Matt Ringhofer

Matt Ringhofer

1) What is your background and why are you running for school board?

My name is Matt Ringhofer. I have been married to my wife Wendi, who is a teacher, for 21 years and I am a proud dad of 2 daughters, Josephine and Adeline. I believe I would continue to be a good school board member because I know all students can be successful and I want to help that become a realization. I have been in education professionally for the past 27 years as a school counselor and have had the privilege of supporting both my children as they progress and succeed in New Ulm Public Schools for the past 18 years.

I have been on the school board in New Ulm for over 11 years. In this role I have been on the policy, finance, district curriculum advisory, and technology, insurance, and transportation committee and a board member for the Riverbend Education District. I have worked with many organized negotiating teams in ISD 88. As an extension of my duties as a school board member, I was elected to the Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) state delegate convention. In addition, for the past 8 years I have been on the board of directors for the South Central Service Cooperative. In June, I was elected to the State Service Cooperative board of directors. I believe I have the background, education, and willingness to continue to lead New Ulm Public Schools in a positive direction for all.

2) In your opinion, what is the top issue facing District 88 schools?

I believe that one of the top issues is to continue to grow our programming in the CTE center here in New Ulm. We have this excellent facility with many great educators that have passion in countless trade skills, backgrounds, and expertise that can be a leading force in southern Minnesota. This is especially true with the ever growing need for technical skill related jobs that are ALWAYS in need. The second area or top issue would be to entice and retain educators in NUPS. We have so many people that do amazing work with all of our kids from across the entire district. Let’s keep them with us so we can continue to grow our public schools and draw families into New Ulm because we have a fantastic school system.

3) What is the board’s role in ensuring that the district serves all types of learners?

One of the most important roles of the school board is to help write policy for the district. The beauty of these policies is that they address ALL learners that are with us and those that join us. Having goals that are inclusive of all kids is a great starting point for all learners. As all students join our schools the diversity in learning styles and abilities is vast. As a school system we have to be prepared for this. I give great credit to our NUPS staff for meeting the needs of all types of learners.

4) What role should the board take in helping recruit and retain teaching staff?

We need to get the word out to educators interested in moving to New Ulm to start here and then stay here. We have so many great people working in our schools already. When we have people that are passionate about educating here in our schools, we want them to stay and continue this hard work. What goes along with getting great people here of course is available housing for new people joining the school district.

5) What is your top goal if elected to the school board?

I and our current board have been working to evaluate our district goals and long term plans. Thus, one of my top goals is to continue the strategic planning sessions that will take us into the spring of this school year. In these planning sessions we, as a school district including all participants (families, students, community members, board members, superintendent) are working on writing our narrative on who we are as a whole school system. In addition to identifying who we are, how we get there, and the message we as a school send out is critical to the future of NUPS.

I am running for school board in New Ulm because I believe in a strong school district that is appealing to all families, educates our kids, and becomes “the” destination for educators.