Mark Kelliher (Mounds View Public Schools, At-large, Minnesota, candidate 2023)

Mark Kelliher

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Nonpartisan

Candidate, Mounds View Public Schools, At-large

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 7, 2023

Personal

Profession

Retired

Contact

Campaign website

Mark Kelliher ran for election for an at-large seat of the Mounds View Public Schools in Minnesota. He was on the ballot in the general election on November 7, 2023.^[source]

Kelliher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

Per our coverage scope, Ballotpedia does not provide election results for this particular race. Check your city or county government's election website for vote totals.

General election

General election for Mounds View Public Schools, At-large (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mounds View Public Schools, At-large on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Heidi Caccamo (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Heidi Danielson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jim DeMay (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Mark Kelliher (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Andre M. Koen (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Art Mills (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Alissa Daire Nelson (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Rich Priore (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jon VanOeveren (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Jonathan Weinhagen (Nonpartisan)
	Submit photo	Paul Wikstrom (Nonpartisan)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Kelliher received the following endorsements.

• Minnesota Parents Alliance

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mark Kelliher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Kelliher's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My wife Kathy and I have lived in this school district for almost forty years, the last thirty of which have been in Arden Hills. In that time, we have seen academic performance erode. I am concerned that our young people are not learning the skills needed to thrive in the real world, so I am running to bring energy and focus back into the learning process.

My concerns about eroding academic performance are shared by many. Over the last few years, enrollment has declined, while enrollment in private and charter schools has swelled. The result is the loss of over $4.5 million in funding, enough to hire at least 45 teachers.

I plan to address the academic performance issue on several fronts. First, it is clear from test results that students who speak English as a Second Language (ESL) struggle. The result is that an entire classroom can be impacted negatively. To remedy this, I would implement an intensive effort towards getting ESL students proficient in English quickly.

Other opportunities for improving academic performance include prohibiting cell phone usage, as well as striving to design curricula which put the fundamentals back into focus: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Academic performance can be improved if we focus on educational fundamentals and allow teachers to deal with students as individuals.
• I would like industrial arts reintroduced into the curriculum. Whether a student is college-bound, or not, everyone can benefit from exposures to woodworking, metal-crafting, etc.
• Our schools could benefit greatly from utilizing volunteers from the community. Many in our community have had rich and rewarding careers and have a passion for sharing their deep experiences. Many others simply have a strong desire to serve, so working with students can fulfill this appetite. Mounds View Schools needs to tap into all this talent on tap in our community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The students of today will be the leaders of the world tomorrow. I want our children to be well-equipped with the academic and critical-thinking skills to navigate that world.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Walden, a book by Henry David Thoreau was a seminal work.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Being available. Being transparent. Being willing to listen to all sides of an issue. Being respectful of everyone's opinions and feedback.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a respectful listener.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

It is vital that a school board member make decisions based on what will achieve the best possible outcome for the individual student. It is also imperative that a board member be a good steward of the district's financial resources.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job was managing a paper-route at age twelve. In addition to instilling in me a sense of responsibility for my actions, I also attained rudimentary business skills that helped me navigate the business world later on in my professional career.

What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?

The school board is responsible for setting policies and goals for the entire educational enterprise. Furthermore, it has the responsibility to put in place qualified leadership to execute those policies and achieve those goals. The board's final responsibility is to hold administrative leadership responsible for delivering results.

As a school board member my focus will be on establishing attainable performance goals and working with the administration to seeing those goals through to a successful outcome. At all times, my decisions and my focus will be viewed through the lens of "what is best for our students?"

Key to achieving these successes will be working with the school's leadership groups to identify what resources I as a school board member should be working to procure so that the job can get done.

Who are your constituents?

I consider my constituents to be the students and the parents of the school system, as well as all of the community's taxpayers who are providing the financial support for attaining academic success for each of our students..

How would you support the diverse needs of your district’s students, faculty, staff, and community?

Each student is endowed with their own strengths and weaknesses. Success will be defined as developing that student to the best of his/her capabilities. This can only be done by giving teachers the resources needed to work with students as individuals. Furthermore, teachers must be empowered and encouraged to work in tandem with parents to guide the student to the best possible outcome.

How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?

Listening and learning are the two most important things I can do as a school board member. In addition to re-opening school board meetings so that public comment is allowed, I plan to regularly attend PTA meetings as well as be responsive to any parent or community member who contacts me with ideas or concerns.

In addition to being widely available to the community's feedback, as a board member I will work to promote dialogue with our legislative leaders. Our school district encompasses three state senate legislative districts. On a regular basis, legislation is passed that includes unfunded mandates. Inviting our legislative leaders to interact with us as a school board would promote better communications; and better communications might lead to improved legislation in the future.

What constitutes good teaching? How will you measure this? How will you support advanced teaching approaches?

A good teacher is one who has a passion for the profession and a passion for excellence. This teacher desires to identify the strengths and the weaknesses in each individual student, and then guide that student towards a path that makes him or her the best version of themself.

Measuring the concept of "good teaching" remains challenging. Proficiency testing in academics is but one tool for measuring educational success. These standardized tests are often criticized as being a crude tool for interpreting individual student achievements. Such criticism is not unwarranted, but we must remember that standardized tests are a regular part of the working world. Ranging from the people in the trades, such as plumbers and electricians, to those those in the health care industry and many in the business world, these all have to undergo proficiency exams. So, even with all of its shortcomings, the best way to measure student performance, and therein the success of the teaching process, is still the utilization of standardized tests.

In what areas would you like to expand curriculum? For example, do you see a need for advanced technical training or apprenticeships? What sort of innovative programming would you advance if given the opportunity?

I am on record as saying that reintroducing industrial arts back into the curriculum would benefit a wide swath of students, if not all. I have broached this idea on several occasions with current board members and administrators. In general, with just a couple of exceptions, the response has been that our curriculum is geared towards those who are college-bound.

Industrial arts open up a world to both those who are college-bound and those who choose to go a different route. For those entering the trades, the exposure to industrial arts would be invaluable. But, even for those who are college-bound, having exposure to industrial arts gives the student the opportunity to develop what might be a passionate hobby in the future.

Take for instance, woodworking. I am an avid woodworker and many of my fundamental skills to safely operate dangerous machinery came from taking shop classes in the 7th and 8th grade. So, even though I never made a career out of it, I continue to practice as a hobby what I learned back then. If not for that early sampling of industrial arts, I would be without a wonderful hobby today. I owe it all to my middle-school giving me that exposure.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

As a school board member, I will work with leaders at both the state and federal levels in a goal to procure as many of those outside financial resources as possible. But, on the same token, my role as a school board member will be to make sure that anything we do spend as a school district is spent judiciously.

What principles drive your policies for safety in schools?

The best thing we can do to promote safety in our schools is to have clear policies regarding discipling those who are involved in fighting and disruptions. Those disciplinary policies must be consistently applied and must be well documented. On the campaign trail I have heard all too many teachers and former teachers share their view that the school administration tacitly discourages reporting fights and disruptions. This philosophy of "if it didn't get reported--it didn't happen" is not transparent and is counter-productive in solving the school safety issue.

How might you support the mental health needs of students/faculty/staff?

First and foremost, students need to feel safe. This is why I want to see our schools do a better job of enforcing infractions for fighting and disruptions. Another opportunity to indirectly address mental health is to implement a policy that significantly curtails the use of cell phones at school. Not only can cell phones be distracting to the learning process, they are an avenue for the over-exposure to the overstimulating effects of social media.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

To avoid even the appearance of any conflict of interest, I have not sought, nor will I accept the endorsement of any organization representing employees of Mounds View Schools ISD 621. Coming from the business world, I believe that the best outcome in any negotiating process is when those negotiations are conducted at arm's length.

Describe your ideal learning environment for students.

Each student is an individual with both strengths and weaknesses. The ideal learning environment is one where teachers are given the professional latitude to cultivate the individual to be the best version of himself or herself. This success can only be achieved if parental involvement and engagement is encouraged.

Additionally, students, teachers, and staff all need to feel safe at school. Without the benefit of feeling safe, no student will be free to achieve their highest individual potential. School Resource Officers provide some sense of security, but disciplinary procedures for fighting and violence infractions must be consistently enforced at EVERY school in our district. During my campaign, I have heard all too many anecdotes describing fighting where no disciplinary response occurred, or the event wasn't even recorded. Looking the other way when trouble arises is no way to manage our schools.

What will you do to build a relationship with parents in the district?

Currently, public feedback at school board meetings is not allowed. So, first and foremost, I will move to open those meetings to public comments, even if that feedback is negative or uncomfortable. It is absolutely vital that the school board NOT insulate itself from the real world of parental concerns.

I will be widely available to parents to hear individual concerns and comments. Being an unresponsive board member benefits nobody and can make the board look indifferent to the results of the actions it has taken. Hearing from parents provides a glimpse into the student's world and the impact of the board's policies on that student as an individual. Parental feedback is vital if one wants to be a good board member.

Finally, I plan to regularly attend PTA meetings because those meetings provide a valuable look at how things look from both the parents' and the teachers' perspectives.

What are your preferred strategies for faculty, staff, and administration recruitment?

My focus on recruiting new talent into our school district will look at the individual's career experience and results from previous initiatives. The most important quality in recruiting is to look for individuals who have high enthusiasm for the profession of educating young people.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Other survey responses

Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Kelliher completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.

• Minnesota Parents Alliance
• Saint Paul Pioneer Press
• League of Women Voters

See also

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Mounds View Public Schools, At-large

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