Nancy Cross, four-year term candidate
Brainerd School Board election
Age: 58.
Address: Baxter.
Occupation: Executive director of Brainerd Community Action, a nonprofit corporation.
Nancy Cross
Education: Three years of college.
Family: Mark, her husband; a son, Patrick and his wife, Jennifer; two daughters, Rachel and Caitlin; and a grandson, Owen.
What specific qualities or experiences will make you a good choice for school board? "The following qualities are important: active listener, problem-solver, active community member and the ability to make independent decisions. My past experience as executive director of Brainerd Community Action, a real estate broker and vice president of the development division of a nonprofit nursing home and my community involvement have given me the experience and qualities necessary to be a strong voice on the school board."
The school district is considering options to address possible growth in the elementary school population. What options do you support? Should increasing class size be on the table? "Increasing classroom size is not an option. Two options would be re-opening Whittier or putting students in Washington. However one reason for building Forestview was poor air quality in Washington. That problem has not been resolved. I believe that this decision is more than money. We need to look at what is important for the community, the volunteer support the school would receive and look at parental involvement. Whittier, a neighborhood school, has those important elements and when they closed they had the highest national math scores. That says a lot about their quality of education and teachers."