2026 Election: ISD 197 School Board

Thanks to Dakota County and Lindsay Bjerke with Norton Realty for their support.

We talked with candidates for the ISD 197 School Board. Our candidate questionnaire covers top priorities, school funding, the voter levy, and more.

• More: See our full voter’s guide for information on other local races.

Race profile: ISD 197 School Board is a non-partisan position elected to a four-year term. There are three seats on the ballot so voters will choose three candidates. These are at-large seats representing West St. Paul, Mendota Heights, Lilydale, Mendota, Sunfish Lake, and parts of Eagan and Inver Grove Heights.

Who’s running:

• Marcus Hill – Incumbent first elected in 2021, Hill works as a senior product manager.
• Sarah Larsen – Incumbent first elected in 2021, Larsen works as a manager of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Petroleum Remediation Program.
• Dwight Larson (no website) – A retired business owner and operator of Larson Irrigation. He also serves as the gambling manager for the West St. Paul Commercial Club.
• Jon Vaupel – Incumbent first elected in 2021, Vaupel works for the Minnesota Department of Education in the Early Education Division.

Support: Local election coverage happens thanks to our members. You can join now to support our coverage. You can also make a one-time donation through Venmo or PayPal. Thanks!

Candidate Questions

We asked the candidates a series of six questions and asked them to respond in 250 words or less. The questions cover priorities, what makes you unique, district strengths and weaknesses, school funding, the voter levy, and immigration response.

Priorities: What are the top two to three issues for ISD 197 to address in the next four years and how should the school board address those issues?

Marcus Hill: My point of view, ISD 197 needs to focus on three connected priorities: budget stability, protecting staff and resources, and preparing thoughtfully for emerging technology. Addressing these together, rather than in isolation, will shape how well the district serves students and families in the years ahead.

On budget, the district faces real financial pressure, and the board needs to make disciplined, transparent decisions that protect the classroom while planning responsibly for the future. That means being proactive, not reactive, anticipating funding challenges before they force difficult cuts, while keeping or improving current program levels. Preparing our students to compete and thrive in an interconnected world is paramount, and our budget choices need to reflect that priority.

Closely tied to that is retaining our staff, teachers, and the resources they rely on. Our educators are the foundation of everything the district does, and keeping experienced staff and giving them the tools and support they need must be a top priority, even in a tight budget environment.

Finally, the board needs a clearer, deeper understanding of how the district is currently using technology, including AI, and how administration is weighing its benefits against the risks. That means asking sharper questions about classroom technology use, staying engaged as tools evolve, and partnering with administration to set sound policy that serves teachers and students well.

The board’s role is to set clear priorities, ask good questions, and work in true partnership with educators and administrators to support strong teaching and learning.

Sarah Larsen: Destination District: ISD 197 needs to continue to prioritize and remain a destination district and inspire Warrior pride from our community. We are a unique size and structure that enables us to offer a dynamic and broad set of opportunities, programs, activities and curriculum for all students and families and I want to continue my support of this depth and breadth in our schools. In addition, our school board can continue to support these opportunities while making the district an excellent place to work for teachers and staff. We can do that through continuing to support teacher and staff development opportunities, and providing a living wage and insurance coverage.

Budget: When I ran five years ago, I said that providing stable funding, working within a budget, and seeking funding as needed should always be focus areas of a school board, and I couldn’t say it better five years later. The district is in a different place than we were then, with greater financial challenges, so this is a top priority to continue the programs we have today and continue to be a destination district for teachers and staff. I will continue to work closely with the administration to seek understanding and transparency in maximizing what we can provide with the funding available to us, and pursue all opportunities for additional funding including working closely with our local legislators.

Dwight Larson: My top priorities for the school district are reliable and consistent funding, retaining and attracting quality teachers and staff.

Jon Vaupel: I believe that my core beliefs and values will help me navigate both known and unknown issues.  First – I value diversity, believe in inclusion, and am committed to educational equity (a one-size fits-all approach doesn’t work).  Second – I am committed to community building – which is more important than ever in a time of deep political, social, and economic turmoil.  This begins with strong relationships with fellow board members as well as the Superintendent. Third – I am a fierce advocate for our students, schools, and community.  Fourth – I am committed to responsible and transparent budgeting. 

Some of the challenges we face are: outdated and inadequate state funding for education, student well-being and social-emotional learning, artificial intelligence, screen time, balancing state requirements with local costs and control, the heated nature of social and political discourse, a looming statewide cut of $250 million to special education that will impact all students in our district, and the dismantling of the US Department of Education.  One of those issues – inadequate state funding for education has a clear solution: if the community votes to pass the levy for additional education funding for our district this fall, we won’t have to cut programs/services and increase class size/reduce staffing.

Unique: What sets you apart from other candidates? What do you bring to the table that no one else can?

Sarah Larsen: Passion and experience! Five years ago, I ran as a passionate volunteer and parent in the district that felt strongly about the importance of public education. Today, I am even more passionate about the importance and strength of our public education in 197, and now have five years of board experience, including currently serving my third year as the Board Chair. The amount of learning and study that I have committed to learning about our curriculum, school finance, our policies and getting to know our administration, teachers and staff are critically valuable and unique, and I am eager to continue to apply my experience and learning to our district.

Dwight Larson: I believe my background as a business owner and manager of a charitable organization brings a new perspective to the school board. I have lived in the district my entire life, was student and a parent of students in the district. I think my many connections to the community will be an asset to the school board.

Jon Vaupel: I can’t speak to what sets me apart from others (that’s for voters to decide), nor will I make any statements about what other candidates can and cannot do.  What I will highlight is the breadth of my experiences in education – which spans federal, state, and local education systems.  I’ve worked as a researcher, advocate, kindergarten teacher, administrator, and policy advisor.

In Boston, I worked for a college access program.  While there, I worked to counter the compound effects of an inadequate education system on high school juniors and seniors.  That experience led me to focus on our youngest learners – I became an early care and education advocate for Marian Wright Edelman’s Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, DC.  After that, I was a legislative aide for education policy for Senator Biden, was part of the Obama-Biden Transition Team, and a policy aide at the US Department of Education.  After spending so much time working at the federal level, I wanted to work more closely with children and their families.  I was a Child Find program manager for the DC public school system and taught kindergarten in Baltimore, Maryland. 

These experiences – along with being a parent of two children in the district – help me understand the interconnected nature of the educational and social policies and programs that, together, support our children and families. 

Marcus Hill: What makes any of us unique and sets us apart is that we each bring our own lived experiences to the table.

For me, that starts with a career spent turning complex data into decisions that affect real people, experience I bring directly to how the board evaluates budget choices, program effectiveness, and student outcomes.

It also means having chaired an inclusion group at my company, where I helped advance real progress on belonging and inclusion. That work shapes how I think about equity on the board and making sure every student and family in our district feels seen, supported, and set up to succeed, regardless of background.

And it means serving on the executive committee for a local theater, applying that same data-informed mindset to help grow an arts organization. That experience reminds me that strong institutions need both rigor and creativity, the same balance I try to bring to board work as well.

Finally, as an incumbent, I bring continuity. I am already doing this work, from contributing to the board’s understanding of emerging technology to advocating at the state level for staffing and budget flexibility. Running for re-election is about asking for the chance to keep that momentum going.

Taken together, this mix of analytical rigor, lived commitment to inclusion, community-based creativity, and hands-on board experience is what I bring to the table – my lived experience.

Strengths & weaknesses: What do you think is ISD 197’s greatest strength? How will you build on that? What is ISD 197’s greatest weakness? How will you improve in that area?

Dwight Larson: The strengths 197 has are the sense of community and the relatively smaller size as compared to other metro area schools. This allows for more opportunities for students.

Jon Vaupel: I think the greatest strength of 197 is our community – our students, families, staff, and broader community.  We care about each other and we care for each other.  This was true during, before, and after COVID as well as this past year’s immigration enforcement actions.  To understand just how amazing our students and staff are, I encourage you to watch the start of one of our televised board meetings when students and staff are recognized for their achievements.  Watching will give you an idea of the diversity of interests and accomplishments of our incredible students and staff.  These accomplishments don’t happen in a vacuum – they happen because our staff, families, and community care about and support our students. 

Our greatest challenge is that we, like all other districts in the state, are dealing with a state education funding system that is inadequate.  For the past 20 years, the funding the state has provided hasn’t kept pace with inflation.  Not just one year – but literally EVERY… SINGLE… YEAR… That’s not tenable.  For our district alone, if funding had kept pace with inflation, we would have received an additional $7+ million in state education funding this past year.  While Minnesota used to be a leader among states when it came to education funding and outcomes, we are now in the middle of the pack. 

Learn more about the levy by visiting the district’s Fall 2026 Levy website.

Marcus Hill: ISD 197’s greatest strength is our people – caring, nurturing teachers and passionate staff and administration, backed by strong community support. I see firsthand how hard they work to ensure student success. That shows up in our innovative curriculum, which lets students forge their own path, whether that’s college, career readiness, the armed services, the arts, or something else. We help students and families identify their passions and find a real path toward them. That same care extends beyond academics, we support the social-emotional needs of students and families, addressing the whole child, not just test scores. This reflects best practice: embedding SEL into daily instruction and school culture, not as an add-on, and building tiered support so students get help at the right level, from universal classroom strategies to more targeted, individualized care when needed.

To build on this strength, the board’s job is to protect what’s working, even amid real budget pressure, while continuing to seek innovative curriculum and expand social-emotional support where we can.

If I had to name an area for growth, it’s this: though we’ve made real strides in hiring, I’d like to see continued progress toward a teacher and staff workforce that better reflects the diversity of our student body. Representation matters – students benefit when they see themselves reflected in the adults who teach and support them. The board’s role is to support administration in building a pipeline that continues to move us forward.

Sarah Larsen: I feel our greatest strength is our people – our teachers, staff, students, administrators, families and community. Warrior Pride is strong, from ELC through Branch Out and I love to see it. I feel it is important as a school board member to champion the interests and intentions of all of our people, and I’ll do my best to be available and listening to our community so I’m in the best position to prioritize and vocalize the needs of our complete community.

Our greatest weakness is the fiscal environment we are in after years of funding shortfalls, inflation, and unfunded mandates. I will continue to advocate at a state level for progress and improvements in education funding, and also continue to work with our administration and leaders to keep a close eye on fiscal transactions and planning in our district. 

Funding: School funding continues to be a challenge. What will you do to address shortfalls, systemic funding challenges, and current spending?

Jon Vaupel: As I noted in Question #3, the greatest challenge for ISD197 is an inadequate state funding system for education.  

One way to address this is building relationships with our state legislators and others to help communicate these challenges and identify solutions.  As Chair of the Planning Committee, I work with several board colleagues to ensure we build meaningful, ongoing relationships with our state legislators.  This work also includes planning our district’s annual Legislative Roundtable.  Our legislators have shared that this is a “can’t miss” event because it is educational, solutions oriented, involves our student school board representatives, and includes other student groups (jazz band and the cooking club).

I believe the board made difficult – but necessary – decisions when we voted to pass budgets that cut $3.2 million over the last two years.  Those cuts were made in the most responsible way possible by minimizing the impact those cuts would have on students/ classrooms.

Unfortunately, our budget reality is that we need the community to pass the levy for our district this fall, which would help us avoid immediate program cuts, decreased services/supports, and increased class sizes/reduced staffing.  These cuts will have a negative impact on our students, families, and staff, which is why I am asking our community to vote YES in favor of the levy (visit the district’s Fall 2026 Levy website to learn more). 

Marcus Hill: Addressing funding shortfalls starts with continuing the same fiscal rigor the district has applied to date – scrutinizing every dollar and recognizing where efficiencies exist without affecting the classroom or creating an adverse work environment for staff. Discipline in how we spend has come before asking for more.

At the same time, we need to keep working with legislators on systemic funding reform, but with a holistic view, not just pushing for more dollars. That means advocating for funding formulas and policy flexibility that actually address how districts are funded and constrained, not just the size of the check.

I also think there is an under-explored opportunity in private-sector partnership. Minnesota has a high concentration of corporate headquarters, and we’ve already seen what’s possible when companies step up together. In 2020, a coalition of Minnesota corporations and foundations formed ConnectedMN, raising nearly $2 million to help close the digital divide for students during remote learning. That kind of model, companies pooling resources around a shared goal, could extend to career pathways, mentorship, and workforce development, benefiting both students and the companies that may someday hire them. This isn’t a substitute for public funding, but a meaningful complement to it.

Taken together, this is about rigor at home, persistence at the state level, and creativity in finding new partners because innovation in solving school funding will take more than one lever.

Sarah Larsen: I will continue to advocate at the State level for improvements in formulas and to address the impacts of inflation and the funding gaps from the past. I am so grateful for excellent local legislative leaders with experience in education that work closely with us and listen to our needs and advocate for us. I’ll prioritize those relationships and do all I can to advocate for our district’s needs.

I’ll continue to work closely with administration both on the current year’s funding and budget, as well as strategic planning 3-5 years in the future to ensure continuation of excellent services in the district and our ability to retain and attract staff. I’ve been working closely with the board and our administration on the cuts made over the past year, and planning for the levy that will be on the ballot this fall for voters. 

Dwight Larson: Funding for the schools is always challenging. The amendment on the ballot will help, even though it would amount to about $200,000. that is a small portion needed.

Voter levy: The district has a new levy on the ballot this fall. Do you support the levy? Why or why not?

Marcus Hill: Yes – I support the levy. Why? If it is not approved, the district will need to cut an additional $2 – 4 million dollars, which means more staff reductions, larger class sizes, and reduced student programs. I’ve seen our students go on to become leaders in the military, graduate from college, land their first jobs, pursue their passion for the arts, and so much more. Our community’s strong support has allowed our small but mighty district to consistently punch above its weight, as evidenced by the fact that Two Rivers High School has earned a spot on U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools list, ranking in the top 5% statewide. We’d all love to see this level of achievement continue, that is why I support the levy.

Sarah Larsen: Yes! The school board collectively voted to put this levy out to the voters, and I personally fully support the levy. I believe that the levy is an investment in our community’s future, and critical to the success of so many learners and families. We need to protect our class size parameters, continue to attract and retain teachers, and fund our excellent curriculum and programmatic opportunities in ISD 197. Vote Yes!

Dwight Larson: The levy proposed is a needed response to the current budget of the district. The $4.5 million levy is a 4.5% increase, much smaller than many other government entities are seeking. I am in favor of this levy.

Jon Vaupel: Absolutely – and I encourage community members to vote YES in support of the levy. 

Unlike other elected bodies (state legislature, counties, and cities), school districts aren’t able to raise taxes on their own.  We have to ask the community to vote to provide us with additional funding if we need it.  It takes a tremendous amount of time and resources that I believe could be better spent focusing on other work supporting our students and schools.

Why do I support the levy?  Because our students and schools are my top priority.  I believe that $14 more a month in property taxes on an average-priced home in our district is a worthwhile cost.  While I understand the challenging nature of our economy, inflation, the high cost of health care, and rising city/county taxes, we (A) have the lowest property school property tax rate compared to our neighboring districts and (B) still have an obligation to provide a high quality, rigorous education to our students.

To learn more about the levy for our district this fall, visit the district’s Fall 2026 Levy website.  

Just this month, Two Rivers High School was, again, ranked among the top 5% of high schools in Minnesota.  This ranking reflects the hard work of our students and staff – and our community’s support.  I know that cutting programs, reducing services/supports, and increasing class sizes is not what they need or deserve.

Immigration: Minnesota saw significant impacts from the increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations earlier this year, including closed businesses, students missing school, protests, and law enforcement conflicts. How do you rate the district’s response and what should the district do in future conflicts?

Sarah Larsen: This past year was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I’m SO proud of ISD 197 and our larger community in their unwavering support of families, learners, teachers and staff during the ICE operations in our area. The district’s response was excellent, and protected families privacy while honoring them as human beings. Our community truly stepped up to provide, protect and inspire during this past year – new relationships and partnerships were built that will provide for years to come and I continue to be proud to be a part of it. 

Dwight Larson: The immigration issue is very complicated. We are a country of laws, and we must abide by them. I do not believe students should be released from school for political reasons.

Jon Vaupel: I am incredibly proud of how our district – our teachers, students, and families, and community – responded.  This brings me back to Question #1 – that I think the greatest strength of our district is our community and how much they support and value our students and schools.  There were so many staff members, teachers, administrators and community members who spent time supporting students, organizing food drives and delivery, standing at bus stops, helping with transportation needs, while also speaking out by holding signs against the actions of ICE.  The community and district members stepped up in ways I couldn’t have imagined.  It made me so proud to be part of a community that organized so quickly with the one common goal of supporting our students and their families.  

I also want to note that the West St Paul City Council acted swiftly to support our students and their families.  I advocated for the Mendota Heights City Council to follow WSP, which included attending “Coffee with the Council” and advocating for them to take action and support our students.  I’m so grateful to both West St Paul’s and Mendota Heights’ elected officials for standing up and supporting our students and their families.

Marcus Hill: I’m continually proud of how our district responds in times of crisis. I’ve served on the board through COVID, the unrest following George Floyd’s killing, and this year’s ICE operations, and each time our staff and teachers have shown up the way they always do, putting their arms around our students and this community and making sure no child or family felt alone. They’ve made room for students to express what they’re feeling, kept our classrooms safe and running, and made sure every child felt seen and supported, all while staying true to district policy. That kind of response doesn’t happen by accident; it comes from people with big hearts, who genuinely love this community and are great at what they do.

The district has learned from each of these situations, and I’m sure they will keep strengthening how we communicate with families in real time and preparing our staff ahead of time, so every child and every family knows they’re not facing hard moments alone. Serving alongside educators who show up like this, for this community, is a tremendous honor, and I’m humbled to have the opportunity to serve on this board.

Lightning Round

We asked candidates a series of 10 simple questions and asked them to respond briefly in 25 words or less.

1. Do you have a library card? When did you last use it?

• Dwight Larson: I have a library card but have not used it in a while.
• Jon Vaupel: Yes! I used it two weeks ago. 
• Marcus Hill: Yes – I have not used it in quite a while. I am looking forward to spending more time at the Wentworth library!
• Sarah Larsen: Absolutely! I used it Saturday to check out a book – a historical fiction book from the POV of Thomas Jefferson’s daughter.

2. How many school board meetings have you attended in the past year?

• Jon Vaupel: Over the past 5 years, I’ve missed only a handful of board meetings and attended the vast majority.  
• Marcus Hill: Almost all of them, perhaps missed one or two.
• Sarah Larsen: As proud board chair, all I can! I have missed a small number due to illness and injury.
• Dwight Larson: I have attended 3 board meetings and used the online option.

3. Have you volunteered in your community in the past year? Where?

• Marcus Hill: Yes – there are several occasions but one of the most memorable was volunteering for Odyssey of the Mind, bonding with my kids.
• Sarah Larsen: Yes. TRHS, booster groups, my church, TR concessions, the Common Ground Collective, and through various Warrior Support groups.
• Dwight Larson: I volunteered in my church, St. James Lutheran, where I serve as the vice-president and usher.
• Jon Vaupel: Yes, I have volunteered as an assistant coach for a boy’s soccer team, with the WSP Pride Festival, and with the Boy Scouts.

4. If you have children, do they or did they attend public schools?

• Sarah Larsen: Absolutely! My kids attended 197 schools from ECFE through TRHS. I attended public schools, and my mom was a public school teacher for 41 years.
• Dwight Larson: I have 2 adult children and 5 grandchildren; they all attend public schools.
• Jon Vaupel: Both of my children attend 197 schools.
• Marcus Hill: Yes – I have a University of Minnesota graduate, an 11th grader, and a 9th grader

5. Have you attended school events in a non-campaign capacity in the past year? Which ones?

• Dwight Larson: I have attended many school events from softball to football to baseball to dance to scholarship program.
• Jon Vaupel: Yes. There are so many school events that I have attended in a non-campaign capacity, including sporting events, cultural celebrations, fundraisers, and performances
• Marcus Hill: Yes – Several football games, Shrek the Musical, Little Women, Girls & Boys Soccer. Dakota Hawks Adjusted sports!
• Sarah Larsen: Yes – plays, musicals, concerts, football, soccer, softball, baseball, parent meetings, Key Club events and many more.

6. Do you support curriculum that presents a variety of voices and perspectives?

• Jon Vaupel: Yes. I think a core part of education is learning from different voices and perspectives.
• Marcus Hill: Yes. Curriculum should act as both mirrors, reflecting students’ own identities, and windows, opening them to perspectives and experiences beyond their own.
• Sarah Larsen: YES. Diversity is one of our superpowers in 197 and our curriculum needs to (and does!) support that.
• Dwight Larson: A varied curriculum is important in today’s world.

7. Who was your favorite teacher? 

• Marcus Hill: Mrs. Lumpkin, 8th grade teacher
• Sarah Larsen: It’s hard to pick. Mr. Trapp, my math and computer science teacher. He understood that intelligence and talent can take all shapes and forms.
• Dwight Larson: George Wilkie was my favorite teacher and coach.
• Jon Vaupel: Ms. Totzauer (4th and 5th grade) and Mr. Andrewlevitz (12th grade ELA).

8. Do you support social and emotional learning (SEL)?

• Sarah Larsen: YES. Social and emotional skills are the greatest tool we can develop in our students for their lives after 197.
• Dwight Larson: I support SEL.
• Jon Vaupel: Absolutely. Social and emotional learning is embedded in our district’s Strategic Plan, which means that it is an ongoing core part of our work.
• Marcus Hill: Yes! As mentioned previously, SEL is woven into daily teaching, giving students a foundation to guide themselves, manage emotions, and build relationships beyond school.

9. What was your favorite class?

• Dwight Larson: I liked biology class.
• Jon Vaupel: I didn’t have one until I was at my 3rd college. ”Introduction to Policy Studies” spoke to me and got me interested in public policy.
• Marcus Hill: Language Arts – I love reading, writing and vocabulary
• Sarah Larsen: All the math classes. I like algebra far more than your average person.

10. Do you support student voice in district operations?

• Jon Vaupel: Yes. Each year, our board has two student representatives. Several Advisory Committees have student members and student voice is consistently incorporated into our work.
• Marcus Hill: Absolutely. Student voice bridges the district, school board, and students’ needs, leading to better decisions and giving students real agency over their education.
• Sarah Larsen: YES. The addition of student school board members has provided the board critical feedback.
• Dwight Larson: Students should be listened to and their opinions have value.

More Information

• League of Women Voters Candidate Forum (Sept. 23)

See our full local voter’s guide for information on more races and candidates.

Local election coverage happens thanks to our members. Join now to support local news.