Jean O'Connell for St Paul School Board

O’Connell seeks seat as independent
By Doug Belden
dbelden@pioneerpress.com

Updated: 05/13/2009 12:00:22 AM CDT

A retired 3M executive who has been chairing an advisory panel on major systemic change in St. Paul Public Schools has announced she is running for school board.

Jean O’Connell said Monday she will run as an independent. She said she will step down as chair of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on Large Scale System Changes to avoid any possible conflict of interest.

Three seats are up for election on the seven-member board this November.

Incumbents John Brodrick, Tom Goldstein and Elona Street-Stewart have been endorsed by the St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The city’s Republicans are backing longtime teacher John Krenik and Richard Easton, an operations manager who serves on the board of a local charter school.

O’Connell’s campaign announcement includes an endorsement from former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer.

O’Connell, 56 — who spent 34 years at 3M Co. in community affairs, quality, supply-chain and manufacturing positions — said she hopes to use her experience to help the district implement the major changes that have been proposed.

“We can’t make incremental changes and expect to see significant improvement in the achievement gaps between student groups,” she said in a statement. “Speed and decisiveness are key to helping all of our students achieve.”

A lifelong St. Paul resident and graduate of Central High School, O’Connell lives with her husband in the Como neighborhood, according to her campaign Web site, oconnellforstpaulkids.com.

The couple has two daughters, one of whom graduated from Central and the other from Cretin-Derham Hall.

She said she’s “being very realistic” about her chances as an independent of breaking onto a DFL-dominated board, but she said she hopes her candidacy will spur more public debate about the district’s direction.

“The real key is to have some open conversation about the issues,” she said.

Doug Belden can be reached at 651-228-5136.

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Last update: May 12, 2009 – 12:52 AM

A retired 3M executive and lifelong St. Paul resident has announced that she is running for the St. Paul school board as an independent.

Jean O’Connell, a graduate of Central High School, said Monday that she is running because she feels like the school district needs to speed up both the rate at which it adapts and efforts to address the large achievement gap between white students and students of color.

As her daughters made their way through the St. Paul schools, “it became really clear to me that the rate of change in the school system just wasn’t fast enough for an individual kid,” she said. “They only have one chance.”

O’Connell, 56, worked for 34 years in community affairs, quality, supply chain and manufacturing positions at 3M. She helped the school district develop its strategic plan and was chairwoman of an advisory committee on the district’s restructuring process.

O’Connell decided to run as an independent in a city that favors DFL candidates because she thinks the system has become too political. She says she is “realistic” about her chances, but says that part of her goal in running is to encourage discussion about the candidates.

She is being endorsed by former St. Paul Mayor George Latimer. The DFL has endorsed incumbents John Brodrick, Tom Goldstein and Elona Street-Stewart. Republicans have endorsed candidates Richard Easton and John Krenik.

EMILY JOHNS

You can find this article online at: http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/44714537.html?elr=KArksUUUU

PRESS RELEASE May 11, 2009

Jean O’Connell, retired 3M executive and Central High School alumnus, announces her candidacy for Saint Paul School Board. She is running as an independent, unaffiliated with any political party.

“Our kids can’t wait for better schools,” O’Connell said. “We need to stay focused on an improvement agenda.” If elected, O’Connell plans to focus on:

• Providing a quality education to all students,
• Increasing the involvement of the entire community in our schools, and
• Ensuring that resources are focused on bringing great programs to all of our children.

A lifelong resident of St. Paul, Ms. O’Connell has been an advocate for and supporter of the Saint Paul Public Schools serving as a parent volunteer, tutor, science fair judge, Junior Achievement teacher, committee member, and chair of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on Large Scale System Changes. She has extensive experience in managing people and change throughout her 3M career.

Her experience can help the district successfully implement the large-scale system changes currently proposed. “We can’t make incremental changes and expect to see significant improvement in the achievement gaps between student groups,” O’Connell said. “Speed and decisiveness are key to helping all of our students achieve.” By redirecting current resources to proven, research-based programs, O’Connell believes the district can achieve better results for the students and families it serves.

Ms. O’Connell is known for her collaborative leadership, and her facilitation and teambuilding skills. Her goal is to strengthen community engagement in order to bring the talents in our community to bear on our students’ needs. “ I believe that, long term, our community can only be as successful as our children,” O’Connell said. “We need to look at new ways to engage parents, businesses and community members in improving the achievement of our students.”

Former Saint Paul mayor, George Latimer, endorses Jean’s candidacy saying, “Jean’s firsthand experience as a parent of public school children, her frequent attendance at school board meetings and her management of the advisory panel to the superintendent has given Jean a broad knowledge and clear perspective of the needs of our school children.”

To learn more, email jean at jean@oconnellforstpaulkids.com or visit our website.

www.oconnellforstpaulkids.com