Geller for School Board - ISD 110 - Waconia

11/06/2024

Thanks to my many supporters over the past 8 years. I was very honored to serve on the board.

Congrats to Amanda, Ryan & Heather!

With all 17 precincts reporting, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State website, the results are in from the ISD 110 School Board election. Amanda Wilson, Ryan Rosin and Heather Arnita have all been elected to four-year terms.

Here are the complete results:

*Amanda Wilson - 5,119
*Ryan Rosin - 4,586
*Heather Arnita - 3,616
Mark Tregarthen - 3,425
Dana Geller - 3,140
Bridget Liverca - 3,133
Darcie Baumann - 2,802

*Elected to 4-year terms

11/05/2024

Head out to the polls today to VOTE!

If you are in ISD 110, here is a link to your polling locations:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/CPfuD87bkZUDuU84/

If you are not yet registered to vote, no worries! You can still register TODAY:
https://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/register-to-vote/register-on-election-day/

11/04/2024

Final day for early voting! If you are a Waconia resident, City Hall has extended hours today:
https://www.facebook.com/share/yYZ8wGhvBss6o97M/

All other Carver County residents still have the option of Voting at the Chaska Government Center.

📢 Extended Voting Hours Today!

Today is the last day for early voting! City Hall is open for early voting with extended hours today, Monday, November 4! 🗳️

Stop by anytime between 7:30 AM and 5:00 PM to cast your ballot.

⚠️ Reminder: Early voting at Waconia City Hall is only available for City of Waconia residents. All other Carver County residents must vote early at the Carver County Government Center.

11/01/2024

Did you know ISD 110 has 17 precincts that vote in the election for our school district?

If you need info on early voting, please see my previous post on hours & locations, noting that some places have extended hours today, Saturday & Monday:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/AVecT8rwSW92MUNB/

If you are voting on November 5th:
Most locations have voting hours from 7am-8pm.
Precincts:
Carver:
Benton TWP:
CARVER COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY
11360 HIGHWAY 212
COLOGNE, MN 55322

Camden TWP:
CAMDEN TOWNSHIP/ NEW GERMANY CITY HALL
300 BROADWAY ST E
NEW GERMANY, MN 55367

Dahlgren TWP:
EAST UNION LUTHERAN CHURCH HALL
15180 COUNTY ROAD 40
CARVER, MN 55315

Hancock TWP:
WEST UNION CHURCH
15820 MARKET AVE
COLOGNE, MN 55322

Hollywood TWP:
HOLLYWOOD TOWNSHIP HALL/SHED
15855 COUNTY ROAD 122
WATERTOWN, MN 55388

Laketown TWP:
LAKETOWN TOWNSHIP HALL
9530 LAKETOWN RD
CHASKA, MN 55318

New Germany:
NEW GERMANY CITY HALL
300 BROADWAY ST E
NEW GERMANY, MN 55367

San Francisco TWP:
SAN FRANCISCO TOWNSHIP HALL
17380 HOMESTEAD RD
CARVER, MN 55315

Victoria P1:
MOUNT OLIVET LUTHERAN CHURCH
7150 ROLLING ACRES RD
VICTORIA, MN 55386

Victoria P3:
ST VICTORIA CATHOLIC CHURCH
8228 VICTORIA DR
VICTORIA, MN 55386

Waconia P1:
FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH
800 WACONIA PKWY N
WACONIA, MN 55387

Waconia P2:
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
601 E. 2ND STREET
WACONIA, MN 55387

Waconia P3:
WACONIA ICE ARENA
1250 OAK AVE
WACONIA, MN 55387

Waconia TWP:
WACONIA TOWNSHIP SHED & OFFICES
12777 102ND ST
COLOGNE, MN 55322

Watertown TWP:
WATERTOWN TOWNSHIP HALL
3580 COUNTY ROAD 10 N
WATERTOWN, MN 55388

Hennepin:
Minnetrista P3:
MINNETRISTA BAPTIST CHURCH
4185 HIGHLAND RD
MINNETRISTA, MN 55375

St Bonifacius P1:
ST BONIFACIUS CITY HALL
8535 KENNEDY MEMORIAL DR
ST BONIFACIUS, MN 55375

10/30/2024

Please join these school board professionals in their support of my re-election to the Waconia School Board.

Whether they’ve served alongside me on the ISD 110 board, advised the board in best practices, or connected with me through MSBA activities, each endorsement comes from someone who has seen my contributions to the school board first-hand. Their backing isn’t about value alignment. Their support is a direct result of successes we’ve achieved through collaboration.

These colleagues know about the real work I’ve done on the board over the past 8 years. They know firsthand about my commitment to the important and impactful governance work of the school board. They understand my passion for school board growth and development. They see my advocacy for public education at the local and state level. Together we work to always do what is in the best interest of the district and its students.

If re-elected, I’ll continue to serve with thoughtfulness, passion and understanding for the community and ISD110.

November 5 is less than a week away. If you’d like to see ISD 110 continue on its upward trajectory, fill in the bubble next to Dana Geller on your ballot.

Visit my website to view endorsements and learn more about my time on the board: www.gellerforschoolboard.com/about-me/endorsements

"Trust, Transparency, and Teamwork for Every Student's Success" embodies my commitment to creating a positive and effective learning environment. Trust means earning and maintaining the confidence of students, parents, and staff through consistent and honest communication. Transparency involves

10/30/2024

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a great MSBA event hosted by Shakopee Public Schools & Farmington Public Schools on Student Board Representative Leadership Development along with one of our own student board reps.

Students are most affected by many of the policy and governance decisions on the board. Having student representation and voice is vital to gain that perspective for board members on decisions we make at the board level.

This is my second year attending this event and I look forward to continuing this important work if re-elected.

Thank you to the host schools and MSBA for providing a platform for student reps to learn how they can be impactful in their role!

10/28/2024

With the election just over a week away, here is a round-up of where to get candidate information:

1. CCLWV hosted a ISD 110 Candidate Forum on October 1: https://youtu.be/JoYrvG6PcU8?si=iL_U4xKTC6O9Iswd

2. www.vote411.org - simply put your address in and all the races featured on your ballot will be there, including Q&A with the candidates

3. https://www.mprnews.org/carver - MPR news partnered with Populist to conduct a candidate Q&A

4. The Waconia Patriot Q&A: https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_patriot/community/meet-the-candidates-waconia-school-board/article_aba04a32-8b1a-11ef-a019-8fea683b12f0.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawGMoztleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHVAjnk-iECBQPnIeyHbwjFC5oP3tM0ixdAjNX8XI4Fxeelcxk2mfmZXvlA_aem_T3kEC__Xz9g11WRdY-7zww

5. Most of the candidates have pages and/or websites if you do a simple search of their names

Learn more about me by visiting my website: www.gellerforschoolboard.com

10/27/2024

I worked with many board members in my tenure on the board. As I stated during the forum, the best school boards are made up of citizens who represent the diverse views in the community. I appreciate the time I spent on the board with Luke, even though we didn't always have the same views. He made me a better board member and I value the work that we accomplished together. Endorsements are not about having perfectly aligning values but I hope serve as evidence of my commitment to the district and the community. They demonstrate to tax-payers, community members, parents, staff members, and most importantly, students, what I bring to the school board so they can be confident in my re-election.

Here is what Luke says about me:

“Dana Geller deserves another term on the ISD110 School Board. In my opinion, she deserves as many terms as she desires. The past 4 years serving on the board with her was a challenge, from navigating Covid, to hiring a new superintendent, to juggling many priorities, such as debt reduction and negotiations. Doing all of that would have been far more difficult if she wasn’t serving as the board chairperson, but she was the board chair and I think we should all be thankful because of that.

Dana is professional. She holds people accountable. She’s intelligent, operates with sound judgment, and most importantly she has a high ethical standard.

I think it’s fair to judge her by the results and they are overwhelmingly positive of late: ISD110 has a great new superintendent in place, is on the verge of being financially healthy for the first time since well before the pandemic, recently agreed upon long-term contracts with our workgroups, and recently made a substantive action towards ensuring safety in our schools through a newly hired School Resource Officer. These are all things that everyone should be happy about, and though it’s a board of 7 and not of 1, Dana deserves much of the credit for these outcomes.”

Visit my website to view all my endorsements: www.gellerforschoolboard.com/about-me/endorsements

10/25/2024

One of the largest responsibilities of the board lies in hiring a Superintendent for the district. I have been involved in 2 superintendent searches - one with Waconia Public Schools in 2022 and one with our Intermediate District - SWMetro 288 in 2024.

Waconia completed a Superintendent Search which resulted in the hiring of Dr. Brian Gersich who started July 1, 2022. The Superintendent is the only employee who reports to the board, making the search process completely board driven. Boards often choose to use outside sources to help them choose the right candidate. In 2022, the board hired MSBA (Minnesota School Boards Association) to help conduct the search. MSBA provides support as the board vets candidates most qualified to meet the district’s needs.

As chair, I helped identify search firms to interview for assisting with our search, liaised with the MSBA staff conducting our search, facilitated the meetings including all the interviews of candidates and helped make the final decision on our superintendent with the rest of the board members at that time.

The hiring process is very robust and can be lengthy. Because of its importance for the district, school boards always put a great deal of focus on the process in order to hire the best candidate for the position of CEO in the district.

We were incredibly fortunate to hire Dr. Gersich. His desire to make this district the best it can be, caring for students and staff alike, and his genuine professionalism and integrity are all qualities that will serve this district well now and in the future.

Visit my website to learn more about my time on the school board: www.gellerforschoolboard.com/about-me/professional

Visit MSBA’s Executive Search services to learn more: https://mnmsba.org/msba-services/executive-search-service/

Photo Credit: Waconia Patriot: https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_patriot/community/isd-110-super-s-background-a-strength-in-new-role/article_f5cb2fee-0c16-11ed-ad89-73826dd17952.html

10/25/2024

Bravo to the entire cast & crew of the Waconia Middle School production of James & the Giant Peach!

Go see the show tomorrow at 7pm or Saturday at 2pm or 7pm at the WMS Theater - 🎭 🎉🎭

10/24/2024

Serving on the SW Metro Intermediate District 288 School Board as the representative from the Waconia School Board has been an honor for the past 2 years. The intermediate district serves as a partnership between 11 member districts: Eastern Carver County, Shakopee, Prior Lake-Savage, New Prague, Waconia, Jordan, Belle Plain, Watertown-Mayer, Central, Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose, and Tri-City United. This partnership allows us to offer options to students that we could not support otherwise due to enrollment and costs. It also serves as a support for special education services across the member districts.

Serving on the SW Metro board, I have been part of the negotiations team and part of the Superintendent Search team. SW Metro has a new superintendent as of July 2024, Dr. Horton, who's visionary thinking will bring even more exciting opportunities to our students, including curriculum in growing fields such as technology and A.I.

We are fortunate to have dedicated board members from each district who meet each month for SW Metro in addition to their home district boards. If re-elected, I look forward to continuing the great work at SW Metro Intermediate District 288!

For more information on the district: www.swmetro288.org