Four Luverne residents are seeking election to three open seats on the Luverne School Board. Each term is for four years.
Heather Johnson is the sole challenger in the field with incumbents Ryan DeBates, Tim Jarchow and David Wrigg seeking re-election.
The Star Herald asked each candidate to answer three questions, keeping answers to each at 200 words or fewer.
Questions included:
1.) Why are you seeking re-election/election to the Luverne School Board?
2.) Why should voters choose you over another candidate?
3.) How do you plan to be accountable to both students and taxpayers?
Challenger
Heather Johnson
Heather Johnson is seeking her first term on the Luverne School Board.
Johnson and her husband, Jim, have four children.
Burke is a 2022 LHS graduate. Ashlyn is a 2023 LHS graduate. Ryker is currently a senior, and Luella is a freshman at LHS.
Johnson works as production manager and graphic designer with Tollefson Publishing.
She is a graduate of Dakota State University, Madison, with a major in fine arts administration and minor in computer graphics.
Johnson has served as the past LHS music booster president and continues as a member. She serves in various roles at St. John Lutheran Church, is a director on the Sanford Luverne Community Board since 2021, a Rock County 4-H volunteer for the past 10 years, volunteers in the community whenever she can — “be a George,” Rock the Edge, and others.
Johnson is an advocate for her youngest daughter, Luella, who has a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. She tries to educate as many people as she can about epilepsy as well as raise funds for research and a cure.
1.) Two years ago I ran for the Luverne School Board, but with so many candidates (18) I missed my opportunity by just 36 votes. I have lived in the district for 16 years. I’ve had two children graduate and currently have two in high school. My kids have been involved in a variety of sports and other extracurricular activities including band, choir, speech, robotics and theater.
I really feel like we need more female voices on the school board, and if I'm elected, I hope more women will join me in the future. I’m looking forward to learning more about our district and how it is run and getting to be a part of the decisions that are made that impact our youth, our teachers and staff and our community.
2.) I really don’t have anything against any of my opponents, but I do believe I can bring a female perspective to the board, and those I’m running against simply can’t do that.
3.) I’m looking forward to learning more about how the decisions are made for our school district and how I can play an integral part of that. My main goal is to make sure our students have a quality education and that we provide teachers that will ensure that quality for the success of our students. I will strive to see that the taxpayers’ money is used wisely, and I will always be willing to listen to the concerns of our community and take those into consideration when making decisions.
Incumbent
Ryan DeBates
Ryan DeBates is finishing a two-year term, having been elected in 2022 to complete the unfinished term of Jeff Stratton. Stratton resigned his seat when hired as the school resource officer.
DeBates and his wife, Stacy, have three children.
Brody is a 2020 LHS graduate and is a locally employed electrician.
Jenna is a 2024 LHS graduate and a freshman at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
Trevor is currently a senior at LHS.
DeBates has worked for Security Savings Bank for 17 years. He attended the University of Sioux Falls, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business finance.
Community involvement includes serving as an elder at St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne. He is a director with the Luverne Economic Development Authority and a member of the Luverne Basketball Association.
DeBates has also helped support the Rock County Fair, Buffalo Days parade and other community activities.
1.) I have been a member of the school board for two years. This has given me a good opportunity to understand and be a contributing member of the school board. I believe I can continue to provide contribution to the ongoing success of the district.
2.) My experience in the financial industry has given me a good opportunity to experience many different financial and business situations. I have had to make many decisions that are both beneficial and tough. I am willing to be accountable for the tough decisions. This gives me the best experience to continue to be a strong school board representative. I have now been on the board for two years.
3.) My financial experience gives me a strong background to make solid financial decisions. As a school board member, I was involved with the staff negotiation process. We were able to come to an agreement with each of these groups that was fiscally responsible to both the school budget and taxpayers. Securing a strong staff is critical to the continued success of our students. Luverne has a top tier school campus that the community should be very proud to have for our students’ education. This amazing campus provides for excellent opportunities for students’ education opportunities. By being proactive in the maintenance of the campus, we are being responsible to the taxpayers.
Incumbent
Tim Jarchow
Tim Jarchow has served eight years (two terms) on the Luverne School Board.
For the past two years, Jarchow has served as board chairman.
He is a 1990 graduate of Luverne High School and has three adult sons who have all graduated from Luverne.
1-3.) I am proud to have been part of the remodel project at the school to give our kids a high-quality learning environment. It is my goal to help manage the school in a fiscally responsible manner and to always put the health, safety and education of our kids first.
Incumbent
David Wrigg
David Wrigg is completing his first four-year term on the Luverne School Board.
He and his wife, Sarah, have a son, Logan, a freshman at LHS and a daughter, Alexis, a sixth-grader.
Wrigg works with the Rock County Auditor-Treasurer’s office as a motor vehicle and driver’s license clerk. He has a bachelor’s degree in business economics from South Dakota State University in Brookings.
He is active with Rock River Community Church serving on the worship team, tech team and community outreach and Luverne Street Music.
As a school board representative, Wrigg serves on the committees of Luverne Elementary counselor advisory, community education advisory community and school policy.
1.) I want to continue being a voice for kids that have learning differences and advocate for support for those children with learning differences.
2.) I always try to look at a situation as the big picture. It can be hard to not get caught up in the short-term thinking, but as a school you must be looking at the long term and what benefits the students to be ready for either post-secondary education or the workforce.
3.) This can be hard for a board to do as we must abide by state statutes and federal laws. The district has had some great leadership and future thinking boards that always had the students’ best interests in mind while considering input from the community. The next tough things coming to the board is the rising costs and unfunded mandates from the state. The district has seen declining enrollment, which can affect the funding from the state and causes the district to deficit-spend, and that will need to be looked at by the board. I will do everything I can to try and balance both student learning and the burden placed on local taxpayers to help fund that.
