I grew up in the Mounds View School district and I am raising my family in this district because of our excellent schools. I am supporting John because he will make sure we continue that excellence. In the 10 years I have known John, he has been a community builder. I have seen John make significant outreach efforts in various venues, including a Dad’s Night Out event he established at one of our district’s elementary schools. He has participated in small and large group activities in his faith community and as the Twins Night organizer for a local youth baseball league in which our sons play.  In each situation, he proved to be a proactive communicator who is creative and efficient, attributes that would serve him well as a board member.

John’s candidacy also deserves your consideration because of his strong understanding of the issues students and families face these days. One such subject involves our children’s use of electronic devices at home and in school. During his 2011 board campaign, John called for more careful district deliberation about permitting the use of electronic devices, and he is right in continuing to suggest electronic use could be inhibiting the development of young people by limiting their attention spans, stymying age-appropriate learning plans and altering their approach to learning in unproductive ways.

As Hakes is the candidate who will still have students in the Mounds View school system at the end of the four-year term being sought, I strongly suggest you consider him to be one of our next three school board members.