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Sara Wilhelm Garbers (Hopkins Public Schools, At-large, Minnesota, candidate 2025)
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Sara Wilhelm Garbers is running for election to the Hopkins Public Schools, At-large in Minnesota. Garbers is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Garbers completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
[1]Biography
Sara Wilhelm Garbers provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on October 7, 2025:
- Birth date: August 21, 1981
- High school: Chaska High School
- Bachelor's: University of Minnesota- Duluth, 2003
- Graduate: Bethel University, 2011
- PhD: Loyola University Chicago, 2023
- Profession: Executive Director
- Incumbent officeholder: No
- Campaign slogan: Flourishing kids, schools, community
- Campaign website
Elections
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
General election for Hopkins Public Schools, At-large (3 seats)
Sara Wilhelm Garbers, Rachel Hartland, Johanna Hyman, Eric Mandel, and Tim Molepske are running in the general election for Hopkins Public Schools, At-large on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
Sara Wilhelm Garbers (Nonpartisan)  | ||
| Rachel Hartland (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Johanna Hyman (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Eric Mandel (Nonpartisan) | ||
| Tim Molepske (Nonpartisan) | ||
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Endorsements
Garbers received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Hopkins Mayor Patrick Hanlon Patrick Hanlon (Nonpartisan)
- St. Louis Park City Councilor Paul Baudhuin
- Brooklyn Park City Councilor Christian Ericksen
- Hopkins City Council Memb. Heidi Garrido (Nonpartisan)
- Frmr. St. Louis Park City Councilor Rachel Harris
- Hopkins City Council Memb. Brian Hunke
- Columbia Heights City Councilor Rachel James (Nonpartisan)
- Hopkins City Council Memb. Aaron Kuznia (Nonpartisan)
- Minnetonka City Council Memb. Kimberly Wilburn (Nonpartisan)
- Stonewall Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
- Hopkins / Minnetonka Progressives
- Indivisible West Metro
- Moms Demand Action
- Neighbors for Every Learner
- School Board Integrity Project
- Vote Common Good
- Women Winning
Campaign themes
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sara Wilhelm Garbers completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Garbers' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I hold a Ph.D. in ethics and am the new Executive Director of the Westminster Town Hall Forum. I have been a leader for more than 20 years in non-profits, inter-faith spaces, and educational leadership. My areas of passion and expertise include: strategic organizational leadership, communications and marketing, coalition building, change management, mental health, early intervention, governance, board service, educational outcomes, policy, and wholistic assessment. I am a systems thinker who helps to ensure there is better alignment between vision / mission and implementation. I am honest, courageous, and transparent. I am a builder of community grounded in diversity, seeking collective flourishing and honoring of the dignity of all. I am a parent, partner, and community member who wants to help ensure our kids, schools, and community can flourish!
I am running to join the Hopkins School Board because I long been an advocate for supporting and protecting kids. Working at St. David’s Developmental and Therapeutic Services made me fiercely committed to early intervention and services for all kids. I am also leading a project to combat sexual abuse of children in religious communities and want to keep all kids safe. I believe that I have the passion, courage, heart, experience, resiliency, and skill sets necessary to lead on our school board in the face of internal challenges and external threats.
- "Flourishing kids, schools, and community." In the ethical tradition, the “good life” is understood or spoken of in terms of “human flourishing.” Flourishing is the idea of deep breath, goodness, life, well-being. It isn’t something we can achieve on our own, rather flourishing demands community. There is no I without us, there is no good life lived without goodness for everybody. I am running because I want to be a part of helping us remember that we all belong to one another, so let’s continue to build together a district that is committed to flourishing of every kid, every school, and all of us...together!
- "Both/And" My family moved to the Hopkins School District in large part because we want our 3.5-year-old to be formed in a place that has long centered and celebrated its diverse students and families. I believe in the community developed Vision 2031, I love our collective values, and I'm so honored to be a part of Hopkins Public Schools AND I also know that some things that aren't working in our district and we have to work to rebuild trust where its broken, improve our communication, and ensure we are implementing well and improving as we seek to embody and fulfill our mission. This is the BOTH/AND. I'm a both/and leader: celebrate what's beautiful, and work hard to change and improve what isn't.
- I'm PRO. I'm pro public schools, pro every kid, and pro diversity, and pro listening. It's easy to be against things, but I want to be clear about what I'm about and what I'm FOR. I believe that together we can strengthen our schools when we approach our common work with curiosity and kindness, embracing the complexity and challenges before us, and seek to strengthen our schools together.
I am passionate about ensuring that every kid, every family, and the values we hold most dear are defended and protected and believe I have the courage and resiliency to do so. I am for human and equal rights for all. I am for common sense gun rules. I am an advocate for consent and bodily autonomy. I am passionate too about mental health supports and supportive services for all who need them so that all of our students can flourish.
Honesty. Curiosity. Integrity. Kindness. Strength of character. Openness to others. Willing to change one's mind. Ability to hear and be impacted by others. Resiliency. Courage. Moral convictions grounded in commitment to human rights and dignity for all. Intercultural curiosity. Humility. Love.
To steward well the community trust given to you as a board member as you work to ensure that the mission, vision, and values of the district are being well implemented. This involves both oversight and responsibility to hold accountable the district leadership and also responsibility to support the work. It asks you to be courageous and curious and critically reflective so that our schools are strong and parents/guardians, educators, staff, and community members feel heard and supported.
One of my first historical memories is when the Berlin Wall fell while I was in elementary school. I was so excited because I thought everyone would get to be free!
As stated above: To steward well the community trust given to you as a board member as you work to ensure that the mission, vision, and values of the district are being well implemented. This involves both oversight and responsibility to hold accountable the district leadership and also responsibility to support the work. It asks you to be courageous and curious and critically reflective so that our schools are strong and parents/guardians, educators, staff, and community members feel heard and supported. It also involves building relationships and ensuring. you are listening to diverse constituents.
1. Students. 2. Parents/Guardians. 3. Educators & Staff. 4. All community members.
Through fostering pathways for our diverse community members to not only be heard but to be centered and to continue to influence the district's work. I will advocate and I will listen.
I will do so through individuals and persons who can open doors to diverse groups of people in our community. I will center students first and always and then will work with the unions, educators and staff, and then broader parent and community groups.
Teachers who care about their students. Through our "big data" project, I'd want to ensure we are tracking and learning from what our students are telling us about their experiences and what teachers are telling us as well.
I support our referendums and the work of the Legislative Action Coalition.
I am passionate about all kids being safe...physically, emotionally, and psychologically. I am grounded in a commitment to safety and belonging. I also support safety that is grounded in community partnerships and concerns for equity.
In every way that I can. I am passionate about mental health supports and advocating for funding resources and partnerships to support our students, faculty, and staff.
We need to work on our bussing policies and the implementation of them. I also support wholistic student assessments.
Organizations: School Board Integrity Project Seal. DFL Letter of Support. Women Winning.. Vote Common Good. Stonewall DFL. Moms Demand Action. Women Winning. Indivisible West Metro. Neighbors for Every Learner. Hopkins / Minnetonka Progressives.
Public Officials: Patrick Hanlon, Brian Hunke, Heidi Garrido, Aaron Kuznia, Chris Erickson, Rachel Schwenke, Paul Baudoin, Rachel Holmes, and others.
One in which each kid knows they are safe and they belong and they have the resources they need in order that they might flourish.
I will show up in places where parents are. I will be responsive. I will do all I can to help ensure this reflects the diverse parent networks and families in our district.
To work with the district leadership on long-term strategies.
See the above answer about this. I have heard concerns about math and reading curriculum. I do not know if it should be changed, but would hold a posture of listening and working with the administration and community where any necessary changes would better serve our learners.
The ethical frontier on AI is new and we must proceed with caution and seek input from legal and educational experts.
Being a parent to my kid, Josie. Watching a human become and be themselves is a sacred joy and wonder.
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.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
