2.  The fluff:  A lot of the fluff comes from federal and state mandates.  We lose a certain amount of local control and have to spend money on these mandates wheth-er our school district needs these pro-grams or not.
3.  How has public education succeeded?  It succeeds in some states better than others.  Those with better parental involvement succeed.  Minnesota is one of those successful states.
4.  How has public education failed? It has failed in the U.S. because it has re-fused to close schools that cannot educate its children.  Public schools have failed in that it is more expensive to educate a child in public schools than it is in private schools.  Lawmakers have succumbed to the lawyers and we cannot discipline children that need guidance in their lives.  It fails when parents do not allow children to take responsibility for the acts the child has done.  It fails when zero tolerance policies expel young children for things they do not understand.  It fails when they forget the greatness of America and do not allow the Pledge of Allegiance. It fails when it does not allow Easter and Christmas parties in the classroom.
5.  How do the Ten Commandments relate to values in the classrooms of Dis-trict #112?  I have visited classrooms and I believe teachers are doing what they can to reflect positive values and impart them on our children. 
6.  Why should a District #112 ele-mentary school be located in the City of Victoria?  The district is supposed to be serving the entire population of the dis-trict.  Since the price of land and cost of transportation are always rising, I was amazed but not surprised that Victoria did not get an elementary school.  We will all pay more due to this shortsightedness.

Brenda Lewis  952-474-1303
7081 Redwing Lane, Chanhassen, MN 55317
I am 41 years old and grew up in St. Louis Park.  I graduated from St. Louis Park High School, a school of excellence, in 1978 with academic and social honors.  I graduated from the College of St. Catherine's with a B.S. in Business Ad-ministration, Marketing and Management.  I am currently employed as an Event Manager for a social and corporate facility in Excelsior.
My husband Chuck and I have been residents of Chanhassen for 16 years.  Our children are Philip, 16, Lauren, 14, and Matthew, 12.  All attend Chaska public schools.  I've won awards in public speak-ing and have always been extremely in-volved in my children's education.  Now that my own children are in the upper grades, my involvement in education can shift from in-school activities to a much broader range.
The most pressing issues facing District #112 at this time are the continued growth in number of school age children, the limited space of our current facilities, and maintaining our present level of edu-cation stressing the values we have in place within the school and the communi-ty.
1.  The goals of public education are to provide every student with the tools necessary to succeed to the best of their own ability based on their individual tal-ents.  Although there are state standards to be maintained, our efforts need to concen-trate on exceeding these standards without losing touch of individual achievements.
2.  The fluff:  It is hard to determine if there is fluff in the public education of District #112.  We have new school build-ings with architecturally up-to-date design.  My focus would be to investigate if these structures were put to the best possible use.
3.  How has public education succeeded?  It has succeeded because of community involvement.  Staff, students, and parents take an extremely proactive approach to the education of children.
4.  How has public education failed? It has failed due to lack of funding which has resulted in increased class size, busing issues, decreased after-school activities, only to mention a few.
5.  How do the Ten Commandments relate to values in the classrooms of Dis-trict #112?  They relate to values in the classroom of District #112.  Without quot-ing the Ten Commandments directly, our values are intertwined by stressing respect, honesty, and mutual and uncondi-tional support.  We do not discriminate against race or sex.
6.  Why should a District #112 ele-mentary school be located in the City of Victoria?  I believe schools need to be located in areas that will best service the needs of our children.  Careful consider-ation and exploration of this issue are necessary to provide a knowledgeable and fair response.

Dr. Leo Parvis  952-361-6630
30 Riverbend Place, Chaska, MN 55318
Married to a feisty Norwegian-American, one daughter, grade 12.
Health and wellness consultant.  Assistant professor of health studies, Columbia-Southern University.
Doctorate in public health, extensive experience in teaching high school and college level.  Current researcher on parental education.  Past researcher on national studies concerning delinquency prevention, drug use, violence in schools.  Published writer on public health issues.  Longtime supporter of public education, and willing to serve the community.
1.  The goals of public education are to provide students with a useful, appli-cable education and knowledge base so they learn how to be a responsible person and citizen, how to make informed deci-sions, and to know, understand, and respect social values and cultural differ-ences, and understand how to live and function in today's world.
2.  The fluff is the inadequate prep-aration of students for facing the some-what harsh realities of life today.
3.  How has public education succeeded?  Public education in the U.S. has succeeded by using available resources such as advanced technology to create educated, interested, inquisitive, caring, compassionate, innovative people who want to contribute to the world in a positive manner.
4.  How has public education failed?  Public education has failed in some respects due to inadequate, unhealthy educational environments in overcrowded schools that are falling apart and using meager materials.  Public education has also failed by allowing some students to pass classes and grade levels without de-tecting serious learning disabilities and other problems.
5.  How do the Ten Commandments relate to values in the classrooms of Dis-trict #112?  The positive doctrine behind the Ten Commandments should  be reflected and respected in all aspects of our lives, but not necessarily taught in the classrooms of District #112.
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