Rock Ridge Public Schools, Minnesota, elections (2025)

Rock Ridge Public Schools, Minnesota elections
General election date
April 8, 2025
Enrollment ('22-'23)
2.406 students

Incumbent Brandi Lautigar defeated Pollyann Sorcan in the nonpartisan special general election for an at-large seat on the Rock Ridge Public School Board on April 8, 2025. The special election filled the term until 2026. Board members serve four-year terms.

Sorcan was a former member of the Rock Ridge Public School Board who was re-elected in 2022 to a term ending in 2026. On November 19, 2024, the Rock Ridge School Board voted 5-1 in favor of a resolution to expel Sorcan. Sorcan did not attend the meeting. Lautigar was one of the five members who voted to remove Sorcan. Board member Lisa Westby voted against the resolution.

In the resolution, the board alleged that Sorcan committed nonfeasance and malfeasance. The allegations against Sorcan included contacting an attorney who was representing a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the district and forwarding 383 emails from her school email to her private email account. Lautigar's term ended in January 2025, but she was appointed to fill Sorcan's seat until the special election.

The district, located in St. Louis County, had 2,406 students attending five schools during the 2022-2023 school year. It was created from 2020 merger of the Virginia and Eveleth-Gilbert school districts

Lautigar was a school social worker and therapist. She was elected to the Eveleth-Gilbert School Board in 2016. Lautigar told KAXE, "As a board member, I have proven myself to be a listener, a collaborator, and a strong supporter of both students and school staff. I lead with positivity and by example, always keeping students at the center of every decision. My focus is on continuing to move Rock Ridge forward with a student-centered approach and a vision for success." Lautigar said her priorities included discipline, class sizes, and postsecondary enrollment options because "they directly impact student success, teacher effectiveness, and the overall quality of education. All of these concerns have the potential to impact enrollment which in turn impacts the district's budget as well."

Sorcan's experience included serving on the Eveleth-Gilbert, Rock Ridge, and Eveleth district school boards, on the state's language arts academic standards development committee, and as the Minnesota local education agency representative to the National Forum on Education Statistics. She ran on her record as a school board member. Sorcan told KAXE-FM that she believed her seat was "unjustly taken from me and from the Eveleth-Gilbert voters" and that "[w]ith re-instatement I would continue to look out for the best interests of the students, communities, and taxpayers as I have done over the past 40-plus years for three different school districts, both in and outside of office." Sorcan said her priorities were to "improve student achievement; promote better fiscal management; improve student behavior; and ensure more openness and accountability in district operations and decision-making."

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Brandi Lautigar

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Rock Ridge Public School Board/Eveleth-Gilbert School Board (Assumed office: 2016)

Biography:  Lautigar was a social worker for the Nashwauk-Keewatin Schools. She earned two master's degrees, including one in education specializing in K-12 school counseling and another in social work.

---

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

---

Lautigar said she would focus on funding: "Funding is a statewide issue, with many districts making significant budget cuts. We must allocate resources wisely, prioritizing student growth and success while making responsible financial decisions."

---

Lautigar said she would focus on boosting enrollment by, "expanding our Alternative Learning Program (ALP) and increasing flexibility in Advanced Placement (AP) and College in the Schools (CIS) courses to retain students who might otherwise choose Post-SecondaryEnrollment Options (PSEO)."

---

Lautigar said she would prioritize discipline and said that during her time in office, the board, "implemented behavioral matrices, and a dedicated group of teachers have been working to improve these systems over the past year. Our goal is to make adjustments to policies and procedures that foster a safe, supportive, and structured learning environment where all students can succeed."

---

Show sources

Sources: Mesabi Tribune, "Lautigar, Sorcan square off for School Board seat," March 28, 2025; KAXE, "Removed Sorcan and appointed Lautigar running for Rock Ridge School Board," January 15, 2025;Mesabi Tribune, "Lautigar, Sorcan square off for School Board seat," March 28, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Rock Ridge Public Schools, At-large in 2025.

Pollyann Sorcan

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Eveleth-Gilbert and Rock Ridge school board
• Eveleth school board

Biography:  Sorcan served on local, regional, state, and federal government boards and education committees for more than 40 years. Her other experience included serving on the Minnesota Language Arts, Academic Standards development committee and as Minnesota's local education agency representative to the National Forum on Education Statistics.

---

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

---

Sorcan said she would focus on funding: "For the 2025-26 fiscal year Rock Ridge is considering more than $2.6 million in cuts. The School Board needs: more detailed information on District finances; to take an active role in identifying and rectifying inefficiencies, waste, and excess; and to take a more active role in spending decision-making throughout the year and not just at crunch time, toward the end of a school year, when adopting budgets for the next fiscal year."

---

On student achievement, Sorcan said, "Student achievement can always be improved. Statutory cycles of curriculum research, adoption, an implementation period, and then evaluation need to be ongoing in each curricular area, and involve statutorily-required community participation."

---

Sorcan said she would focus on student behavior: "The District needs to take an absolute no tolerance position on bullying of any kind, to follow-through with the established disciplinary actions, and to promote a school culture of respect for all."

---

Show sources

Sources: KAXE, "Rock Ridge School Board 2025 Special Election Guide," March 7, 2025;Mesabi Tribune, "Lautigar, Sorcan square off for School Board seat," March 28, 2025; KAXE, "Rock Ridge School Board 2025 Special Election Guide," March 7, 2025;Mesabi Tribune, "Lautigar, Sorcan square off for School Board seat," March 28, 2025

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Rock Ridge Public Schools, At-large in 2025.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Minnesota

What was the voter registration deadline? An unregistered individual may register to vote at the polling place on Election Day. If you are registering to vote at the polls or have not voted in at least four years, you will need to bring proof of residency to the polls. Click here to see what qualifies as acceptable proof of residency.

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: 4/8/2025
• By mail: 4/8/2025

Was early voting available to all voters? Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates? February 21, 2025 through April 7, 2025

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required? Minnesota does not require registered voters to present identification while voting. If you are registering to vote at the polls or have not voted in at least four years, you will need to bring proof of residency to the polls. Click here to see what qualifies as acceptable proof of residency.

When were polls open on Election Day? 7 a.m. - 8 p.m

Endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia researchers did not identify any candidate websites that provide endorsement information. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.

Campaign finance

Candidates in this election submitted campaign finance reports to the Minnesota Secretary of State. Click here to access those reports.

About the district

Rock Ridge Public Schools is a school district in Minnesota (St. Louis County). During the 2024 school year, 2,331 students attended one of the district's four schools.

2025 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This is a battleground election. Other 2025 battleground elections include:

• Minnesota recalls of Democratic state legislators, 2025
• Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico, elections (2025)
• Georgia Public Service Commission election, 2025

See also

Rock Ridge Public Schools	Minnesota	School Boards
List of school districts in Minnesota	Minnesota school board elections, 2025 Public education in Minnesota Local ballot measures, Minnesota	School board elections, 2025 School board elections, 2024 School board election data analysis, 2025 School board election data analysis, 2024

External links

Office website

Search Google News for this topic