Learn About Dillon

Learn more about my background and the experiences I will bring to the School Board, and hear about what my motivations and driving factors are for why I decided to run.

• Learn More About Me

My Background & Experiences

I've lived in Savage my whole life and I'm a K-12 graduate of PLSAS: Westwood Elementary (K-2), Redtail Ridge Elementary (3-5), Hidden Oaks Middle School (6-8, with the occasional class at Twin Oaks — every Hidden Oaks kid knows how that goes), and Prior Lake High School (9-12).Following graduation, I attended college for three months before discovering that it wasn’t the right path for me, at least at that time in my life. I spent the next couple years focused on improving my mental health and eventually began working at a dog daycare for a few years. I now work at an elementary school in Eagan as a special education paraprofessional, having just begun my fourth year this fall.Why I became a para.
I struggled severely with my mental health starting in middle school, and eventually acquired an IEP in high school. That gave me direct, first-hand experience as a special education student myself — I know the stigma and the struggle. I wanted to work directly with students to help make school as smooth and enjoyable as possible, while still making sure they learn what they need to thrive in the world beyond it. I've learned an enormous amount in this role, and I feel genuinely lucky to have worked with the kids I have.What my job has taught me.
Being a para hasn't just given me insight into the current student experience — it's shown me the struggles that staff across every role face day to day. I've been an active, dues-paying union member for over a year, and I've done deep research into labor law because of it. I've used this knowledge to advocate for improved working conditions at my school and to help push back against injustices that I and other colleagues have faced.What I bring to the board.
My own experience as a student is still fresh, and I've spent a long time researching proven methods for reducing the struggles kids face while helping them excel academically, athletically, and artistically. If elected, I plan to work directly with staff and students to understand their real, current experiences — listening to their concerns, hopes, and demands, and doing everything I can to actually deliver for them.

Why I'm Running

I care about people. My goal is simple: Maximize the good in our world and minimize the harm — and I rely on evidence, not assumptions or personal beliefs, to tell the difference.I want our society to thrive, and that starts with ensuring our kids can thrive. Our kids are our future, and they need the proper tools and environments to allow them to succeed, and most importantly, to be happy.Our board needs a voice it doesn't currently have.
PLSAS has a student representative on the board — but that role can only observe and advocate. They do not have committee assignments and they cannot vote. I believe our students and staff deserve a board member with full decision-making power whose lived experience actually reflects theirs.I'm a PLSAS alum, graduating in 2019 — not too long ago. I currently work as a special education paraprofessional in another district. My experience as a recent student and current employment as school support staff puts me closer to the day-to-day reality of our schools than anyone else on the board. Right now, every single board member is a parent. That's one perspective, and an important one, but it shouldn't be the only one.We need board members willing to actually say something.
Too often, board members and candidates avoid taking a clear stance on anything that might be seen as "political." I think that instinct fails the people who schools are supposed to serve. If an issue affects whether our students and staff have the learning and working environment they deserve, it's worth speaking up about — even when it's uncomfortable or controversial.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Every student deserves to feel heard, respected, safe, and like they belong. Our district has faced real, serious incidents of racism, transphobia, and other discrimination against marginalized students and staff. We need policies that actively combat and eliminate that — not just acknowledge it exists.People are often afraid of "DEI" because of what they've been told, without stopping to consider what the words actually mean:Diversity: When people from a variety of backgrounds and experiences are welcomed and embraced as part of a community, the whole community gets stronger.
Equity: I'll always remember an infographic my IEP case manager showed me in high school — I'm forever grateful to her — that helped me understand equity when I was struggling with guilt over getting accommodations other students didn't have. Equity means giving disadvantaged people the tools and resources they need to have the same real opportunities as everyone else.
Inclusion: Making sure everyone doesn't just feel like they belong, but is actually treated that way by the people around them.Is any of that actually controversial?

Rethinking Our Academic Structures

A lot of focus has been placed on declining test scores, not only across the country but specifically in our district, as well. But standardized testing mostly measures memory — and we live in a world where looking something up has largely replaced the need to memorize it. Memorization still matters, but it shouldn't be our primary measure of a student's intelligence or ability.Socratic learning, collaborative learning, and hands-on practice all work well for many students. The more we can move toward learning tailored to each student's individual style — which does require more funding, staff, and resources — the stronger our students become. Surveying students and staff more often on the issues that affect them would also be a meaningful step toward a more democratic decision-making process in our district.Our curriculum needs rethinking too. Students relearn many of the same topics year after year, but when do they learn personal finance? Their legal rights? Social-emotional and interpersonal skills? Media literacy? Right now these are squeezed into a single elective or a few scattered lessons — if they're taught at all. Students should spend meaningful time learning things that will help every one of them navigate society and life, not just the ones headed toward a few specific career paths.

Budgeting, Funding & Taxpayer Fairness

Our public education funding system is broken — leaning too heavily on local property taxes. Asking residents to keep raising their own taxes, in a time when everything is more expensive, puts a real burden on families already struggling.We need to advocate for change at the state and federal levels. As a board member, I'll work directly with our legislators and government leaders to push for systemic funding reform — something I've already started doing through local political involvement.Until that changes, our district has to find ways to secure funding by using the tools already available to us, so our students and staff don't just survive, but thrive. That's why I support our community coming together to pass a tax levy when needed, including the one that will appear on our ballots this November — while continuing to push our state and federal government for a better, fairer system.