Wieland: District 88 must stay competitive

Editor's Note: This article is the last in a series on District 88 School Board candidates.

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Eleven candidates are seeking four seats on the District 88 School Board in Tuesday's election.

Incumbents running are Brian Wieland, Don Potter, and Gene Forstner. Challengers are Deborah Hertling, Barbara Becker, Renee Otis, Susan Nierengarten, Sheldon Rieke, Rick Berg, Duane Hauser and Bruce Schreckenberg.

Wieland, a board member since 1990, is seeking re-election because he still enjoys serving on the board and because he believes his experience will be needed in dealing with upcoming major issues.

"We will be dealing with more budget cuts, as well as working on contracts with all staff members," Wieland said. "When you work with negotiations, you need experience. You also need to know the history of what has happened in the past with negotiations."

Wieland lives in Lafayette and is deputy sheriff and jail administrator in Nicollet County. He and his wife Donna have two children, a senior and a sophomore in District 88.

"In the midst of cuts, morale is an important issue," Wieland said. "One of the problems will be retaining good staff. We need that talent in the district. That affects morale."

An inexperienced board would not be good for the district because the negotiations committee would have no history of past settlements and issues, Wieland said.

The district is also faced with funding shortages that will create problems because cuts will be necessary, Wieland said.

"It is difficult making cuts like this during salary negotiations because we need to remain competitive with other schools or we will lose additional staff," he said.

Wieland says District 88 residents can depend on him because he is always honest and always keeps his promises. He struggled to keep the Lafayette and Hanska elementary schools open as long as he could because he had promised to do so, he said.

"I have made some decisions that are unpopular, but they were made in the best interest of the district," Wieland said.

There is always room for improvement, and education is a constantly changing process, Wieland said.

"The superintendent does a good job representing us at the state," he said. "We need to work hard at getting more money from the state for our schools."

He believes the board has done a lot to keep the lines of communication open, and he is surprised when he hears people ask about a lack of trust between the community and the board.

"I believe everyone makes themselves available as much as possible, and we work hard at keeping people informed," he said. "I'm proud of what we do and believe we have taken great strides. I always make an effort to contact those who call me about an issue that is important to them."

The district needs to be more vigilant in determining budget shortfalls and what caused the current financial situation, he said.

"We need to stay competitive," he said. "We are a people-driven business and that costs. Technology changes and can be expensive, but we need to keep up on it. We need to provide the best well-rounded education possible. We owe it to our children."

Wieland believes that he has always made fiscally responsible decisions as a school board member.

"My experience will pay off," he said. "Having four new board members won't change our condition."