Four candidates are running for three open seats on the River Falls School Board. Incumbents Cindy Holbrook and Bob Casey chose not to seek re-election.

Crystal DuBois

Did not respond

David Bo Hirstein

Residence: City of River Falls

Occupation/profession: VP – Commercial Lender at First National Bank of River Falls

Prior elected offices: None

Do you have any children who attend the school district? Have they graduated? Yes, my wife and I have five children. Three have graduated from the River Falls School District and are currently in college, and two are currently attending River Falls High School (a senior and a freshman).

In what school district or community activities/organizations have you been involved? I have been involved with youth sports in River Falls since 2009. I was a River Falls youth football coach for 11 years. I coached in the River Falls Youth Boys Basketball Association for 14 years, and was on the board for 13 years, serving as president for five of those years. I served on the River Falls Youth Softball board for three years. I have volunteered on the River Falls Sports YouTube broadcasting team for seven+ years. I am currently involved with the River Falls Lions club and am serving on their board and recently winning the Roger Horness Youth and Community Award for Outstanding Service from the Lions Club. I have helped several times with mock interviews at Meyer Middle School and have volunteered for eye screenings at schools in our district.

Why are you running for school board? What are your priorities? Having been born and raised in River Falls and graduating from RFHS in 1990, I know how great our school district and community have been for many years. I simply want to give back to the school district and the community that have given me so much over my 50 years of living here. I want to have a positive impact on the students and staff/administration of our school district and to represent our community in a positive way.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the school district? One big challenge is school funding. The formula for calculating state aid is antiquated. This formula should be updated every 5 to 10 years, and it’s simply not happening. I realize making a change with this formula will be an uphill battle, but I believe we need to get the ball rolling on this. I also believe attracting and retaining top notch teachers, administrators, and staff is another challenge. We need to find creative ways to bring in the best and then keep them in River Falls!

What differentiates you from other candidates/board members? As a prospective school board member, having experience on several local boards over the last 14 years would give me a head start if elected to the school board. Serving on these local boards has helped me learn to listen and understand many sides to issues that arise, and to work with different people to help create solutions that work and make sense. I’ve always tried to keep an open mind to all thoughts/ideas/opinions when working with people in groups, and to help the group come to a mutual solution. I also believe my 22+ year background in banking would help me to understand the finances of the school district and this experience would be beneficial.

What has the previous school board done well? Although I don’t have a ton of knowledge on the previous school board, I feel they work well together and care about the direction of the district. Having attended numerous meetings in the last few months, I’ve seen the collaboration they have when discussing issues and needs of the district, and the careful consideration they have for the students in the district.

What do you see as the primary work of the school board? I feel there are several primary duties of the school board: 1) Provide general oversight for administration and the district. 2) Review the board’s policies and update them as necessary. 3) Hire and evaluate the Superintendent. 4) Oversee negotiations and administration of critical contracts. 5) Adopt a budget that is consistent with board priorities and goals. 6) To be a relentless advocate for ALL students and their success.

What is the best way to address differences of opinion on the board or between the board/administration/the public? There will always be differences of opinion. One of the best parts of our society is that we all have our own opinions. As a prospective board member, I would listen and respect the opinions and perspectives of others. If I were to have a different option, I would voice my opinion and back that with facts/thoughts/feelings. Although I may not always agree with others on certain subjects, coming up with solutions that work best for most people is the best solution.

How does a school board balance the need to provide a quality education with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden? A school board needs to provide a quality education within their budget to the best of their ability. There are unforeseen things that come up when a board needs help from the local taxpayers to complete, such as repairs and replacement of items. I do feel if the state aid formula was updated, our district would be in a better position financially, and the need for help from the local taxpayers would be reduced.

How can people contact you?  Email me at dhirstein@gmail.com

Monica LaVold

Residence: City of River Falls

Occupation/profession: Library Director

Prior elected offices: None

Do you have children who attend the school district? Have they graduated?  I have two sons who graduated from River Falls High School in 2018 and 2020 respectively.

In what school district or community activities/organizations have you been involved?  As the Youth Services Librarian at the River Falls Public Library, I met many families from the community. I have participated in River Falls Days as a volunteer, helped supervise early morning walking for Community Education, and worked the beer tent. My husband is a teacher and coach in both golf and with the hockey Program (youth and high school). I have helped out with many of his school and sports activities.

Why are you running for school board? What are your priorities? I have been a librarian for over 15 years, and through that have developed relationships with children and families in the community. I believe in the power of knowledge and education and that every child deserves a safe place to learn and grow. I believe in access, inclusion, equity, and character values. I value fiscal responsibility and recognize that the district is acting as stewards of public funds.

What do see as the biggest challenges facing the school district?  I fully expect to learn more about the challenges that are facing our students and staff, as well as our administration. I believe that we are seeing unprecedented rates of mental illness, suicidal ideation, staff burnout, stress, and other difficulties. I think that families are burdened with financial struggles, overwork, and exhaustion. None of these challenges is unique to River Falls, but I believe it is important to acknowledge the barriers to education that many in our district deal with every day.

What differentiates you from the other candidates/board members?  I think that our current board has a wonderful mix of people who do a good job representing diverse viewpoints in our community. I believe that I can bring yet another viewpoint. I have years of experience with library services, and currently work as an administrator, which gives me insight into some governmental structures and processes.

What has the previous school board done well?  I think that they have a strong history of respectful dialog. It can be hard when you have differing opinions, but I believe they take all input with thoughtfulness and genuineness. I don't believe that they have historically pushed any specific agenda, but have been open to listening to all sides of issues.

What do you see as the primary work of the school board?  The school board should guide the decisions of the administration of the district. The board should also represent the students, teachers, staff, and community members who reside in the district. I think it is important to learn how the district works and to support the greatest good in our community.

What is the best way to address differences of opinion on the board or between the board/administration/the public?  In a perfect world, we would always be able to have respectful discourse with open minds. I understand that we don't always live in a perfect world, however, and I know that emotions can get heated. I believe in trying to remain calm, trying to really understand the point of view of another person, and in being able to articulate why decisions are made the way they are. We can't make everyone happy, but we do need to know exactly why we take the steps that we do.

How does a school board balance the need to provide a quality education with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden?  I am not sure there is an easy answer to this. Our schools are funded in ways that are inherently complex and unequal. I believe that there are attempts to make corrections, but school funding is incredibly complicated and controversial. There are many people who feel that supporting education is well worth the price paid in taxes, but there are many who disagree strongly. Education is expensive, but I believe that it is an investment into our future. That said, we can still do our best to be responsible stewards of taxpayer money without putting too much burden on the teachers and students in our schools.

How can people contact you?  Email in generally the best way to reach me: monicaeileen152@gmail.com

Alan John Tuchtenhagen

Residence: Clifton Township

Occupation/profession: Retired

Prior elected offices: River Falls School Board, and the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards

Do you have children who attend the school district? Have they graduated?  I have three sons, John, Daniel, and William who all graduated from River Falls High School.

In what school district or community activities/organizations have you been involved?  Church activities, Boy Scout leader, Marching Band parents, other school and community activities.

Why are you running for school board? What are your priorities?  One of the most rewarding things I have ever done has been to serve on the River Falls School Board. It’s an honor to serve this community. These are challenging times for local government – especially public schools. I feel that my experience as a school board member makes a difference. We have work to do. Student achievement is important, and we can always do better. I am committed to seeing student achievement rise. We must ensure that the referendum commitments are carried out and the transition to a new superintendent goes smoothly. I am proud of the River Falls School District and am eager to continue to support our success. We have tremendous teachers and staff; students and families; and the River Falls community at large whose strong belief in, and support for, our kids has made us a successful district.

What do see as the biggest challenges facing the school district?  Ongoing state support for public education will continue to be a challenge. For many years we have been at the bottom in state financial support for public education. The recent approval of our operating referendum will go a long way toward addressing that, but we must keep up our communication with legislators in Madison regarding ongoing support. We need to make sure the money we do have goes as far as possible. Our success not only benefits students individually, but it is also critical to the economic well-being of our community. Recruiting and retaining high quality teachers and staff is a priority. The path to student success is through them. Having a school district that provides support for good teaching will ensure that our kids get a great education.

What differentiates you from the other candidates/board members?  I am an experienced school board member and am also involved at the state level as a member of the board of directors for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB). I know how important it is to have board members who can effectively collaborate -- working with others to find common ground as the basis for decision-making. I have learned a lot serving on the board. One of the most critical lessons is that important decisions are often not easy and are almost always more complicated than they appear at first. I’ve learned that decisions made with the best knowledge and best of intentions don’t always turn out the way we intended. But above all, I have learned to use the best information at hand while collaborating with my board colleagues. This means that I must come prepared, pay attention, ask questions, and do the work.

What has the previous school board done well?  Civil discourse is a strong suit of this board and as a result, we avoid the drama that permeates our world today. Even when we disagree, our conversations are respectful and civil. Our Wisconsin state test scores continue to show us among the highest in the state for student achievement. Even given that, this board knows that we can always do better and have a commitment to seeing that every student succeeds. Decision-making is transparent. The board connects with the community and reaches out to gauge community sentiment. One recent example is the community-wide survey done last fall regarding potential referendum projects. Based on those results, we held literally dozens of public information meetings to respond to questions and share information.

What do you see as the primary work of the school board?  Our primary responsibility is to ensure that every student gets a first-class education. That means understanding state regulations, school funding formulas, and being able to represent the interests of our community generally in support of our kids. We must hire the best administrators to lead our district and they in turn hire the best teachers and staff. The board represents the community in decision-making regarding policies, budgets, and programs.

What is the best way to address differences of opinion on the board or between the board/administration/the public?  Doing our homework prior to our meetings is the first step. Listening, asking questions, and discussing issues is the next. This is a community that is very diverse in its opinions, and they need to be heard.

How does a school board balance the need to provide a quality education with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden?  Commonsense budgeting will always be a priority for me. It creates stability for the district, builds community trust, and allows us to provide competitive pay and benefits for district employees. An example outcome from the board’s fiscal responsibility is our excellent bond rating which lowers costs for interest on bonds for referendum projects. We make sure that we set realistic goals, budget conservatively, and still support our students.

How can people contact you?  Alan Tuchtenhagen N8554 1205th Street River Falls, WI 54022; 715-307-1748 (cell); alantuchtenhagen@gmail.com