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An Albert Lea school board member finishing her first first term in office filed for reelection Wednesday with a goal of giving citizens a stronger voice at the board table through their elected school board members.

Angie Hoffman, 40, said she thinks the public would be surprised to learn how little involvement the school board has in decisions.

She gave the example of the Tiger Cub Child Care Center, which administrators announced in January would close at the end of the school year because of increasing shortfalls and then ultimately changed course after hearing from the public and announced it would remain open through the end of the 2024-25 school year.

Hoffman said the board was not involved in the decision to continue it another year.

“We did not provide input into how to make budget cuts earlier this year,” she said. “We also have not been involved in determining our district calendar, other than simply approving it.”

Hoffman said there is growing interest by some board members to increase both the board’s access to information and their input in district decisions. The board also needs a better idea of what is happening on the grounds in the schools, she said.

She hopes to be able to explain these circumstances to the public and said she thinks there is a chance to make reasonable improvements to the district’s governance model in the future.

Hoffman said she appreciates the nonpartisan approach of a school board and thinks the state and federal governments could do better by following suit.

“We live in an extremely divided world right now, but average people truthfully have far more in common with one another than not,” she said. “When we operate in a paradigm that encourages collaboration among varying viewpoints rather than simply pitting two sides against each other, our results are more likely to be effective and balanced.”

Hoffman said her top priorities going into another term are improving student outcomes, particularly in core subjects; addressing the root causes of employee burnout; and rebuilding staff morale.

“We need to ensure our spending is responsible and respectful of our taxpayers,” she said. “We need our board, who represents the public, to have more meaningful involvement in impactful decisions.”

She said she is willing to listen to anyone and ask uncomfortable questions, and her track record shows she is willing to vote no if needed. She said she is comfortable with respectful disagreement and debating ideas on their merit and appreciates hearing and learning from those with opposing viewpoints.

As a former homeschooler, she said she brings an outside, fresh perspective.

“I love our community and realize that having a solid school district is crucial for it to flourish,” she said.

Hoffman, and her husband, Robert, of 15 years, together co-own Robert Hoffman Realty Inc. and several local investment properties.

Outside of the school board, Hoffman is passionate about animal rescue and has volunteered at the Freeborn County Humane Society for eight years.