Seven candidates have filed to fill three Hutchinson School Board seats that will be up for grabs in November’s election.
Samantha Casillas, incumbent JoEllen Kimball, Garrett Luthens, Danny Olmstead, Andrea Mitchell, Dale Brandsoy and incumbent Erin Knudtson will appear on the ballot. The three candidates who garner the most votes will begin in January four-year terms guiding District 423, its policies and its finances.
Each candidate provided a brief introduction this past week.
SAMANTHA CASILLAS
Casillas, her husband and three children moved to Hutchinson three years ago due to a work opportunity.
“We plan to plant roots and raise our kids here,” she said. “We fell in love with the community and quickly became involved in our church.”
She sees the opportunity to join the school board as a way to become more involved in supporting the community. She also hopes to help make District 423 into a school she would send her currently homeschooled children, following disruptions during the pandemic, and the uncertainty of distance learning. She wants to focus on higher test scores and allowing teachers to focus without the distractions of politics. A good education, she said, removes many obstacles for children, and the duty of the school board is, “to make sure no child is left behind.”
“I have a passion for children and their success, especially now that I’ve become a mother myself,” Casillas said. “The kids are our future.”
JOELLEN KIMBALL
Kimball, a longtime Hutchinson resident, taught second grade for 24 years before continuing on as a substitute teacher. Residents might also recognize her as a guardian ad litem for the state of Minnesota, from her time on the Common Cup board, as a Special Olympics coach, or for her eight years on the school board. All three of her children graduated from Hutchinson Public Schools.
“I’ve always enjoyed thinking and talking about school,” she said. “I do whatever kind of volunteering I can at school.”
She decided to run for re-election in hopes of helping the district’s newly selected superintendent and several new principals. She also plans to continue putting her master’s degree in curriculum to work on the curriculum committee.
“We have to help our students recover from the loss during COVID and construction, and close some learning and achievement gaps,” Kimball said.
GARRETT LUTHENS
Many Hutchinson residents are likely familiar with the Luthens family name, starting with a milk hauling business and later adding farming operations. Garrett Luthens is currently the supervisor of his township board, has served 10 years on the Hutchinson Joint Planning Committee, and has been vice president of the Minnesota Milk Producers since 2012. He’s also a Cub Scout leader.
With his own children now in District 423 and involved in extracurricular activities as well, Luthens said, he sees how important it is to help them grow through education. Having met several people who want to ensure Hutchinson is a great place to go to school, he hopes to show his children it “takes a difference to make a difference, and the only way to do that is to have the courage to be that difference.”
“I fully believe that every child needs to be ready to contribute to their community and society with productivity and hard work and to be an educated citizen of their government,” he said. “For a child to accomplish all that, I believe it’s the responsibility of each parent to ensure them a good education and that is why I’ve decided to run for the Hutchinson School Board.”
DANNY OLMSTEAD
Olmstead, co-owner of Spirit Security, has lived in Hutchinson for 21 years with his wife, who was raised in the community. Residents might recognize him from Riverside Church, softball and school events with his kids.
He said he decided to run after feeling like the Hutchinson School Board didn’t hear the voices of its constituents regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It didn’t matter what we said,” Olmstead said. “I also was able to see an insight of the school system that left a really sour taste in my mouth how some of the teachers honestly treat the kids. It wasn’t necessarily my kids. I reached out to some of the school board members, and it was like ‘Oh, we’ll look into that.’ I don’t feel like it was looked into.”
After asking others to run, Olmstead decided to submit his name as a candidate.
“If we want our voice heard, sometimes we have to run and dig and learn the other side of it to see what we can really change,” he said.
ANDREA MITCHELL
Mitchell was born and raised in Hutchinson and has seen a spectrum of its educational opportunities as a student of St. Anastasia, Hutchinson Public Schools and Ridgewater College. Residents might recognize her from community involvement as she grew up, or as a Hutchinson School Board candidate from two years ago.
She was inspired to run when she felt like her son didn’t receive adequate special services through District 423 during distance learning when schools made changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He is still very much behind,” Mitchell said. “My daughter, his twin sister, is also behind.”
Mitchell decided if she wanted to make her voice heard, the best way to do that was to be involved.
“I think we can do a better job preparing kids,” she said. “I think we don’t do a very good job teaching the most basic life skills. ... I feel we are failing our kids. If parents don’t know or have knowledge, (students) end up just as behind as a generation before.”
DALE BRANDSOY
Brandsoy has been a Hutchinson resident for seven years, following a move to be closer to two of his grandkids, who are students in Hutchinson Public Schools. He’s a retired educator with more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, principal and superintendent in Minnesota schools. Even after his 2012 retirement, a three-year interim as BOLD superintendent drew him back a while.
He said he is running for the Hutchinson School Board with no agenda, but hopes to be part of repairing relationships and dispelling negativity surrounding education. He said he wants to see a quality education provided to all learners.
“I think Hutchinson has a pretty good school system, and I think I can emphasize the importance of public education,” Brandsoy said. “I want to work on building positive relationships with students and staff in the school.”
He loves working with teachers, children and the public.
“I miss that,” Brandsoy said.
ERIN KNUDTSON
Knudtson, who was born and raised in Hutchinson, left only briefly to pursue her education before returning to work as a pediatrician at Hutchinson Health.
“Most folks know me from that,” she said. “But hopefully folks have come to know me in this (school board) role as well.”
Two years ago she stepped forward as a candidate to fill an interim position, and hopes to continue her work with a four-year term.
“Education is very important to me personally and professionally. Serving on the board over the last two years has allowed me to combine that interest with my passion for child advocacy,” Knudtson said. “My first time was a tremendous learning opportunity. It provides you with a set of experiences I really hope have given me more perspective and the ability to be a thoughtful, conscientious board member.”
