Richfield School Board Candidate Todd Nollenberger: 'The District is Heading in the Right Direction'

Editor's Note: , Patch will be featuring individual Q&As with the candidates before the Nov. 8, 2011 election.

Todd Nollenberger, 41, lived in Richfield and attended public school in the district for grades 4-7 while his father was Richfield city manager. Nollenberger moved back to the district for his senior year of high school and graduated from (RHS), where he started dating his wife Colleen. The couple have been living in the city since 1995 and have four children who are or have attended Richfield Public Schools; their eldest daughter graduated from RHS in June 2011 and currently attends the University of Minnesota.

A certified public accountant, in addition to his work with the Richfield School Board, Nollenberger spends time coaching youth athletics in the city. He has been on the Richfield School Board since 2004 and is running for re-election in November 2011.

Richfield Patch: Why did you decide to run for the Richfield School Board again?

Todd Nollenberger: I’m pleased with the job the board is doing. The district is heading in the right direction and I'm happy to be a part of that—we play a small part as board members. I have a great amount of respect for people who work everyday in the district. As a taxpayer and parent I feel I have an obligation to the district above and beyond my property taxes. Having four kids in the district I’m certainly pleased and able to take advantage of high quality education [and] I see my participation on the board as a way to help pay back the community for what it’s providing my family.

Richfield Patch: What do you see as your particular qualifications to serve on the Richfield School Board?

Nollenberger: At this point in my life I feel my [prior] experience as a board member is important. On top of that, being a CPA gives me a financial perspective. Most people associate a bit of fiscal conservatism with their CPAs and I think I bring some of that to the table. My goal is to represent the taxpayers as well as parents in the district while at the same time trying to be respectful of the money the district has and the way we spend it to provide educational services.

Richfield Patch: What do you anticipate the big issues facing the Richfield School Board will be during the next four years outside of the finances you have already mentioned?

Nollenberger: The board as a whole is a policy-making board, it’s a board that in large part evaluates the performance of the superintendent.

I think I’ve always viewed the superintendent as being a city manager and the school board as similar to a city council...I’m a believer in the board being a supervisor of the superintendent, allowing that person to make some strategic decisions. I don’t pretend for a moment that I”m an expert on education. I certainly think my knowledge and experience have grown over eight years, but people [working] in the district do that for a profession. I’m a believer in the board giving schools a sense of what’s important to the community.

From that perspective the board will have to work together and make evaluations, specifically of the superintendent, sending a message to him about priorities. I’ve tried to shy away from micro-management and think it’s important the board look at things from a macro perspective, as there’s a potential for a few people to upset the apple cart and things at this point are moving in the right direction.

Richfield Patch: If elected again what would you want the school board to focus on in terms of keeping the district moving in the right direction?

Nollenberger: I think we need to continue focusing on issues put before [Superintendent] Dr. [Bob] Slotterback when he was hired, including attracting and retaining students and also continuing to close the achievement gap. We need to make sure we’re doing what we can as a district to minimize the effect of that achievement gap.

I don’t want a brown or a black student to come into Richfield and have their results predetermined based on actions going on throughout the district. I’ve learned a great deal over the last eight years about equity between races, about how students of different races interact. We need to be cognizant of that in Richfield. Clearly we’re a district that has changed rapidly over the last 10 to 15 years in terms of both race and socioeconomic levels in the district. We need to provide a place for kids of all backgrounds to make the most of their life with an education from Richfield.

Richfield Patch: Any last words for voters?

Nollenberger: The bottom line is I’ve been honored to be elected, I hope that people understand how seriously I take that honor. If elected again I will continue to serve. If people are pleased with that record, I would be pleased to continue in that role.