2011 Hopkins School Board candidates

When the filing period ended Aug. 16, there were five candidates vying for four spots on the Hopkins School Board.

Here’s a look at the candidates in the race.

Steven Adams

Time in Hopkins:  26 years

Education: Bachelor’s in English with a teaching certificate, master of business administration

Job: Sales and marketing consultant; owned his own information technology consulting company until he sold it

Family: Wife, Donna, and two adult children

Government experience

• On the Minnetonka Planning Commission, serving as vice chairman for the past four years
• Worked on school district referenda
• Chairman of the hockey booster club while his daughter was captain of the girls hockey team
• In his capacity as a planning commissioner, worked with other government entities, such as the Metropolitan Council and Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, and on issues such as comprehensive planning and light rail.

Other relevant experience

• Member of in Golden Valley, where he has served on many committees

Issues of interest

• Maintaining 21st Century skills: Adams said three decades of experience in the information technology arena have given him a first-hand look at the fast pace of technological change. It’s important that students have the necessary skills, he said.
• Long-range strategic planning: Adams has seen the changes happening to the west metro while serving on the Minnetonka Planning Commission, particularly a trend call “.” With this trend, school enrollment declines because parents stay in their homes after their children have moved out instead of selling their homes to younger families with school-aged children.    

Biggest challenges facing Hopkins Public Schools

• “Keeping the school programs relevant to a rapidly changing world”
• Professional learning communities: Hopkins Public Schools is launching this teaching structure, which brings groups of teachers together to collaboratively help students achieve. Adams thinks they have a lot of promise, but he wants to make sure teachers have adequate support to make them as effective as they can be.
• Funding: State legislators continue borrowing money from school districts through . “You never know what the legislators are going to throw at us next year,” Adams said.

Approach as a school board director: Adams promised to approach a School Board position the same way he’s approached his Planning Commission role—by focusing on the facts and making conclusions based on the data. He said he may approach an issue with a hypothesis but added that he’s not afraid to reject that hypothesis if the data doesn’t support it.

Irma McIntosh Coleman

Time in Hopkins Public Schools: 19 years

Education: Master’s degree plus an education specialist certification in school administration

Job: Retired educator; McIntosh Coleman has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal and director of learning for the Minnesota Department of Children, Family and Learning under former Gov. Arne Carlson.

Family: Three adult children, eight grandchildren

Government experience

• Finishing up her first term on the Hopkins School Board
• Member of the West Metro Education Program Joint Powers Board

Other relevant experience

• Delivered meals for Meals on Wheels
• Life member of the public service sorority Delta Sigma Theta

Issues of interest

• Professional learning communities: Hopkins Public Schools is launching this teaching structure, which brings groups of teachers together to collaboratively help students achieve. “I’m excited about the kinds of changes we’re bringing forth,” McIntosh Coleman said.
• Economy: This year’s state budget difficulties emphasized the challenges facing schools, McIntosh Coleman said, noting  agreed to this year.

Biggest challenges facing Hopkins Public Schools

• Economy: “The money side is going to be by far the most difficult part,” McIntosh Coleman said. Residents expect Hopkins to remain a top-tier school district, and the School Board must find ways to do that amid the economic challenges.

Approach as a school board director: McIntosh Coleman said she attends conferences and reads professional materials to share what’s on the horizon with other school board directors. She said her personal motto is “I.M.C.” because she focuses on integrity and sees herself as motivational andcompassionate. “My faith, my family and friends are most important to me,” she said.

Wendy Donovan

Time in Hopkins: 18 years

Education: Associate’s degree in general business

Job: Mother, self-employed landlord who owns two rental homes

Family: Three daughters

Government experience

• Completing her first term on the School Board
• Chairwoman of the Parent Teacher Organization at Katherine Curren Elementary School; also ran the school’s carnival and coached soccer and softball.

Other relevant experience

• Donovan said her work managing properties gives her a sound appreciation for fiscal issues. Owning the rental properties and her own home make her sensitive to the effect that taxes have on residents. “I really understand the financial piece of it and how we have to be good stewards,” she said.

Issues of interest

• “Just what’s best for kids.” “I think education has to be ever changing and has to change with the times,” she said. Donovan originally planned to serve just one term. But she found that the School Board director position has a big learning curve, and she wants to see the completion of several projects begun in her first term.

Biggest challenges facing Hopkins Public Schools

• Keeping up with the changing times: Children have readily adopted new technology and live comfortably in the modern world, she said. Schools must find ways to adapt and teach in ways that best reach students. “It’s getting us to change with them,” Donovan said.

Approach as a school board director: Making decisions based on “what’s best for all kids. It’s hard because it’s such a big picture we have.” She said she’s focused on reaching the entire spectrum of students—from those who struggle to those who thrive in accelerated courses. She’s willing to meet with whoever wants to talk with her, but she also follows the rules of the board—routing communication through the board chairwoman and school superintendent.

Kris Newcomer

Time in Hopkins Public Schools: 21 years

Education: Master’s in history, mini master’s in marketing and project management, bachelor’s in art history

Job: Part owner of the , director of outreach for The BrandLab

Family: Three children—two college graduates and one senior at Hopkins High School

Government experience

• Worked on the district’s budget committee and strategic planning committee
• Past president of the Hopkins Education Foundation
• Co-chair of the 2010 referendum campaign

Other relevant experience

• Trustee for The Sheltering Arms Foundation
• “I’m a business owner so I understand fiscal responsibility and communication.”

Issues of interest

• School finance: “I think school finance is a make or break issue.”
• Educating all students

Biggest challenges facing Hopkins Public Schools

• 21st Century Skills: The district’s responsibility is to provide students the skills they’ll need for the future. It’s important to look at whether the essential skills have changed, she said.
• State funding: School districts face declining state revenue and “funding shifts” that delay payments. 

Approach as a school board director: Newcomer promised to listen, make sure she understands an issue and then make “the best decision that works for all kids.” She said she wouldn’t bring a predetermined agenda to the position. “It’s a nonpartisan board. It’s time to serve the community,” she said.

Tina Soumare

Time in Hopkins: 10 years

Education: Bachelor’s in French and economics

Job: Soumare describes herself as a “professional volunteer” at the moment, but she also spent 13 years in sales and marketing for the financial services industry.

Family: Husband, Modibo, and four children

Government experience

• Volunteer coordinator at Glen Lake Elementary for the past two years
• Chairwoman of various volunteer committees
• Volunteer at Hopkins West Junior High
• Worked with the Glen Lake Parent Teacher Orginization

Other relevant experience

• She said her financial experience gave her the ability to take things into perspective, find efficient ways to manage projects and make decisions.

Issues of interest

• Equity: Soumare’s husband is a naturalized citizen from Senegal, which she said ties her children to the African culture. That gives her a unique perspective on equity issues. She noted the new immigrants moving into the district and how some of them have never attended school. She wants to ensure “everyone has a fair and equal experience.”
• Bullying: Soumare said technology is offering students opportunities that their parents couldn’t have fathomed. The district should embrace technology but also work to keep students safe and secure. She is especially interested in “breaking down the barriers” that keep children from reporting bullying. “A child can be bullied for a very long time and no one knows it’s happening,” she said.

Biggest challenges facing Hopkins Public Schools

• Site issues: Sourmare noted that Hopkins has had site issues and challenges with building planning. ,  and  elementary schools  even as the district’s overall enrollment is declining.

Approach as a school board director: Soumare described herself as open-minded and a good listener. She promised to decide on her vote only after researching the issue. She also said she doesn’t want to dwell on past challenges. “My whole point of being on the board is to focus on where we’re going,” she said.