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Filing were: incumbent Mark Dingmann, incumbent Debora Glenz, David Johnson, and incumbent Allen Schmidt. Incumbent Tami Stanger did not file for re-election.

Polling hours in the west lobby of Paynesville Area Elementary School will be from 3 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

This is the second part in three series of questions posed to the four school board candidates.

Mark Dingmann
Mark Dingmann, 42, has served on the school board for four years, being elected in 2001. He also serves on four board committees: facility and equipment, teacher negotiations, support staff negotiations, and budget.

Dingmann is the radiology manager at the Paynesville Area Health Care System and has lived in Paynesville since 1992 with his wife Kathy. They have three children: Zachary (sixth grade); Nicholas (third grade); and Katelyn (first grade).

Describe your experiences with kids (through work, volunteering, etc.) and explain how these will help you make decisions on the school board.
I have three children of my own - ages 7, 9, and 11. I know the decisions that I make on the board will affect their education and every other child's education in this district.

How should the school board - and the school district - encourage and maintain community support for the Paynesville Area Public Schools?
1) Ask for community input.
2) Inform the community about the different issues that are arising in the district.
3) Be fiscally responsible.

If elected, what initiatives do you expect to push in the next four years?
If elected, I will continue to be an advocate for our children. I will support small classroom size, college courses, advanced electives, and continue to update policies and procedures. I will remain open minded and willing to listen to people about their needs or concerns. I will also continue to push for financial stability.

Debora Glenz
Debora Glenz, 46, has served on the board since 1994 and is running for a fourth term. She is currently the vice chair of the board and serves on eight committees, including School for Equity in Education, administrative negotiations, budget, and legislative liasion.

Glenz has run a daycare in her home in Paynesville for 18 years. She and her husband Mike have four children: Michelle, Julie, and Ryan are all PAHS graduates and Sean is a senior this year.

Describe your experiences with kids (through work, volunteering, etc.) and explain how these will help you make decisions on the school board.
I run a daycare, which means I work with kids from six weeks to ten years. Then I have older kids (14 to 21) who help out at my daycare. I'm active with the Paynesville Wrestling Club and have been for over 20 years. I'm active with the Bulldog Booster Club. Most of my time is spent with kids, listening to kids and parents. All this helps keep my focus where it should beŠon the kids!

How should the school board - and the school district - encourage and maintain community support for the Paynesville Area Public Schools?
Open communication. There are a lot of great things happening daily at our schools. We the school board and district need to do a better job of celebrating our kids and staff accomplishments. We also need to keep the community aware of needs, both volunteers and financial.

If elected, what initiatives do you expect to push in the next four years?
Added college credit classes. Enriching the curriculum through alternative delivery methods.

David Johnson
David Johnson, 39, is a 1984 PHS graduate who is running for the school board for the first time. He graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1988, majoring in business and history, and from Hamline University School of Law in 1998.

An attorney in Paynesville since 1999, Johnson and his wife Dee have three children: Ella (7), a first grader, and twins Eric and Luke (5).

Describe your experiences with kids (through work, volunteering, etc.) and explain how these will help you make decisions on the school board.
Besides having three children of my own, I volunteer coach for youth hockey and t-ball teams. I also am involved with children and their families through my occupation. Through these experiences, I am able to see that every child is in a unique situation and every child has differing needs from their school. My decisions will be based on attempting to provide each child the opportunity to receive the best education experience possible.

How should the school board - and the school district - encourage and maintain community support for the Paynesville Area Public Schools?
I believe that the community support will increase automatically if the school performs well. The community takes pride in extracurricular and academic success, so the board and the district need to be sure that these achievements continue to be publicized. As an example, recent testing scores were very good for Paynesville schools. More public awareness will result in greater community support. I also feel that the school must continue to open up their facilities to the community for various activities and productions.

If elected, what initiatives do you expect to push in the next four years?
I do not come into this situation with any particular agenda. I am not dissatisfied with the administration, teachers, or opportunities for the students. I know that Paynesville does lose some students to surrounding districts, but I don't know how unusual or how big of a problem this actually is. I hear that kids are leaving because there is not enough individualized learning based on learning levels or that there are not enough college credit course offerings. If I find that this is the case when I become more involved, I would strongly support improvement in these areas.

Allen Schmidt
Allen Schmidt, 44, is completing his first four-year term on the school board, having been elected in 2001. He has served as the board chairman for the past two years and currently serves on four committees, including facility and equipment, teacher negotiations, and transportation.

A 1979 PHS graduate, Schmidt works as a live haul supervisor for Jennie-O Turkey Store in Melrose. He and his wife Lori, a paraprofessional at PAES, have four daughters: Sarah, a 2005 grad; Rachel (junior); Nicole (ninth grade); and Megan (sixth grade).

Describe your experiences with kids (through work, volunteering, etc.) and explain how these will help you make decisions on the school board.
Other than helping my wife raise four wonderful daughters, I've worked with kids in various roles in my church. I think it is important for the school board to remember to ask themselves this question before all decisions: How will this impact kids?

How should the school board - and the school district - encourage and maintain community support for the Paynesville Area Public Schools?
Our goal should always be to communicate everything that is going on in our district to the parents as well as the rest of the community. The school website is fast becoming a very popular way to accomplish this. We also need to promote participation in the various committees and functions of the school. The school needs to remain a very vital part of our community.

If elected, what initiatives do you expect to push in the next four years?
I do not have any initiatives that I am pushing for. There are some things that I hope we will be able to accomplish in the next four years. College-level courses added to what we have now will enhance our ability to keep our students here. Collaborative efforts with other schools, such as our current agriculture/FFA arrangement with Rocori will only stand to benefit all that are involved.

We need to continually look for better ways to deliver education here in Paynesville.