2026 Lakes Area Voting Guide Questionnaire
Three words that best describe you as a candidate:
DJ Dondelinger
Homegrown. Accountable. Passionate.
Randy J Heidmann
Independent, Collaborative, Accountable
Mark Lelwica
Committed, Balanced, Trustworthy
Connie Lyscio
Educator, Devoted, Compassionate
Scott Parsons
All kids matter
Ed Shaw
Collaborative, hardworking, open-minded
Sarah Speer
Thoughtful. Collaborative. Pragmatic.
DJ Dondelinger
I’m a BHS graduate, so are my parents and kids. I’m a lifelong Brainerd resident and have served ten years on the Mount Ski Gull Board, including two as president. I live here, work here, and love this community.
Randy J Heidmann
I serve on the district advisory committee which approves school curriculum, substitute taught, served as a monitor at FMS, volunteered at various building reading programs, pizza and bingo fundraising events, served on the FMS online school committee and other required committee assignments. I'm known by district staff!
Mark Lelwica
I ran a small business with heavy community involvement for 10 years. I have been on the Nisswa Chamber Board of Directors for 6 yrs, the St. Francis Finance Council for 7 years, and have been involved in several capital campaigns and fundraisers both locally and regionally.
Connie Lyscio
Masters degree in Educational Leadership. Physical Education teacher for 31 years (ages K-9) in District ISD181. Elected official for the City of Baxter (8 years).
Scott Parsons
I came to Brainerd in 1978 as a teacher in the school district, and also as an assistant varsity football coach at Brainerd High School.. I left teaching in 1983 to start an insurance agency, and continued as a football and strength/conditioning coach at BHS until 2019.
Ed Shaw
I have been a small business owner in Brainerd for 30 years. I am responsible for balancing the budget of my business, serving my customers, and taking care of my employees. I have served on numerous nonprofit boards over the years, including Brainerd United Soccer Club, Brainerd Family YMCA
Sarah Speer
I currently serve as Chair of the Brainerd School Board and have served on the board since 2020. My experience includes education, business, nonprofit and community leadership. I have served on various community and district committees, including the District Advisory Committee and Brainerd Public Schools Foundation.
DJ Dondelinger
Every child in our community deserves a high-quality education that prepares them for success. District 181 is losing students and quality teachers at an alarming rate, and we can't sit back and watch. I'm running to get back to basics, support our teachers, empower parents, and reverse the decline.
Randy J Heidmann
I am running for re-election to help support our new Superintendent's vision-True North. I am committed to a strong focus on student success, financial stewardship, student behavior with responsible consequences, and safe schools. I believe in our schools and staff and the difference they make in our student's lives.
Mark Lelwica
I believe my experience, leadership skills, and commitment to bringing people together can help strengthen our school board and make Brainerd Public Schools the very best they can be for our students, families, and staff. I want to help build Brainerd Public Schools into a model district respected by everyone.
Connie Lyscio
The current direction of the school district is concerning to me. When I see a need and believe I have the skillset to meet the need I believe it is my responsibility to act. My background and experience can be valuable in this role.
Scott Parsons
I am very proud of District 181, and want to see it remain strong and vibrant. A position on the school board would enable me to support our students, staff, and community as we deal with today’s challenges and secure our standing as an excellent public school system.
Ed Shaw
I believe strong schools are essential to our future. Our schools educate future doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, mechanics, electricians, welders, and business owners. We must prepare our children for college, skilled trades, military service, work, and responsible citizenship. I am running to help provide a strong education for all children
Sarah Speer
Four years on the board have deepened my commitment to public education and this community. I am running again because experience and continuity matter as the district navigates significant financial, enrollment, and student-support challenges. I want to continue helping Brainerd Public Schools build a strong, sustainable future for every student.
What sets you apart from the other candidates?
DJ Dondelinger
I combine board experience with real-world business leadership. As a lifelong resident, BPS graduate, and owner of Dondelinger Chevrolet, I know and love this community. I've shown independence by scrutinizing contracts, questioning spending, and standing up for parents, rather than rubber-stamping the status quo
Randy J Heidmann
I'm an independent thinker, willing to listen and not get trapped into this is the way we've always done it mindset. I'm willing to consider different perspectives, work collaboratively, make difficult decision based on what I believe is best for our students, staff, and community, and make changes responsibly.
Mark Lelwica
My ability to balance compassion with reason. It's hard not to let emotions drive decisions, but it is necessary to have a voice that uses information to come to practical decisions. People want to be heard, and they want to understand how and why decisions are made.
Connie Lyscio
My unique background as an educator combined with my role in City Government bring a unique perspective to the school board.
Scott Parsons
My 40 plus years of experience in education, coaching, business, and volunteer work in our community provides me with a broad perspective on the issues that our public schools are facing today. We need to rally and come together as a community to deal with these issues.
Ed Shaw
I bring 30 years of business and budgeting experience. I have two children currently in the school district, and I have years of direct involvement as a parent, volunteer, and coach. I have worked with community members from all walks of life and a wide range of opinions and perspectives.
Sarah Speer
I bring four years of school board experience, including service as Board Chair, along with experience in education, business and nonprofit governance. I understand the distinction between governing and managing and have experience making difficult decisions while considering students, staff, taxpayers and the district's long-term health.
What are the top two or three issues facing your area/district?
DJ Dondelinger
Enrollment declines and academic outcomes. Classrooms need to refocus on reading, writing, math, science, and fundamental life skills.
Randy J Heidmann
Financial sustainability and declining enrollment which are closely connected as it affects staffing, curriculum, and long-term planning. Our school district faces a projected multi-million-dollar deficit. Regardless of whether a voter-approved operating levy is passed or not budget re-structuring will occur. A third major concern is addressing student behavior and applying reasonable consequences. The decline in student behavior didn't start in schools. Schools are simply where it becomes visible.
Mark Lelwica
I believe the most pressing challenges currently facing ISD 181 involve strengthening elementary literacy outcomes, maintaining fiscal responsibility through a balanced budget, and cultivating a more positive professional morale. I am confident that working collaboratively with effective administrative leadership will successfully address these priorities. While navigating these complexities will require both patience and persistent dedication, I believe that achieving these goals is essential for the future of our students and the health of our district.
Connie Lyscio
While not unique to our district, declining birth rates and insufficient state and federal funding of public schools have created a need for difficult decisions to be made. Current deficits have created mental health challenges for students and staff.
Scott Parsons
Cuts in government funding for public education, declining enrollment, other educational options have put a great deal of pressure on our public schools. These issues are a direct threat to our academic, arts, and athletic programs, which for many years have been considered some of the finest in the state. We need to collaborate as a community to confront these pressures so we keep kids in our schools and attract new families to the area.
Ed Shaw
Our student enrollment has declined and is projected to continue declining. Because state funding is tied to enrollment, fewer students will mean less money for the district. We also have more building space than we currently need, but we continue paying to heat, maintain, and repair it. Another problem facing our schools is that class sizes have increased over the last few years. Larger classes make it difficult for teachers to give students individual attention
Sarah Speer
Financial sustainability is a significant challenge as enrollment declines and the cost of educating students continues to grow faster than available funding. Student behavior, mental health, safety and belonging also require continued attention and resources. Finally, recruiting, retaining and supporting excellent employees remains critical. These issues are interconnected: a financially sustainable district is better positioned to maintain strong programs, support staff, and provide the learning environments students need to succeed.
What are your plans to address those issues?
DJ Dondelinger
We need to get back to basics and prioritize core academics so every student has the education they need to thrive. And we can retain quality teachers by listening to them, supporting them in the classroom, and directing dollars to teaching instead of administrative bloat. Lastly, we must rebuild trust so families choose BPS again. We do that by keeping parents in the discussion about what their children are taught and treating them as partners
Randy J Heidmann
By implementing a balanced financial approach by rightsizing operations, managing compensation and benefits responsibly, and pursuing grant revenue tied to success. To address declining enrollment, we must understand why families leave the district, invest in early childhood programs, strengthen student intra-school transitions, and re-connect with families to re-enroll students who left. We must establish consistent classroom expectations, provide timely administrative support, address behavior issues early, hold students accountable through improvement plans and measure results consistently.
Mark Lelwica
Creating avenues for employees to gain the resources necessary for them to thrive in their career, and cultivating a positive workplace environment will help towards improving morale. Studying our past to better learn how and why our literacy scores are low will allow us to chart a path forward to improve these scores. Constantly assessing our spending along with balancing our incomes with foresight, will help us run on a balanced budget year over year.
Connie Lyscio
I would never be so bold as to assume I have all of the answers. A priority of mine would be to reevaluate the current district budget in light of emerging needs, with possible reallocation of funds. We cannot control birth rates, but we need to have a long range budget plan based on current enrollment projections.
Scott Parsons
Our students come from different walks of life, and one blueprint doesn’t fit all. The time is now for all of us to work together with students, staff, administration, our new superintendent, and school board to focus on the positive, enhance the programs that are working well, fix or change those that we should, and entertain new programming and funding ideas. We must model hard work, kindness, and respect to our students at every level.
Ed Shaw
Our school board needs good financial, enrollment, and facility information before making major decisions. We should look into how to allow community members and organizations to use space the district does not currently need when doing so makes financial sense. This could improve ties in the community, offset building costs
Sarah Speer
I support a long-term approach that combines responsible budgeting, operational efficiencies, appropriate community investment and advocacy for sustainable state funding. We need to prioritize resources closest to students while continuing to strengthen behavior, mental-health and student-support systems. We also need to listen to employees and address the conditions that affect recruitment and retention. The board's role is to establish clear priorities and empower district leadership and staff to determine how best to achieve them.
How would you balance student needs with taxpayer costs?
DJ Dondelinger
As a business owner, I balance budgets every day. Every dollar should be measured by one standard: does it help students learn? That means funding classrooms and teachers first, using competitive bidding, scrutinizing contracts, and right-sizing administration
Randy J Heidmann
Prioritize student success while respecting taxpayers' hard-earned dollars mean investing in essential programs, teachers, safety, and facilities; while carefully evaluating spending, seeking efficiencies, and avoiding unnecessary expenses, responsible budgeting requires long-term planning and making difficult choices that protect educational integrity without placing an unreasonable burden on the community.
Mark Lelwica
Constant analysis of education costs and forecasting tools, along with showing the taxpayer the ongoing benefit to the community of the return on their dollars spent will in combination, create a balance that satisfies student needs while adding value for the taxpayer. In short; transparency and communication.
Connie Lyscio
Public education is not a luxury, it is a foundation. There should be nothing controversial about investing in people and places responsible for educating the next generations. Community support is critical to the success of our public schools. Schools matter deeply, but they cannot and should not do it alone.
Scott Parsons
Student and staff needs must be a priority. These needs carry a price tag. In a perfect scenario, government funding and local taxpayer dollars would cover those needs. When needs and funding do not align, we should explore all options before we consider any cuts involving buildings, staff, or programs.
Ed Shaw
I am a business owner and a taxpayer. I understand the need to use taxpayer money wisely. I support reasonable class sizes, student safety, career and technical education, and responsible use of our tax dollars. The school board should also take a look at expenses, contracts, underused buildings, and programs
Sarah Speer
Every dollar should connect to student outcomes and the district's long-term health. The board must be transparent about costs, look for efficiencies, and prioritize resources carefully. It must also be clear about consequences when available funding cannot sustain community expectations. Responsible stewardship requires considering both educational impact and taxpayer investment.
