There are just two weeks to go before the two open spots on the Sioux Falls School Board will be decided by voters on April 14, 2015.

Our news-gathering partner KDLT-TV recently connected with the three people who are running, including current board member Kate Parker, running for her third term.

“The past six years have been great, I’ve learned a lot. I am particularly proud of the programs and initiatives that we’ve put forward these last six years and I just want to be able to continue to do that,” said Parker.

“I’m an advocate for the teachers and the students.The first three years were great, we got a lot accomplished," said current board member Todd Thoelke. "I’m really interested in continuing that. My parents were both educators. II sat at the dinner table every night hearing how great the schools are and how we can make them better.”

Going up against the two incumbents is Randy Dobberpuhl who currently is a Minnehaha County Human Services worker.

“I’m a committed community member and I want to help serve our community in every way possible. I want to help increase communication, I want to help get more community involvement."

Dobberpuhl thinks communication on school start dates could have been improved.

“There should have been more collaboration, more dialogue, more discussions with the group that brought this petition forward,”

Both Thoelke and Parker say they’d like to see the start date stay the way it is now, before Labor Day, citing the academic benefits.

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