Hello! I'm
Candidate for
District 197 School Board
Why Vote Sarah Larsen for District 197?
Sarah is a District 197 resident and proud parent to two children currently attending Friendly Hills Middle School and Two Rivers High School. She and her husband Mike have lived in Mendota Heights for 14 years.
For the last ten years, Sarah has been a frequent volunteer in her children's schools. She served on the Parent Ambassador Network (PAN), as a member of the three-day Strategic Planning core team responsible for crafting the District's current strategic plan and goals, co-president (twice) of both the Mendota Elementary and Friendly Hills Middle School PTAs, and has organized more book fairs than she can count.
Sarah has worked for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for 18 years, where she's had significant experience with statutes, budgets, and legislation. She understands how the district and government function. Sarah has a degree in Chemistry from the College of St. Benedict, and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota.
She knows first-hand many of the challenges and opportunities our schools face, but is committed to listening to, learning from and representing those with differing perspectives. Sarah hopes to meet and reconnect with parents, students and neighbors during this campaign season to best serve our school district and community.
More than anything, Sarah cares. For our families, our schools, and our community. As a member of the school board, she will work hard to ensure every child in District 197 has the opportunity to thrive.
Top Three Focus Areas
Social/Emotional Learning
Social/emotional supports are absolutely critical to every action happening in our school district after navigating a pandemic and distance learning over the last 18 months.
Equity
In the big picture, our school board should focus on one question. Do our students experience our schools as an example of an equitable system? If not, we have work to do.
Budget
Stabilizing funding, working within a budget and seeking funding as needed should always be a focus area of the school board, as it is critical to the success of the district.
Questions? Ideas?
Please reach out with questions for Sarah or to share your experiences in, ideas for, and concerns about District 197.
