As a life-long member of the Hastings school community I have enjoyed being a student, teacher, coach, advisor, assistant principal, and principal.  As Superintendent of Intermediate School District 917 (which supports ISD 200 and eight other school districts) I have been able to understand how each local school district operates independently.  I am very proud of Hastings Public Schools and want to do anything I can to support the effort to maintain the exceptionally positive reputation that it has.

The present teacher and paraprofessional shortage is real and will sustain for many years; it is also not geographically isolated. The public’s trust and faith has been needlessly diminished by outside forces. As school board members, we need to continually find ways to express our gratitude and pride with all of the staff. We need to model the expected civility, professionalism, tolerance, and passion that we expect from our staff. Retention of talented staff members is absolutely critical!

As superintendent of Intermediate School District 917, I directly negotiated each contract with every employee group by utilizing Interest-Based Bargaining. This approach allows for open communication and consensus building between the bargaining group and management. It results in fair compensation, problem solving over time, and positive relationships. This is just one aspect of building a positive culture.

As a school board candidate, I intend to use my compassion and experience to support students, staff, families, and the community.  I do not have any “pet projects” or “single issues” that I am interested in.  I have spent my entire career supporting the unique needs of individual people. We need to remember that students are people first, and pupils second. If we intend to teach and serve every child, we must strive to reach and serve each child. Similarly, I will honor and respect staff members as individuals.

In my 30 plus years of experience as a superintendent, administrator, and educator, I have attended over 1,000 IEP and 504 meetings. Because of this I have an extremely well informed perspective on special education and the provision of 504 services. The burden on special educators, and all instructional staff, has increased every year. 

If special education was adequately funded, more staff could be hired to share the workload. Because there are not enough special education teachers currently, we need to make more of them. This is an urgent matter that the Minnesota Department of Education stands ready to support financially through Grow Your Own Initiatives. I have three years of lobbying experience at the state legislature with my fellow intermediate superintendents. Proudly, the cross-subsidy for special education was decreased for the first time in more than 15 years.

A school board member operates as one member of a board of seven.  All decisions at this level are policy and leadership decisions. The school board member reflects and represents the needs of the community.  As the Minnesota School Board Association states: “school board members put the ‘public’ in public schools. A large part of the responsibilities of the school board revolves around ensuring long term success and stability. With a career of leadership in education I have continually strived to think broadly and with the future in mind. The school board helps to create the culture and community within Hastings Public Schools and surrounding areas.

As the superintendent of Intermediate School District 917 I operated and oversaw three fiscal years of balanced  budgets exceeding $50 million dollars.  As a principal of Hastings Middle School, I operated over 20 years of budgets that represented more than 25% of the district's total expenditures.  I also have significant experience in lobbying at the state legislature, and through local referendums to explain the need for school funding. 

On the get involved section of this site, you can volunteer, request a sign on your property, and donate to my campaign.  
 

You can also email any specific questions to markzuzekcampaign@gmail.com.  If technology is not your thing, you can contact me via telephone at 651-335-0786.