By Rich Larson, General Manager & Morning Show, Co-Host | Rich@kymnradio.net
Last week, after the results of the election came through, the Northfield School Board was set for another two terms, with newcomer Maggie Epstein joining returning members Claudia Gonzalez-George, Amy Goerwitz and Corey Butler, along with incumbents Jeff Quinnell, Jenny Nelson and Ben Miller, whose seats will be up for renewal in 2026.
For the first time since the election of 1980, Noel Stratmoen will not be a member of the Northfield School Board in January.
Stratmoen has served 12 terms on Northfield’s Board of Education, and currently owns the longest continuous tenure of any school board member in the State of Minnesota. He has been instrumental in any number of initiatives over that time including the building of at least three schools and major renovation projects involving virtually every other school district property, the decision to assign iPads to each student in the district, major curriculum overhauls, and of course every budget the district has had over the last 44 years.
In December of 2022 and again this past summer, Stratmoen was forced to take leaves of absence from the school district, and decided against running for a 13th term in August.
Last week, and the day after the election took place, Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann said that Stratmoen cannot be “replaced,” and his presence on the board will be missed for many years to come. And he offered his deep gratitude to both Noel and his wife Lois Stratmoen.
“You can’t talk about Noel without talking about Louis. The Stratmoens are pillars of this community. They have been reasonable and strong voices for advancing our community. And when you reflect on these election results, that’s one of the things I’m reflecting on is that we’re so grateful for Noel’s service and the Stratmoens’ commitment to our community. Thanks, Noel. We just so appreciate what you’ve done for kids.” – Dr. Matt Hillmann on the KYMN Morning Show
Stratmoen has not been involved with school board business since his letter of temporary resignation was accepted by the board in June. Dr. Rob Hardy, who himself is a former member of the board, has filled in for Stratmoen since July.
Epstein and the returning board members will be sworn in at the first school board meeting of the new year on January 13th.
