District 833 School Board candidate viewpoint: Ron Kath

Talk about it

How fast eight years can fly by. It was eight years ago when I first asked for your vote. Well, it’s that time again.

I’m a current member of the South Washington County School Board. Thank you for electing me. I am still very humbled that you elected me to be a steward of your child’s education. I take that responsibility very seriously and thank you for that trust. For those who don’t know me, here are some quick facts: I’ve been married to my best friend Katie for the past 26 years. We have raised one son, Tony, who graduated from Park High School. I graduated from the University of St. Thomas with an accounting degree. I have worked for the Schwan Food Company for the past 26 years. I enjoy motorcycling, snowmobiling, hunting, fishing – really anything outdoors.

So, why do I want to run for a third School Board term? Before I answer that question, I would like to review some of our accomplishments. We opened East Ridge High School. We improved Park High School. We improved Woodbury High School. Our high school students will have smaller graduating classes that will allow them more opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities. We successfully implemented the new district grade configuration. We now have a K-5, middle school and traditional high school configuration. We upgraded our technology within the district. We completed our five-year strategic plan. We put a greater share of our funding directly into the classroom when compared to other metro districts. In fact, our district has received several awards for our excellent fiscal management. We maintained a fund balance that protected us during these challenging economic times. We increased our bond rating, thus allowing the district to save millions of dollars in interest. And lastly we have seen an improvement in all of our test scores. ?

Now it’s time for me to answer my earlier question. The School Board will need strong proven leadership and experience to help get us through these challenging times. Tough decisions will need to be made. My eight years of proven leadership and experience will allow me to be objective with all of the tough decisions that will face the School Board. I want to make sure we continue to increase student achievement and I want to make sure we have a strong financial position. With my leadership and experience, I can help lead us through tough economic times.

I hope you feel I have been a good steward of our school district. I would ask again for your support on Nov. 8. It’s been a great eight years and I’m looking forward to serving our school district for another four years.

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