Diane Koban (incumbent)
8630 South Fairway Point
Victoria, Minnesota
952-443-3693
1) Occupation.  I work as a chef at Oakridge Conference Center and Board Member/Treasurer for the District 112 School board.
2) District 112.  I have been a resi-dent of District 112 and Victoria since 1995.
3) Family.  My family transferred here from Philadelphia, PA, via Seattle, WA.  We chose Victoria because of the quality of the School District and the immediate connections through Early Childhood Parent Programming.  The relationships made at the ECC eased our transition to the area and fueled my inter-est in District 112. 
4) Interests.  My interests include Chaska Valley Family Theater produc-tions, the School Board, guitar, sports, and an occasional round of golf.  My family interests include travel and watching my daughter's soccer team, and many dance recitals.
5) Candidacy.  I already do!  I made that decision about five years ago and the reasons are still the same.  I believe that "education is the great equalizer."  It opens minds, doors, and understanding.
I see public education as a gift hand-ed from one generation to the next so that more of us may enjoy success in our lives, be interested and interesting people and be worthy stewards of the world and the future.  Serving District 112 residents through the School board these last four years has been an honor and for me a way to give back to the community.
6) Books recently read:  Reading is key in our household.  I scan three news-papers a day (not including the Gazette, Villager, and Herald) and The Economist magazine.  I recently completed A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
Books to read:  Two books that I would like to read (again):  Beach Music by Pat Conroy and Ismael by Daniel Quinn.
7) Luxury vs. Basics.  Education is the most basic and most luxurious benefit of a free society.  Ask the returning stu-dents in Afghanistan or Iraq. 
And there is no simple answer to your question.  We, the residents of  #112, want the "basics" taught in math, reading, and writing.  We also believe the District must exceed the State mandated basics. 
Minnesota Student Survey and Dis-trict 112 Student Survey indicated that students are ready and wanting to be challenged higher.  Is it "luxury" to offer (paid) all-day kindergarten, Advanced Placement classes, and college credit courses in high school?  Or, are we feeding the basic needs of the kids who are hungry for more?
As Minnesota is an increasingly im-portant exporter of products around the world, are world languages basic?  Tech-nical skills and training for non-college bound students - luxury or basic?  Safe schools - luxury or basic?  Shared com-munity space and sports fields - luxury or basic?
Luxury or basic is an endless discus-sion.  It is more pertinent for me to safe-guard all of the District 112 dollars.  My fellow board members and I work to ensure that we get the best value out of every tax dollar.  It is my job to keep the maximum funding in the classroom and manage growth in our District without waste.
8) School libraries for the general public?  Absolutely!  Every day!  The District has well designed media/library facilities that should be open for commu-nity use after school hours.
We have found ways to maximize the gyms and recreational centers and field space.  We lend or rent theaters and meet-ing space.  We can further the shared concept with the county and the #112 cities.  Learning doesn't stop after graduation and the buildings need not close with the last bell of the day.
9) Both evolution & creation?  School board members typically do not determine curriculum.  We leave that to the experts - the educators.  And the educators make curriculum decisions based on current research, best practices, MN State directions, and etcetera.
ISD #112 reviews each subject area on a seven year cycle.  The science curric-ulum review committee just finished Year Two Assessment Phase in the seven-year cycle.
For the record:  I recognize evolution as the best scientific explanation for facts gathered in the studies of geology, astron-omy, biology, and other sciences.  There is overwhelming scientific evidence in support of evolution, and though it fuels the debate, it would be unscientific to pre-sent evolution and creationism side by side in science class.
If creationism or intelligent design is to be presented in public school, it should be in World Religion Studies and/or in English Debate class because the greatest things we can help our kids learn are critical thinking skills.
10) National Anthem.  Yes, the U.S. National Anthem, like the U.S. Flag, are symbols of our national identity, our enduring freedom, and keys to our nation-al pride.