Q&A with Linn-Mar School Board candidate Justin Foss

Justin Foss is running for the Linn-Mar School Board. He is not an incumbent. Here are his answers to a survey we sent to all of the candidates.

Occupation and Employer: Sr. Strategic Project Manager; Alliant Energy

How and who should determine curriculum?

Our curriculum needs to meet standards set by the state. The district administration needs to make sure the curriculum meets these standards and provides a framework for engaging lessons and individual teacher creativity. The school board needs to monitor the district administration's success in meeting standards and should provide feedback from stakeholders, such as teachers, students, parents, career counselors and others, for ways to improve student success.

I believe curriculum needs to change over time - just as the skills needed for success are changing. Team work and problem solving are more important now than in the past - for example. Additionally, its very clear that there are groups of parents that want elements of curriculum either included or excluded. When presented with requests to restrict curriculum that promotes a better understanding of the world around us, we should seek to understand the concern and the forces behind the request.

Why do you want to serve on the school board? What relevant experience do you have?

At Linn-Mar, two current members of the board are retiring and two more are seeking reelection. I want to serve on the school board to fill one of those vacated seats. I believe I can make a difference by bringing my natural curiosity to the board to listen for understanding and take action based on what is best for Linn-Mar.

Living in the district is the top qualification. I also think its very important for a school board member to have a strong connection to the district. I question the motives of people who serve on school boards or seek to serve on school boards if they have previously enrolled or currently enroll their children outside the district.

Because my kids attend Linn-Mar Schools, I have a strong connection to the district and my children and my family will experience first hand the decisions the board makes. I take this responsibility very seriously. I have volunteered in the schools since my 7th grader was in kindergarten. I have poured ketchup at lunches, read books during class, cleaned up after school carnivals, chaperoned field trips, taught kids to ride bicycles during the bike rodeo and volunteered on the sidelines at football games.

My most recent list of life achievements include becoming a certified Project Management Professional, earning my Masters of Business Administration, serving on the Board of Directors for the Hawkeye Area Boy Scouts of America and earning the Corridor Business Journal's 40 under 40. In all of these cases, I have used my skills to listen to others, to seek understanding and to stand up for what is right. In addition, I ref hockey, so I am used to all of the elevated emotions that people can bring to a moment.

As a project manager, I negotiate contracts, evaluate and address risks, manage multimillion dollar budgets and communicate with stakeholders to achieve success. These are all skills that will bring value to the Linn-Mar school board.

How would you describe your attendance at past school board meetings?

I have attended either school board meetings or district listening sessions since my wife and I moved to the district ten years ago. Thankfully, Linn-Mar posts school board meetings online, so I am able to watch the discussion and decisions when I have some time between work, kids activities and other responsibilities.

What are your three top priorities for the school district? What will you do to address them?

I believe the top three priorities for Linn-Mar are: closing the education gap that grew during COVID; securing continued funding for buildings and staff; and shifting the focus to achievement and student success.

1.) Linn-Mar has a new superintendent. I will seek to understand her plans to close the gap and help think through critical risks and opportunities that can affect this. I will encourage a strong feedback loop from all levels of school and administrative staff to identify successes and opportunities for improvement.

2.) I will seek to increase communications about the district's budgeting process and highlight the need to continue to fund improvements so we keep our buildings in top shape. I will encourage finding public-private partnerships to close the funding gaps created by the legislature.

3.) I will actively seek and welcome feedback. I will sit down with any resident of the district to listen to their perspective. I will seek to correct dis-information. I will represent the district in public with respect and honor.

What do you see as strengths and weaknesses of the school district?

Linn-Mar is a large district. I graduated from one of the largest districts in Minnesota, so I understand the opportunities and challenges that come with a large district versus a small district.

Linn-Mar has some of the best teachers and staff that I have ever met! I am humbled when I hear their stories of success and tradition. The reading intervention program at the elementary schools has made great improvements for students to help them grow a love of reading.

I think the biggest challenge for Linn-Mar is to grow with tradition in mind, but not have the future bound by the past.

Are there any curriculum concerns you have with the district? Why? How should the school board address these issues?

I believe the Linn-Mar curriculum needs to continue to promote academic achievement, as well as personal growth. The greatest leaders I know will be the first to say they aren't the smartest person in the room, but instead they know how to lead a team and find ways to motivate each other to help them perform at their personal best.

If you were required to cut the district's budget, what areas would you look to for savings and why?

My first step would be to ask the teachers and staff. Sometimes businesses (and school districts too) will continue to do something simply because its always been done that way.

Bringing a fresh lens to a situation allows me to use my natural curiosity to ask why. I question the motives of anyone that runs for school board with a preconceived idea of places to cut. It is irresponsible to start cutting without first understanding how the entire school ecosystem works.

What level of control do you think school boards should have?

School boards should set goals for the staff to achieve, and then hire good staff to find their own ways to achieve those goals. I believe in hiring professionals and letting them use their education and passion to achieve success. School boards should continue to understand progress on achieving the goals and serve as the point for receiving feedback on the goals and the implementation of those goals.

If the school district had additional funds available, what should they be allocated to? Why?

School districts don't operate like traditional businesses where profit can be used for any expense. Instead, schools have different buckets of funding assigned to different types of expenses.

Depending on the funding bucket that has extra money, I would assess if we could create a long-term solution or a short-term solution. For example, I would consider if we could pay off debt to reduce our annual operating expenses, or if we could make an investment today to offset future expenses like new buses or new HVAC systems. Or, could we increase staff pay or hire additional staff?

To determine the best use of the additional funding, I would work collaboratively with the board to come to a well-thought out decision that has clear benefits for the district.

What will you do to be responsive to parents, teachers and district staff? What types of communication should the public expect from you?

I have and will continue to make myself available to listen to others.

I believe that successful communication requires appropriate context. I will work to provide the context behind decisions, choices and issues when I communicate with district residents.