#3) Concerns for children.  "My ba-sic thought process is that our kids should come first.  If we make decisions that are always in their best interest we are defi-nitely on the right track.  The challenge comes in considering the needs of a large diverse population.  It gets harder, but nothing is more important."
#4) Truth.  "I have an engineering background so, for me, searching for truth is usually a scientific process -- learning, gathering facts, making observations, formulating opinions/hypotheses, and testing.  I am generally not a fast 'ready, fire, aim' kind of person."
#5) Superintendent salary.  "This year (2003/2004) the superintendent's salary is $141,347.  On top of that is a $9,000 car allowance and an $8,000 performance bonus determined by the school board so the total pay package for the year could reach $158,347.
"This is, by any measure, a large number and mostly reflects the competi-tive job market for these positions, parti-cularly in the metro area.  I am actually more concerned by the annual increases in the superintendent's package.  Salary has risen 3.2% and 5% over each of the past two years and the car allowance was increased a total of 15% over the two years.
"This is an environment where we have been making serious budget cuts across the state and the district, and many Minnesotans have lived through pay freezes, pay cuts, and job losses.  I am also concerned that our best-paid teachers make less than half the superintendent's salary, and entry-level teachers make about 25%.  It seems like there could be more equity in those ranges."

Floyd Calhoun
2217 Manuela Drive
Chaska, MN 55318
"I was born on a naval base in Kittery, Maine, but I was raised in Bar-num, Minnesota, and Superior, Wiscon-sin.  I have lived in our district since De-cember of 2000.  I have a career in real estate as a realtor, builder, and developer.  I have been married to Jennifer, awesome wife and mommy, for nearly 10 years.  We are fortunate to have three healthy children -- a boy, age 3, a girl, age 2, and another boy, age 6 months."
1) School size.  "Limited participation as a result of increasing population is not fair, but competition is healthy and is a part of our everyday real world. 
"Smaller school districts are not the answer to sports participation.  Frankly, sports participation is only one of many issues that merit consideration when eval-uating the needs of students.  Additional schools with smaller populations are the answer to the sports issue but, more im-portantly, they are also the answer to an even bigger issue:  the need for smaller class sizes.
"I do not believe deconsolidation is a good idea.  The resources and opportuni-ties available to the rest of the student population, the teachers, and the adminis-trators because we are a large district could not be matched by smaller districts.  I would be concerned that the economics of two or three smaller districts, with smaller tax bases, would be very difficult to overcome and would result in even more students having limited opportuni-ties."
2) Essential elements.  "I believe the essential elements of public education should be rooted in basics:  reading, writ-ing, and arithmetic.  It is critical for us to produce well educated students who are able to communicate and function effec-tively in the real world."
3) Concern for children.  "I believe in providing an atmosphere of encourage-ment, uplifting kids so they develop great self esteem and confidence, instilling character in them so they have integrity in their actions and decisions, and pushing kids to think through the issues that face them so they will know why they believe something."
4) Truth.  "As a Christian, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, I seek the truth in the Word of God -- the Bible."
5) Superintendent's salary.  "The compensation package for the superinten-dent is public information.  Since I am not yet a residing board member, out of respect for Ms. Stofferahn, I prefer not to answer this question.  I encourage anyone who would like to know what she makes to contact the district office at 952-556-6100 to obtain the answer to this question.
"With regard to my personal opinion about Ms. Stofferahn's compensation package, I am a firm believer in paying highly qualified talented people what they are worth.  Competition for such leaders is what drives the compensation packages.   "Ms. Stofferahn has handled the challenges of leading one of the fastest growing districts very well.  I believe we are definitely getting our money's worth for the quality and effectiveness of her leadership."

Dan Enblom
7010 Ches Mar Drive
Excelsior, MN 55331
"Minnesota born and raised.  Grew up in Eden Prairie when it was a one stop-light town.  Resident of School District 112 since 1992.  Occupation:  Electro-mechanical technician/instructor.  Family:  wife, Pam, daughter Erionne, 20, dog, cat, and bird."
1) School size.  "Sports and other extra-curricular activities are important and fun parts of school.  It's not always going to be fair to everyone who wants to be on the team.  The most deserving students should be able to participate, not necessarily the most athletic.
"Larger schools should be able to provide a greater number of activity choices.  Smaller schools would give more students the chance to play their chosen sport but should not be the factor in de-consolidation."
2) Essential elements.  "The essential elements of public education are giving all students an opportunity to learn and grow through a balance of excellent teachers and support staff, effective and challeng-ing curriculum, efficient facilities, in-volved parents, and supportive local busi-nesses."
3) Concern for children.  "Common sense decisions generally seem to be the right ones.  My concerns for my child are that she feels safe, what she does is impor-tant, respects others, and has fun."
4) Truth.  "I expect the truth.  I trust the people I work and play with.  I solve problems for a living so I know how to dig to get a resolution."
5) Superintendent's salary.  "Bev Stofferahn heads up one of the largest employers in the area.  She is well com-pensated for her efforts.  According to the auditor's report, we are in the middle when compared to other similar districts.  We must be open and accountable to the taxpayers to have their trust and work towards excellence."
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