Samantha Boushek for ISD 728 School Board

09/05/2026

🥴 EEK! - That pledge didn’t last long.

If you’re looking for someone to keep their word and stand up for you as community members… left, right, middle… etc…. I am your person!

One thing I don’t tolerate is broken trust in public systems that are supposed to be working for YOU!!

Character matters.

09/01/2026

The yard art is getting real around these parts!

PM me if you would like me to drop one off for this campaign season!

08/30/2026

Linda E. McMahon - 13th United States Secretary of Education

True leadership - Minnesota received the letters.

Federal government to our schools: parents are the primary protectors of their children. Stop hiding records.

Federal government to our child-welfare agencies: you cannot remove a child because a parent won’t affirm a gender identity.

Parental rights are not optional.

Parents first.

08/29/2026

I feel this and I thank all those brothers and sisters in arms as they step up and sacrifice to protect our freedoms! Thank you and thank you for taking such good care of those kids while their parents or loved ones are deployed or facing unique challenges - as a mother who deployed with a child at home, this brings me to tears of joy knowing what kind of community we have supporting our district!

08/29/2026

As a civilian and especially as someone still serving in the military… I have lost multiple friends to su***de. I take both su***de and mental health very seriously and I take the conversations around them seriously too.. especially when it comes to having these conversations with my kids.

Starting this school year, Minnesota requires mental health instruction for grades 4–12. Statute 120B.21. ISD 728 already has health class, counselors, THRIVE, and 988 resources. What families still do not have in writing is how this classroom mandate will be handled.

The board should evaluate an approach that is mindful of families impacted by su***de and that respects how comfortable parents are with this being taught at school versus stewarded at home.

A workable plan:

1. Post the materials. Before a unit starts, publish what will be taught in grades 4–12. No mystery packets.

2. Notify families in advance. Especially for su***de and self-harm content. Give parents time to talk with their child first, or request an alternate assignment.

3. Let parents choose the steward. Some families want this conversation at home. Some want the school to lead it. Respect both. Send a home guide so parents who opt to lead it are not left guessing.

4. Keep the line clear. A lesson is a lesson. Screening, counseling, and referrals are different. Say so in the plan.

5. Train the adults in the room. Not just the health teacher. Anyone delivering this needs to know how to handle a student who has lost someone.

Mental health education can be done with care. Care starts with sunlight, notice, and parental partnership… not a surprise PowerPoint.

If you have lost someone, you are not alone. 988.

08/26/2026

While 30+ states have opted into the new federal Education Freedom Tax Credit so their families can access scholarships for private school, tutoring, books, and other K-12 education expenses, Minnesota has said no.

Governor Tim Walz announced in March 2026 that Minnesota will not participate. That means when the program starts on January 1, 2027:

• Minnesota students will not be eligible for these scholarships.
• Scholarship Granting Organizations will not be allowed to operate here under the federal program.
• Families in participating states will have access to extra educational options funded by private donations (with a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for donors). Minnesota families will not.

This program costs the state of Minnesota nothing. It uses private donations incentivized by a federal tax credit. Other states recognized that and opted in so their parents could have more choices. Minnesota’s current leadership chose otherwise.

This is not a neutral administrative decision. It is a deliberate choice to keep Minnesota families from accessing a new tool that expands parental voice and options in their children’s education. When the state refuses to let parents use resources that other Americans can use, it is putting the government’s preferred view of education ahead of parents’ ability to decide what is best for their own kids.

Parents should be the primary decision-makers in their children’s education. Right now, Minnesota’s governor is standing in the way of one more avenue for that to happen.

If you believe parents… not politicians… should have the strongest voice in their children’s schooling, this decision matters. Share it. Talk about it. Hold leadership accountable.

08/26/2026

Two people can stand on opposite sides of the same issue, look at the same set of facts, and walk away seeing something entirely different. One sees a 6. The other sees a 9. That difference does not automatically make the other person dishonest, ignorant, or the enemy.

How we handle the disagreement is what matters….

Talking down to people, assigning blame, making accusations, questioning motives, or deliberately elevating conflict does not move us closer to a solution. It destroys the conditions required to find one.

Resolution starts with curiosity before judgment. It means asking why someone sees the issue differently and being willing to walk around to the other side long enough to understand what they actually see.

Understanding another perspective does not require agreeing with it. Productive problem-solving is not about winning every argument. It is about putting different viewpoints on the same table, asking hard questions, listening to the answers, and working toward a responsible path forward.

You do not have to see the same number to have a productive conversation about what is in front of you.

08/25/2026

Support is growing, and I need the tools to match it.

Neighbors are asking for signs, and I want them in more yards this week. A donation goes straight to printing and putting those resources in people’s hands. Even the smallest amounts help!

Donate here: https://boushekforisd728.com/

As always, I am grateful for the support!!

FOR ISD 728 SCHOOL BOARD

08/24/2026

Went door-knocking tonight with Mindy! Put more signs up and met some solid people who really care about their kids and this community. Not the professional complainers… it was real parents and taxpayers who care! I can say I am proud to be a member of this community!

Here’s what kept coming up:

First — folks are tired of state leadership that doesn’t share and fails to respect their values. They’re watching that mess trickle straight into our schools. They want someone who’ll actually step into the fire instead of nodding along. State mandates that ignore parents, push harmful ideology, and cross lines families never agreed to? That’s not leadership. That’s a problem. Time for some solid change!

Second — the whole “kitty litter boxes and furries in schools” thing. Let me settle this right now: there are no kitty litter boxes in our schools. I checked. I will be clear on my stance.. dress-up time and animal play stay out of the classroom. That’s not a protected class. That’s a distraction from reading, writing, and arithmetic. We can stop pretending otherwise and we need to address this head on.

Third — taxes. People don’t want another round of “just pay more.” They want adults in the room looking at real options instead of treating higher taxes like the only tool in the toolbox. I believe we can do better as a community… I believe we can support both our kids and staff while minimizing or limiting the tax impact on our community. This is called innovation and it’s time to put our thinking caps on and have a real brainstorm session with metrics that are not guided by only a few demographics. We need to dig deeper before we choose to burden the taxpayers.

**SPECIAL NOTE: I did meet a health teacher from another district who shared concerns on the education being pushed in health classes from her area. She shared her concerns around how the curriculum was conflicting to her own values and beliefs. This made me wonder how many families would have felt the same way if they knew the curriculum she was handed to teach… this to me as a parent is alarming. She refused to teach the courses and I applaud her for her bravery in today’s chaos! We need more of that!**

This election matters because we need real people willing to clear out the nonsense and insanity, put the focus back where it belongs, and get back to business. Kids learning. Parents being the primary voice. Schools managing what the board governs… through the boundaries the parents have… this is YOUR VOICE!

I’m stepping into this fire and say the quiet part out loud. Minnesota’s track record on this stuff isn’t exactly inspiring confidence. Time to change that and hold the line for our community.

Parents first. Kids first. Common sense first.