Four candidates are running in the school board election, as Aug. 12 was the last day to file for candidacy.

By Sara Hussein

The Roseville school board is having its upcoming election on Nov. 4, as three seats are open for election. Four candidates are running in the nonpartisan election, but Mannix Clark, Geida Cleveland and Michelle Morse-Wendt are running together as a slate and refer to themselves as E=MC²  so the community can easily remember the candidates.

There are six seats on the school board. Two members, Kitty Gogins and Frank Shaw, are not running for reelection, according to the Roseville Reader.

Karl Crump, another candidate running for the election, filed for his candidacy on Aug. 8 and previously ran for the school board election in 2023, according to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Mannix Clark said he listens to what the community wants as a current school board member.

“When people ask me about to what I try to improve, for one is that I like to listen to the people out there,” Clark said. “Everybody’s not angry with everything you do but what we try to do is that we represent Roseville.”

Clark said that one of his priorities is to help students in the Roseville school district to be successful, especially ones who receive special education.

“I want our students to achieve and be successful in what they’re doing,” Clark said. “One of my biggest passions is special education and what we can do to make sure that students who receive our IEP (Individualized Education Plans) or receive specialized services are getting the things that they need to be successful.”

Michelle Morse-Wendt, a teacher at Turtle Lake Elementary school, said that she wants to see more teachers on school boards as they’re essential to the community.

“I think that more teachers should be on school boards just because that’s the link between the schools and the community,” Morse-Wendt said. “We also have just a unique perspective because it’s something where we live everyday.”

Morse-Wendt said that as she is campaigning in the next few months, she wants to familiarize herself with the community, as she wants to represent them.

“I’m just really looking forward to getting to know the community better,” Morse-Wendt said. “I really believe in representative democracy, so it’s important to me that I am representing the community and not just pushing my own agenda or my views.”

Geida Cleveland, director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Minnesota, said that she doesn’t want to change the school district completely, but still wants to improve it . Her priorities also include special education and its teachers.

“What I would say instead of changing, I want it to be a stronger version of what it is now,” Cleveland said. “My priorities are to protect our special education services that we have provided, our educators that work with our students who have IEPs often maybe feel burned out”

Cleveland said many people in  Roseville want her to help the community with current political issues. She encourages members to familiarize themselves with current local elections that are taking place and vote.

“I know that there are many folks who feel that the current political climate might not represent them and are hoping to figure out what I can do to protect our community,” Cleveland said. “This is one thing people can do: get out to vote and get involved with who is running,”

Photo Credit: Mannix Clark, Geida Cleveland and Michelle Morse-Wendt are running alongside one another as they share common values. Image courtesy of Geida Cleveland.