Re-Elect Sarah Aadland for Chisago Lakes School Board

Experienced
Pragmatic
Wildcat Proud

I believe strong schools are a collaborative effort, something we build together as parents, educators, neighbors, and one community.

Ever since my family of five moved to Chisago Lakes (nearly 15 years ago), I have actively looked for ways to support our local schools, volunteering in the classroom and for the PTO. When a board seat opened up in 2021, serving felt like the next right step. Since then, I’ve been proud to support real progress, including a statewide model for literacy education, our new online Wildcat Academy, and adaptive, evidence-based approaches to meet the learning needs of students. 

Big decisions about budgets and facilities are ahead, and student-centered, solutions-driven leadership matters more than ever.


That’s why I’m running again.
Let’s keep at it.

~Sarah Aadland

Plan Your Vote!

I filter every decision through one question: how do we best support, empower, and prepare our students?

My Guiding Principles

  • Chisago Lakes has set the state standard for literacy education, and excellent work is happening at every level in all of our buildings. The dedicated people sharing their time and talents throughout the district are truly inspiring. And even as we celebrate this success, we must lean toward what’s next. I’m eager to see similar strides in math education, earnest conversations around the right role of tech and AI in the classroom, and strategies that empower educators to innovate. Excellence also depends on every student feeling safe, supported, and mentally and emotionally well enough to do their best learning. Most of our students will pursue careers that don't even exist yet, so my north star is to instill critical thinking, resilient problem-solving, and a love of learning that lasts a lifetime.

  • Over the past five years, our board has faced some difficult conversations, and I've learned that the path through them is always the same: do the homework, listen to all sides of the issue, treat every neighbor with respect, and be as forthright and transparent as possible. When parents and educators, teachers and administrators, students and the adults who care about them actually understand each other, we can identify and solve problems together, building a better learning environment, workplace, and community.

  • Chisago Lakes ranks 311 out of 328 Minnesota districts in per-pupil general education funding. That’s almost $1,800 per student below state average, or about $5 million per year. This reality demands a board that treats each and every dollar as precious. I approach every budget decision with the gravity it deserves. This constraint also means planning carefully for the future, including grappling with complex decisions about our aging facilities. I’m committed to creative solutions now, even as I advocate for education funding reform at the state and federal level.

  • This is a complex district. The needs of our students and families vary considerably, state and federal mandates are a moving target, and nobody understands how to improve the dynamics in our classrooms better than the professionals standing in them. That's why I show up curious to every meeting, every tricky conversation, always ready to be taught something. Through every decision and challenge, I will continue to seek out multiple perspectives, ask questions, and look for solutions that help our students thrive now and into their future.

I believe strong schools are the heart of Chisago Lakes, and I know this vibrant community is the strength behind our schools. As neighbors and as people who love this community, let’s keep working together to support our students and our future.

Asking for Your Vote

My family has lived the full arc of a Chisago Lakes education, shaped by talented professionals in their classrooms along with the coaches, neighbors, mentors, and cheer-section regulars who make this district what it is.

I am now officially the mom of two Chisago alumni and one current student. My oldest is a UMN graduate finding her way in the workforce; my middle daughter is a brand-new CLHS alum studying nursing; and my youngest is a Wildcat freshman.

My experience in this district, as a parent, a volunteer, and, for the past five years, a board member, has deepened my conviction that effective schools and strong communities go hand in hand.

First appointed in 2021, then elected by this community, I've done my part to support successes worth celebrating. Our schools lead the state in phonics-based literacy and early interventions, a model other Minnesota districts are working hard to adopt. We've developed an online Wildcat Academy to accommodate diverse learning needs, a program already drawing new families into the district. And we've rebuilt the district's fund balance to board-set targets for the first time since 2008, even as we work to offer every employee competitive compensation and benefits.

The credit for these strides belongs to our educators, staff, administrators, students, and families who did the heavy lifting. And none of it happens without a community that shows up, supporting the fundraisers, serving on strategic planning committees, and cheering on our athletes, the fall musical and our annual Christmas in Chisago concert.

My job is to come ready to ask probing questions, approach challenges with curiosity and respect, and push for evaluation and reflection after every decision, so we keep learning, adapting, and improving.

I'd be honored to continue serving on the board for Chisago Lakes schools and for our whole Chisago Lakes community.

On November 3rd, I'm asking for your vote.

Your Questions, Answered

  • ItemThree issues are coming up again and again. 1) The need to plan carefully for tight budgets, aging facilities, and student needs. With three failed referendums in a row, overburdened taxpayers, and a middle school that desperately needs substantial work, I’m finding voters are eager to discuss creative solutions. 2) The need to get the tech and AI question right in our classrooms. We all want to raise strong critical thinkers, and both the challenge and opportunity for rethinking education have never been greater. 3) The need to raise the bar in math the way we have in literacy. Chisago led the state in transforming the way we teach reading. Now let’s set our sights on math! description

  • My involvement in our schools has looked different every year, as my kids have grown and work obligations have evolved, but my commitment to supporting our schools has always remained a high priority. My husband and I moved our family of five to the Chisago Lakes area nearly fifteen years ago in part because of its reputation for strong schools and a thriving, small-town community. I grew up on a farm in rural South Dakota where the local school played a powerful role in connecting the community, and this area quickly felt like home. As a parent and as a professional in the field of family education, supporting our schools became a natural priority.

  • The skills I use most at the board table aren't the ones that show up on a resume: listening well in hard conversations, asking the unglamorous follow-up questions, reading budgets closely, and translating district decisions into clear explanations for families and educators. That said, I bring a variety of skills and experience to the board table:

    • Lived experience caring for and worrying over my own three CL students, from kindergarten through commencement;

    • Years as an active parent, volunteering in classrooms, serving with the Taylors Falls PTO, and helping fundraise and organize for various student needs;

    • A bachelor's degree in economics from Concordia College and a master's degree in public policy from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, which gave me a love of spreadsheets and cost-benefit analysis;

    • A career spent in the nonprofit world, dedicated to organizations that empower parents and families. This work has taught me to stay focused on the core mission while carefully managing tight budgets with the lowest overhead possible.

  • I currently work with a nonprofit dedicated to providing education and peer mentorship for parents with children struggling with severe illness. Before that, I worked as a parent educator and content creator for a Minnesota-based nonprofit called Doing Good Together. Here are a few examples of my work.

  • I was already following the complex issues surrounding education, and still do, as I raised my own three kids. I enjoy “in the weeds” conversations aimed at pragmatic problem-solving, and appreciate the challenge of seeking out solutions that satisfy the needs of all of our different stakeholders.

    But I’ll be honest, I’m an introvert, not a natural campaigner. When the vacant position opened up in 2021, and fellow parents began encouraging me to apply, I discovered the work was a natural fit. My passion for strong schools and empowered kids uniquely suits me for the role. I will be happy to continue leading with commitment and accountability if this community supports my re-election.

  • I’m not here with a single issue to push or an agenda to argue. In fact, I feel strongly that partisan politics and national discord have no place in our local schools. I’m committed to the belief that effective schools and strong communities go hand in hand, and we deserve public servants who stay focused on local needs and opportunities.

    I’m here to build understanding, bridge the gap between different community stakeholders, and support our professionals as they help all kids thrive.

    As the parent of three kids, I have always followed issues in education closely. When a board seat opened up in the summer of 2021, I submitted my qualifications, urged on by other parents I’ve worked with in the community. This felt like the right next move in my effort to support our schools: if I was going to be thinking, learning, and worrying about the future of our schools anyway, I may as well serve our community while doing so.

  • I grew up in a small town in South Dakota, one of the most poorly-funded schools in the country. Shortly after my senior year, our school closed. Though the town still exists, its sense of community was shattered, as students chose from among several consolidated schools to attend and young families moved away. This experience taught me a great deal. I can see clearly that strong public schools have the potential to bring together a community, instill a feeling of unity, and inspire people from diverse backgrounds, income levels, religions, and political beliefs to share a common sense of pride, purpose, and hope.

    That's one of the reasons we settled near Taylors Falls. When we found our way to Chisago, the sense of community, tradition, and civic pride was vivid. I’m so thankful we landed in this district, and I’m proud to do my part to make a difference in whatever way I can.

  • Hearing from neighbors is honestly the best part of this work. Send me a note anytime: sarah.aadland@gmail.com.

    For a classroom or building concern, start closest to the issue: the teacher first, then the principal. It feels slower, but it's almost always faster, because those are the people who can actually fix it. For questions about district policy, budgets, or direction, I'm always up for a chat. I read everything I receive, and I strive to respond as timely as possible. Your insights shape how I think about this work.