Elizabeth Hanke for Mankato School Board

  • If Your Child Is Being Bullied: A Practical Guide for Minnesota Parents

    When a child is bullied, families deserve clarity; not confusion. This guide outlines how bullying is defined in Minnesota, how schools are required to respond, and the steps parents can take to protect their children and advocate effectively when concerns are not addressed.

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  • Text Poll Results: Student Safety, Staff Pay and Supporting the Arts

    This text poll was conducted on January 1 via a text-based campaign. Response rates were lower than expected. I later learned via email that the message came from an 833 phone number, which some carriers flagged as spam. The service I use has limitations on available area codes. This outreach is part of a learning

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  • Public Institutions Owe the Public More Than Talking Points

    Public universities and K–12 education exist to serve students, communities, and taxpayers—not to manage perceptions. Yet when difficult questions arise, answers are increasingly filtered through communications offices instead of offered directly by those responsible for the decisions. When transparency disappears, trust quickly follows.

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  • Approval of the Mankato Area Public Schools Audit Report

    The Mankato Area Public Schools Board unanimously accepted the district’s Audit Report on December 15th. During the discussion, I asked several clarifying questions related to per-student costs for administration, direct support, and special education. As shown on pages 16–18 of the audit report (below), district and school administrative support totals $1,040 per student, regular instruction

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  • Why I Voted Yes on the $1.1 million Eagle Lake Child Care Project and the Questions I Raised

    The December 15th Mankato area public school board meeting Unanimously passed The construction estimate is $1.18 million. This is part of the 105 million dollar, 2023 bond referendum, the school district committed to helping address child care space needs in Eagle Lake. I voted to approve the construction estimates because this project was authorized by voters.

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