Amy Bergum

The views and information expressed in the following responses are those of the candidate. The district has only made minor edits for clarity, such as correcting misspellings.

Amy Bergum

Amy BergumWhy do you want to be a member of the ISD 199 School Board?
My eyes opened when my son was forced to go online due to the COVID-19 shutdown. The quality of teaching was not apparent online as it was face-to-face and interacting with his peer groups. He struggled to learn content in his courses when forced to be on a computer than face-to-face instruction. It is not how he learned best. He went from an A student to B’s and C's. This led me to do some research on how others were affected as well. With my discoveries, I became very concerned that ISD 199 students are not achieving satisfactory results on the standard student proficiency tests: (1) Only 50% of our students are testing at grade level. (2) Our students are testing at below the average level for the state. (3) Our testing results are showing a steady decline. Student performance is the district's reason for quality education, and we need to address our shortcomings. I think that I am an objective person who can participate in that kind of effort.


What experience do you bring to this position? How have your experiences prepared you to fulfill the responsibilities of a school board member?
I have been a teacher my entire adult life. I know the challenges that teachers face in the classroom. I have the knowledge and expertise necessary to foster and encourage a positive learning environment in all of our schools. I want to work with the district staff to give our students the best possible learning environment and our teachers the best possible working environment.


What are the most important issues concerning the Inver Grove Heights School District, and how would you address them?
As mentioned, our current student testing results are unsatisfactory. An achievable goal should be 90% of students testing at grade level, and this is going to take my efforts to find out why our students are declining. My main 5 issues voters can count on me to actively pursue are (1) PROMOTE transparency of what children are learning and how our district is performing in their standardized test scores. (2) PROMOTE transparency on teacher professional development required for equity training. (3) PROMOTE transparency and accountability in the curriculum being taught to our children. (4) ALLOW parents to have a voice in the health and wellbeing of their child. (5) BE fiscally responsible with your tax dollars. We need a community commitment for change, and I am the one to take charge of the effort.


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