding of a school board memberís responsibilities was to be the voice of the community and of teachers and to represent the community at-large.

In terms of board conduct, he said even if a board member is ìnot in full agreement with a decision,î that person should support it.
When the interview turned to discussions about the school budget, Keller said he liked the districtís current site-based budget setup.

ìIt is an opportunity for principals to make budget decisions,î he said. ìEach location is independent and each has a unique culture.î
Keller said he has been in the district for 20 years, raising his daughters.

ìWhat better way to try to make things happen than get involved,î he said, noting that if he were to be overlooked again for this position he would still remain involved in the district.

School board assessment of Keller:
After the interview board member Kirby Ekstrom noticed one thing about Keller.

ìI like that even though he has lost in the past, he is still involved,î Ekstrom said.

Ekstrom said he also liked the fact that despite Kellerís daughterís drama club getting axed as a result of budget cuts, Keller showed no vendetta.

Board member Donna Setter said Keller might be too close to staff members to be free of a conflict of interest.

Board member Jeanne Walz spoke favorably of Keller.

ìHe has shown his commitment,î she said. ìIt would be nice to have another male perspective on the board.î

Ekstrom is currently the only man on the school board.

Karen Saltis
Saltis is a supervisor in human services with Ramsey County government. Recently she helped with the implementation of a software project which took two years, she said.

In the district, Saltis has been involved in the North Branch Environmental Protection Advisory Council (EPAC) for two years. Outside the school, she will be teaching a preschool class at her place of worship, St. Gregoryís Catholic Church.

Saltis said a school board member should listen to people in the community with an open mind and listen to facts before making any decisions.

ìI donít think the school board is necessarily here to make day-to-day decisions, that is what the staff does, but to act as a guiding force in policies,î she said.

Saltis said she thinks the district has done a professional job in dealing with budget cuts. She said she was impressed with the budget breakdown information sheet the district handed out to explain where budget cuts would be made.

ìThat was a very responsible thing to do,î she said.

Saltis told the board she was right for the position.

ìI would really like to be on this board,î she said. ìI can bring leadership skills and a knowledge of finances to the table. Iím a team player and I like to work with groups.î

School board assessment of Saltis:
Setter was impressed with Saltisí in-depth knowledge of board meetings. During the interview, Saltis talked in detail about various school board meetings and also expressed her interest in the districtís site-based financing setup.

ìKarenís involvement (in the district) has not been as conspicuous as the other candidates,î Setter said, ìbut I sense she has followed the board closely.î

Corey Bergerson
Bergerson, a resident of North Branch for 12 years, has two sons involved in wrestling. His oldest, Jeremy, was a state competitor who will attend Minnesota State University - Mankato in the fall.

Bergerson has been involved with the district at different levels of athletics over the years.

He has coached T-ball and has served as an assistant coach in wrestling at the middle and high school levels. He also tutored his and othersí kids in school.

Outside the schools, Bergerson is involved in the city of North Branchís labor management committee. He works for the city at its wastewater treatment facility.

ìI get a lot out of volunteering,î Bergerson told the board. ìI plan to continue helping out after the last of my kids is gone.î

Bergerson has also served eight years as a union steward and is president of the North Branch Wrestling booster club.

He said he wants to help out by serving as a board member because he thinks North Branch is a ìheck of a good school district.î

Bergersonís assessments of the role of a school board member were similar to those of the other two candidates.

ìAs with any committee member, you have to be open to getting all the facts and you have to listen,î he said. ìYou have to work together as a whole to come to an agreement.î

Bergerson said he did not know a lot about how school financing works, but he empathized with the board regarding their budget issues.

ìTo have to cut who you know are really great educators would not be an easy decision,î he said.

Bergerson said some of his philosophies for education include keeping up with technology and maintaining reasonable class sizes. Ultimately, Bergerson said, he would just like to give back to the community

ìI look at this position (school board member) with a lot of respect,î he said. ìI enjoy being part of this school district.î

School board assessment of Bergerson:
Though the board expressed great admiration for Bergerson and acknowledged his commitment to the community, they were concerned about a few things.

Setter, as she was with Keller, was concerned Bergerson might be too close to staff to be free of a conflict of interest.
Another issue was time.

Bergerson has a fairly flexible work schedule, but he said he invests at least 25 hours a week (not including weekend tournaments) into wrestling.

Walz said that being a school board member requires a lot more of a time commitment than it seems. Ekstrom wondered about Bergersonís lack of knowledge about budget issues.

ìCorey said he didnít know about finances, but he should have researched it,î Ekstrom said. ìHe had a very strong finish but was lacking in some parts.î

The board agreed to eliminate Bergerson. Walz said Saltisí experience with government would be a plus, but she also admired Kellerís commitment to the district.

Board member Donna Hubbard, who herself first made it on the board via the appointment process, defeating Keller, said she was comfortable with either Keller or Saltis.

The board is expected to announce the appointment at its board meeting Thursday.

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