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Bruce Mohs
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Bruce Mohs was an at-large member of the St. Cloud Board of Education in Minnesota. He won re-election in the general election on November 4, 2014. He won the primary election on August 12, 2014. Mohs was first elected to the board in 2003.
Biography
Bruce Mohs is a resident of St. Cloud, Minnesota. Mohs graduated from Technical Senior High School in the district before earning his B.S. degree in biology from St. Cloud State College, his M.S. teaching degree in biology from the University of Arizona and his M.S. degree in secondary school administration and supervision from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.
He spent 32 years as an educator in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District before he retired. He also worked as an assistant property manager for the Blake Capital Corporation at Piccadilly Apartments from 1977 to 2000.[1]
Elections
2014
The election in St. Cloud featured three at-large seats up for general election on November 4, 2014. The primary election was held on August 12, 2014. Incumbents Peter Hamerlinck, Bruce Mohs and Jerry Von Korff ran against challengers Hassan Abdullahi Yussuf, Michael Conway and Bruce Hentges for the seats. The primary election narrowed the candidate field from seven to six, which removed Scott Andreasen from the race. Hentges announced on September 18, 2014, that he was informally withdrawing from the race due to personal reasons, but he still appeared on the November ballot.[2]
Results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan |  Bruce Mohs Incumbent |
23.2% | 15,129 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Hentges |
20.6% | 13,454 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Von Korff Incumbent |
17% | 11,066 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Hamerlinck Incumbent | 15.2% | 9,893 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Conway | 14.6% | 9,541 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hassan Abdullahi Yussuf | 8.9% | 5,800 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.4% | 280 | |
| Total Votes | 65,163 | |||
| Source: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State, "Results for Selected Contests in School District No. 742 - St. Cloud Area," accessed December 30, 2014 | ||||
Primary election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Mohs Incumbent |
22% | 3,217 | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Hentges |
21% | 3,074 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Von Korff Incumbent |
17% | 2,490 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Hamerlinck Incumbent |
12.1% | 1,777 | |
| Nonpartisan | Michael Conway |
9.8% | 1,438 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hassan Abdullahi Yussuf |
9% | 1,317 | |
| Nonpartisan | Scott Andreasen | 9% | 1,316 | |
| Total Votes | 14,629 | |||
| Source: Stearns County Auditor/Treasurer, "Stearns County Official Results," accessed October 21, 2014 | ||||
Funding
St. Cloud School District does not publish campaign finance reports for school board candidates. State law does not require campaign finance reporting if contributions or expenditures do not exceed $750 in a calendar year.[3]
Endorsements
Mohs did not receive any endorsements during the election.
2010
| St. Cloud School District, At-Large Primary Election, 4-year term, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Mohs Incumbent |
27.1% | 5,051 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Von Korff Incumbent |
21.6% | 4,030 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Hamerlinck |
13.8% | 2,576 | |
| Nonpartisan | Al Dahlgren | 12.3% | 2,294 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vic Schulz | 9.6% | 1,783 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frances Ann Kayona | 8.7% | 1,624 | |
| Nonpartisan | Hassan Abdullahi Yussuf | 7% | 1,311 | |
| Total Votes | 18,669 | |||
| Source: Stearns County, Minnesota, "Election Results," accessed August 4, 2014 | ||||
| St. Cloud School District, At-Large General Election, 4-year term, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Nonpartisan | Bruce Mohs Incumbent |
26.3% | 16,812 | |
| Nonpartisan | Jerry Von Korff Incumbent |
19.8% | 12,669 | |
| Nonpartisan | Peter Hamerlinck |
15.8% | 10,095 | |
| Nonpartisan | Al Dahlgren | 14.5% | 9,259 | |
| Nonpartisan | Frances Ann Kayona | 12.5% | 8,006 | |
| Nonpartisan | Vic Schulz | 10.4% | 6,649 | |
| Nonpartisan | Write-in votes | 0.6% | 388 | |
| Total Votes | 63,878 | |||
| Source: Stearns County, Minnesota, "Election Results," accessed August 4, 2014 | ||||
Campaign themes
2014
Mohs published his platform on his campaign website:
| “ | Student Achievement • Education Funding • Public Perception
I’ve been reading with interest a number of articles and letters addressing different points of view concerning public school education in District 742. I’d like to take “my turn” and share some of my thoughts and observations. First of all, I strongly believe that public school education is for the infinite good of our community and our society. No calling is more demanding than education, no calling is more selfless than education, and no calling is more central to the welfare and vitality of a democracy than education. Education influences, cultivates, nurtures, and directs the greatest renewable resource on earth - the resourcefulness of youth. Secondly, I believe that educating students is an important public trust of considerable social significance, a human privilege of great value and importance, and a noble and challenging career of deep satisfaction and enjoyment. As I see it, there are three important issues facing our school district: 1) Student achievement and academic improvement amongst ALL students; 2) Sustainable education funding AND fiscally responsible budgeting; 3) Building strong public support for the school district’s mission and vision. Student Achievement and Academic Improvement At the core of student achievement are effective educational programs and services in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, and Alternative Learning Education. And at the heart of effective instructional programs and services are professional educators. In order for District 742 to bolster student achievement beyond the levels of academic improvement that have already been attained, it will be necessary to recruit, hire, develop, and retain skilled and caring educators who are dedicated and committed to the needs, the dreams, and the aspirations of each and every student in District 742. True education reformers have always looked upon measurements and tests as a formative tool to help guide educators in their assessments of student progress, instructional accountability, and program effectiveness. Unfortunately, however, state and federally mandated tests, as they are currently written and applied, are more the toys of politicians than the tools of educators. If the purpose of these tests is to help shape school systems, then state and federal agencies need to improve their own public accountability by providing equitable and adequate sources of education funding for the public schools. And political leaders who promote state and federal mandated testing without the accompanying funding to support the schools are themselves failing the public’s mandate of political accountability! Education Funding and Spending One of the signature issues facing District 742 is that of education funding and spending. It’s very wise that our elected school officials negotiate, budget, and allocate the district’s resources fairly and responsibly, especially during this time of inequitable and inadequate state funding for public school education. But it’s shortsighted to simply cut spending through staff layoffs, program reductions, and school closings. School board members, educators, parents, community leaders, and all people of goodwill must reframe the issue of education funding and spending. The level of dialogue and understanding throughout our community must be raised so that ‘educational expenditures’ are valued as ‘educational investments’. We cannot say we value our students and their education, then devalue our educators and educational programs. Our friends in the private sector invest financial resources in their businesses for the purpose of improving goods and services and realizing profits. It’s just as important that the public schools invest financial resources in staff and programs for the purpose of providing quality public school education. That’s how the potential and promise of all our students is realized. After all, the old commercial slogan that said “Pay Now or Pay Later" holds far more truth for education than it does for mufflers. Public Support for the School District’s Mission and Vision We’re at a significant crossroads for the future of our community’s public schools. There are important tasks at hand, and all concerned and caring citizens must come together for the common good of our young persons. We must work together to minimize our differences and maximize our agreements, yet not lose sight of commonly held education values and ideals. It’s not rivalries which are needed, but partnerships which are required. We must acknowledge the disagreements and mistakes of the past, but we must not be paralyzed or divided by them. We must get beyond ‘finding fault’, and focus instead on ‘finding solutions’. We must build on the successes and achievements of both the past and the present - and there are many! But we must also be willing to propose new solutions and chart new directions for a school district whose future is full of change, challenge, and opportunity. Our publicly elected school officials, present and future, must work together to achieve the following: 1) Instill trust and confidence, throughout the community, in the mission and vision of our public schools; 2) Build unity and consensus on educational issues and concerns among school board members, administrative leadership, and instructional staff; 3) Support innovative, creative, and effective educational programs along with the human, material, and financial resources needed to deliver them. Certainly, all persons do not have the same viewpoint when it comes to the issues of public school education. But we must respect each others different viewpoints. We cannot afford to align ourselves so rigidly to our own points of view that we are unable to work for the common good. And that common good is the educational welfare of ALL students in District 742. I truly believe that people of GOODWILL, WILL come together for the common GOOD.[4] |
” |
| —Bruce Mohs campaign website (2014)[5] | ||
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term "Bruce + Mohs + St. + Cloud + School + District"
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ St. Cloud School District, "Board Members," accessed October 21, 2014
- ↑ St. Cloud Times, "St. Cloud school board candidate remains on ballot despite withdrawing," September 19, 2014
- ↑ Minnesota Secretary of State, "Campaign Finance," accessed August 1, 2014
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Bruce A. Mohs - District 742 School Board, "Viewpoints," accessed October 21, 2014
| 2014 St. Cloud School District Elections | |
| Stearns County, Minnesota | |
| Election date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Peter Hamerlinck • Incumbent, Bruce Mohs • Incumbent, Jerry Von Korff • Scott Andreasen • Michael Conway • Bruce Hentges • Hassan Abdullahi Yussuf |
| Important information: | Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
