My name is Jim Beneke, and I am running for the SLP School Board. I greatly appreciate this community and our public school system. I have especially appreciated the diversity that exists in St. Louis Park and the commitment our community has to the well-being of every child. I am running because I want to give back to the community. I want to help SLP continue the many things that are going well, and further advance our efforts where we have weaknesses.
My wife, Linda Hammersten, and I are 20 year residents of St. Louis Park, and have 19 years of experience in the schools. Our three kids have been at four different schools. I have been an active volunteer in the schools and in the community with a wide breadth of roles. I have served on the Community Recreation Task Force, the Strategic Planning Committee, and the Equity and Excellence Task Force. I have been a soccer coach, the in-house team organizer and the referee assignor for the SLP Soccer Association, a YMCA Voyager program leader, and a Lego League team advisor.
I am a deliberative and open-minded decision maker. I feel it is always important to treat all people respectfully and work cordially with everyone. I believe these qualities would make me a good decision maker and an effective facilitator of communication between the school board and community.
