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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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Bob Nystrom, two-year term candidate

Brainerd School Board election

Age: 52.

Address: Baxter.

Occupation: Pharmacist. Owned and operated Nystrom Drug from 1982 to 1997.

Bob Nystrom

Education: A 1975 Brainerd High School graduate, associate of arts degree from Brainerd Community College in 1977 and a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Minnesota in 1980.

Family: Wife, Rachel Reabe; three children, Thor, 25, Quinn, 23, and Will, 17.

What specific qualities or experiences will make you a good choice for school board? "These are tumultuous times for public education. I offer eight years of experience on the Brainerd School Board as board chairman, finance chairman and facilities chairman. The complexities of funding, program mandates and union contracts must be balanced against our goal of providing the best education possible for the children of our community. I'm a former business owner and understand what it means to balance the books while keeping the customers satisfied. I'm also a parent and feel strongly that we must equip our children to succeed in a highly competitive environment."

The school district is considering options to address possible growth in the elementary school population. What options do you support? Should increasing class size be on the table? "As a school board member, one needs to concentrate on the present while keeping a sharp eye on the future. We're already planning for a projected surge in elementary enrollment in the next five years. With our current elementary schools full, we need to figure out where we will put 300 more students. Re-opening Whittier School is a good option if we can adapt it to handle two sections of each grade. Our top priority is keeping class sizes around 25 students in our elementary schools."

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