Bev Nordby understands full well that if she were elected to the school board, she’d be wearing a hat completely opposite of the one she wears now.

Tuesday, September 21, 1999

Bev Nordby understands full well that if she were elected to the school board, she’d be wearing a hat completely opposite of the one she wears now.

As district manager of the Mower County Soil and Water Conservation District, Nordby is the top administrator leading a team of five.

Should she join the Austin Board of Education following the Nov. 2 election for four open seats, she’d be dealing with administrators, checking and balancing their work.

"I’ve thought about that," she said. "But I adapt to change well.

"I’m a person that needs to be involved. I’m happiest when I’m busy."

Nordby backs up her talk well. She ran for the Lansing Township board in its last election and lost by 13 votes. Still, she attends its meeting frequently and puts out its newsletter.

Nordby’s husband is a custodian with the Austin public school district. The couple has three children, one a sophomore in the high school and two Austin High graduates. One of Nordby’s children was a special education student.

But Nordby isn’t running on special interests.

"If there’s one thing I want to get across," Nordby said, "it’s that I’m an advocate of all students. Every student deserves an excellent education."

Nordby said the district’s budget overspending issue piqued her interest in running for the school board. But she’s not going to dwell on that.

"The one issue is the here and now," she said. "We need to move forward. You don’t get anywhere being negative."

That said, Nordby believes the new board’s most important task will be to restore the public’s trust and confidence in the board.

"More things need to be questioned," she said, "and board members need to let their feelings be known."

Nordby described herself as a confident person, who is not afraid to let her voice be heard.

Nordby is hoping the election produces a diverse board. She said she could add a strong financial background to such a board.

As an administrator, she has a lot of experience in financial management, a quality she believes the school board could take advantage of.

"I’m real familiar with state funding and I lobby for funding," she said. "I know all about it."