Schools

Candidate Profile: Fixing Achievement Gap a Priority for Myran

School District 199 School Board member Keri Myran is one of seven candidates seeking election to the board in 2011.

Keri Myran’s first few months on the School District 199 School Board were a trial by fire.

Stringently opposed to the district’s plans to close South Grove Elementary School, where her son went to class, Myran campaigned against the shut down. But when she was elected to the board in 2003, the mother of three changed her mind.

“It was something that I was very strongly against, until I got involved and was elected and could then see all of the information that really is provided once you really dig into the issues,” Myran said.

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Myran calls her vote to shut down the school her “first big decision” on the board. But the vote, and the public hearing process leading up to the closure of the school were also a powerful learning experience for the rookie board member.

Fast forward nearly eight years, and Myran is now seeking her third term as an incumbent on the board. She isn’t the only local candidate seeking re-election: Veteran board members Mickey Difronzo and Bridget Sutton are also gunning for a third term. Four new candidates have also thrown their hats in the race, which will be decided by voters on Nov. 8.

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Over the years, Myran has served as a member of the board’s financial committee and supported improvements to the classes and curriculum at the Inver Grove Heights Middle School. But if there’s one subject that Myran would still like to tackle, it’s the achievement gap in Inver Grove schools.

, and the . But the academic performance of those students still lags behind that of their peers, Myran said. Addressing that issue would be one of Myran’s priorities, if she is re-elected this year.

“You have to find away to reach these kids and make them achieve; not only achieve to a certain benchmark level but to show growth,” Myran said. “We have to find ways to address the issues that will be evolving, due to our changing demographic.”

Keeping the district up-to-date from a technology standpoint is also important to Myran, who believes local students will be at a competitive disadvantage without a digital skill set. The district, she said, should consider a public relations campaign to help the community understand why instituting new technology in the classrooms is important.

Myran, 43, says her time on the board has taught her to look at problems objectively and make well-informed, thoughtful decisions.

“To be successful, sometimes you have to be willing to make the decisions that aren’t popular,” Myran said.


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