UPDATE: Looks like Parker and Murren will be our board members.
As I predicted, turnout was awful;
Turnout: 5.13 %
6,133 registered voters cast ballots
119,511 Registered Voters for the 2021 School Election
Murren leads right now by a wide margin and will likely win one of the seats, the other is a toss up. I ended up voting for Parker as my 2nd choice.
When I hear things like this, I often shake my head and wonder why we have so much money in a school board race;
According to the four pre-election campaign finance reports filed Monday, so far, school board candidates have raised more than $35,000.
Notable contributions include former mayor Mike Huether and Augustana University president Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin giving to Anthony Pizer, while CEO of First PREMIER Bank Dana Dykhouse gave to both Pizer and Marc Murren.
I find it troubling that a position that pays very little has so much money going towards the race. When it comes to money in races like this, in which probably around 5-10% of qualified voters will even cast a ballot you have to wonder what the donors are trying to buy, especially in a district in which almost half of the students are on FREE or reduced lunches and many are living in poverty. Wouldn’t the $35k be more useful towards the food banks or youth mentorship programs?
The only thing the school board has successfully really accomplished over the past few years is higher taxes. I will admit that we do have a pretty good public school system in Sioux Falls when compared to the rest of the country, but I also think the school board needs to work on efficiency when it comes to how our money is spent.
I hope more people vote, but when you only have ‘voting centers’ in the Southern part of the city, we know how this rolls.
I am glad that many candidates are running, and that is one positive. I still have only endorsed Marc Murren and am still mulling over who my second choice would be.
In full disclosure, I don’t personally know anybody running for school board except the incumbent and I have not communicated by phone or email with any of the candidates.
The election is on May 18th and the Argus put out this handy little Q & A and BIOs.
I like the fact that Murren is a retired educator and coach. He also understands the importance of facing our biggest problems head on with input from our community;
What are the biggest issues you see facing the Sioux Falls School District today?
Murren: Poverty. Poverty creates great inequities for young people.
Nothing against the other people running, I’m sure they are fine folks but I like the life experiences of Murren and think that it is what makes him the most qualified for one of the two seats.
I may change my mind after watching the forum(s) but I think the first choice for school board is pretty cut and dry. Murren seems to realize our challenges, want to fix them, and knows the best way to do that is thru open and transparent governing.
I’m still mulling over who my second vote will go to.
Trust me, I am not going to rail on Mr. Pizer for breaking the rules. In every local election I see the same ignorant mistakes. In this case, not only has Anthony placed his sign on restricted property, he ironically placed it out of the district. And you want to be my latex salesman!
There are some simple rules here;
• Never place signs on public property or in the parking strip commonly known as the boulevard.
• Place your signs in the ACTUAL district you are running in.
• Always check local ordinances on what you can and cannot do.
To tell you the truth, I could give to sh!ts about who is going to replace another rubberstamper on the school board. I just know my property taxes continue to grow and grow and grow, and nobody on that board cares.
Anthony J. Pizer, Candidate for school board sent this announcement out recently;
I am running for school board because I believe in the power of education to transform peoples’ lives as well as our community.
Sioux Falls has a strong public school system that benefits, not only students and families, but our region as a whole. I have seen this firsthand as a Leadership Sioux Falls graduate, Chair of the Sioux Falls Public Schools Education Foundation, and SFSD Boundary Task Force member. For the past ten years, I have been a mentor to the same student with the LSS school-based mentor program. Through this experience, I have seen my mentee grow and develop through all levels of the school district.
My wife, Jessica, and I have two elementary-age children, James and Elyse. They are enrolled in All City Elementary, a Sioux Falls public school that requires parental commitment to volunteering weekly at the school. By spending time in the classroom, I have seen the incredibly talented educators we have in our district and the challenges they face. Therefore, I believe we must support teachers and staff so they can meet the needs and goals of each student.
I run my own business as a Financial Advisor for Thrivent Financial. This has given me a strong understanding of fiscal responsibility and planning to successfully meet financial goals in an efficient and effective manner.
The three areas I believe our district needs to focus on for the future are workforce development, student equity, and community engagement. Because the students of today will work in and lead our community tomorrow, our students and teachers need to have the resources available to meet the needs and goals of the future. Student equity ensures that one’s education, access, and opportunities are not dictated by where they live in Sioux Falls. Finally, our schools and city mutually benefit when community members take an active part in assuring the development of our next generation. I would appreciate your vote on May 18th.
Anthony Pizer
Candidate for Sioux Falls School Board
He lost me at Workforce Development, I want to hear more from him by what he means by that. Whatever happened to giving kids an education that encourages them to go onto to doing whatever they want to after graduation? Whether that is a plumber, soldier, college student, etc.
I am glad he is running though and hope to see more candidates announcing.
l3wis