MANKATO — Mankato Area School Board candidate Tracy Frederick Corcoran said she’s hoping to bring her educational experience with her if elected this November.
“Kind of that unique perspective both as a teacher as well as an educational leader has brought me to really coming to the board with the interest of continuing to transform our schools,” said Corcoran, of North Mankato.
“Post-pandemic students are not the same as pre-pandemic students … I believe as a board and as an educational system in general, we have to think differently about how we’re providing pre-K through 12th grade education for our students.”
There are four four-year seats up for grabs on the Mankato board this year.
Corcoran is running against incumbents Liz Ratcliff, Christopher Kind and Erin Roberts as well as new filers Joel Hollerich of Madison Lake, Tim Flynn of Eagle Lake and Elizabeth Hanke of Mankato.
Corcoran has two kids, a son who graduated from Mankato West High School in 2023 and a daughter who is a freshman at West.
Corcoran, who grew up in Mankato, also graduated from West in 2001. She later began her career in the district. She first taught kindergarten and first grade at Kennedy Elementary before moving into different positions in the district such as an instructional coach and the K-12 curriculum coordinator.
During the summer of 2020, Corcoran accepted a position as Faribault Public Schools’ director of teaching and learning.
“I was at that job for a few years. Then I decided to leave K-12 education and start consulting, still in education, but (doing) more consulting and coaching. I do that work around the region … still working on school improvement and leadership development.”
Corcoran is now self-employed and owns AWARE Coaching + Wellness.
Corcoran said she sees the board as an opportunity to help create the next generation of the workforce and invest in students.
She also said she’s experienced firsthand the decrease in educator well-being.
“Well-being of our students, well-being of our staff, well-being of our overall community is another aspect that I’m really committed to seeing some transformation and support (on).”
Corcoran has served on the Greater Mankato Diversity Council as their education director for the last year and a half. She has plans to leave this month as consulting work picks up.
“When I had the opportunity to work with the Diversity Council, that really was aligned with who I’ve been as an educator since I started.”
Corcoran said that as a board member, she would want to serve as a bridge to community members.
“That includes those who didn’t grow up in Mankato, are families who have moved here from other countries, from other areas, are families who speak multiple languages and making sure that everyone’s voice is included in the boardroom,” she said.
“So that every perspective can be represented in the boardroom and that we are able to have conversations as board members to talk about what’s in the best interest of our community, and our community is really inclusive of all of the various backgrounds and people that we serve.”
Corcoran said increasing awareness around diversity in the community and understanding the strength it brings to the community is a big piece of why she’s running for the board.
As school districts such as Mankato’s continue to navigate a shift in enrollment since the pandemic, Corcoran said public educators have to create the best opportunities for students.
“When we create those opportunities and we share those opportunities, that’s where students start to see where they belong in (the district) and continue to be engaged as a learner to continue to want to access the schools.”
Corcoran said as far as attendance goes, just like adults, kids are motivated by things they’re interested in.
“And so how does the school experience become a place that kids are having those successes, they’re also being challenged to be able to grow in ways that are supportive?” she said.
The district also has been vocal about its desire to increase test scores over the recent years.
Corcoran said they need to consider having a model that’s going to accelerate learning rather than focusing on remediating.
“We’re not going to get those COVID years back, but I do believe that we can fill those gaps through outside-of-the-box thinking. So really considering how do we help students engage in learning that is meaningful, that’s relevant to them.”
Corcoran added that teaching critical thinking is important. She added she believes the district’s students are far more than one test score and said the social and emotional development of students also plays a part in their success.
“We really want to create a community of learners in which they’re able to succeed and reach their full potential. We want to see that in the achievement data, but we also want to see that on a daily basis.”
Regarding curriculum, Corcoran said it goes back to the idea that learning has to be meaningful and relevant to engage students.
“I think it’s essential that our students can see themselves in the resources that they use,” she said, adding that students then can get windows into experiences that are different from their own.
“I’m a big believer in making sure that our students’ world is bigger than Mankato and the Greater Mankato area. There’s a huge world out there that they have the opportunities to explore and learn about.”
As the district works to introduce curriculum changes such as the Science of Reading that was passed by the 2023 Legislature, Corcoran said it’s important to support teachers in implementation and help district leaders understand what changes look like in the classroom.
The candidate gave her response to how she felt the Mankato district handled $9.2 million in budget adjustments and cuts last summer. The deficit came from their efforts to recover from the pandemic and lower-than-expected enrollment numbers.
“I think Mankato did the very best they could with the resources and decisions that they had and knowledge that they had. I think those decisions were made very intentionally, and yet they’re super, super hard.”
With school bullying arising as a topic in this race, Corcoran said she believes, based on conversations she’s had, that the district’s students feel safe.
She said district policy states that its schools don’t tolerate bullying or harassment.
“When we are having students who have experienced bullying, that’s really where we put our trust in the teachers and the principals because they’re there every day,” she said. “I do also want parents to understand and family members to understand you’re your child’s advocate.”