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Nine candidates will be on the ballot for the Fort Dodge Community School District Board of Education in next Tuesday's election.
Eight of the nine candidates are vying for the four seats on the board that are up for election. The ninth candidate, Dan Altman, is the lone candidate running to fill a vacancy. Altman had been appointed to the board in March 2022 to fill a seat that had been vacated by the resignation of board member Dan Hansen. Iowa law requires board vacancy appointments to go through the election process at the next school board election to serve out the remainder of the unexpired term.
The seats up for election for full terms are currently filled by Angie Tracy, Bill Kent, Diane Pratt and Matt Moritz. Kent and Pratt are running for re-election to another four-year term each. Moritz and Tracy did not file for re-election.
New candidates for school board include Brian Pederson, Keenan Schuur, Teri Townsend, Allison Roderick, Sara Sankey and Emily Dencklau. The Messenger sent each candidate a list of questions to answer.
Dencklau's answers are printed below. The other candidates' responses were published in the Oct. 21 edition of The Messenger.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 7.
Emily Dencklau, FDCSD school board candidate
My name is Emily Dencklau and I’m a mom of seven children plus two bonus boys! I also am a full-time funeral director. In my free time, I am active in my church as well as coaching FDSA soccer. I love to read and enjoy spending time outdoors.
Why are you running for a position on the school board?
I am running for school board to gain new insights into our school system and a different perspective than that of a parent in our district.
What are your goals if you are elected?
I want to have the opportunity to listen to what is going well in our schools and hopefully be able to provide some clues or ideas that can improve things that may not be going as well.
What do you think is the FDCSD's biggest challenges, and how do you plan to address those challenges?
I’m sure there are many challenges as we are a very large group of schools. As a parent, I would like to continue to address some of the challenges that my children who are attending schools currently are facing as well as issues that my children who are no longer attending here faced.
What are your views on the recent "book banning" trend in many districts across the state?
It is sad that my children won’t have some of the same experiences with some of those books that I did going through school. I hope that parents who want their children to experience those books have the opportunity to provide that to them.
What will be your No. 1 priority if you are elected?
My No. 1 priority, if elected, would be to provide the opportunities for parents, families and staff that attend and work in our schools to be able to talk and voice their opinions about the current challenges as well as what is going well in our schools. If there is a problem, I want to be a part of finding the solution.
Why do you think you will be a good addition to the school board?
I believe I will be an asset to the school board because I want to be here. I want to listen. I want to help. I want to be a part of making us the best we can be!