Dr. Miriam Janechek
Janechek for ISD 622 School Board
Build Strong School Communities, Empower Students, Support Teachers—Together for a Thriving Community
I am focused on transparently and collaboratively running the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale school district with policies and procedures that reflect child development needs, research-backed academic models, and good business practices.
Platform
More play, less tech: Increase recess and lunch periods to reduce anxiety and improve focus with less screen time.
Community-building through schools: Strengthen student independence, civic engagement, and hands-on learning opportunities to attract families to ISD 622 and build a stronger community.
Excellence with balance: Expand research-backed approaches to math, balance minutes of instruction with realistic academic expectations, and underscore the district's emphasis on grade-level literacy.
Support for teachers: Increase pay for new teachers, expand support staffing, collect better data, and encourage teachers to live in ISD 622.
Student-focused schools: Introduce unique intra-district school choice options, creating distinct programs between North and Tartan High Schools.
About Miriam Janechek
I am the mother of two ISD 622 elementary kiddos! My two daughters attend Richardson Elementary. We love the principal, teachers, support staff, and bus drivers who make it possible for them to attend our neighborhood school.
My favorite part of every day is hanging out for the morning bus with my neighbors and neighbor kids. We get to know each other a tiny bit more each day. The kids bounce around with anticipation of the day ahead and the adults commiserate on the struggles and celebrate the fun of being parents.
My background is in teaching, state-level education policy and administration, and childhood and children's books research. I have a doctorate degree from the University of Iowa. I'm a passionate person, and I put my passion into finding collaborative solutions to problems and enriching my community. My husband is an engineer at 3M and uses his time and talents to keep his wife and two daughters happy, which is why he spent his summer building us a chicken coop! We moved to Minnesota in 2016 because we wanted to spend our lives in a diverse, rich community and we are so glad ISD 622 is where we've chosen to put down roots.
Experience
Department of Education: I worked for over 2 years at the Minnesota Department of Education in the Statewide Assessments division and on a district-level technology project. I supported MDE in communication efforts with the agency's constituents.
K-12 Education Technology: I worked for 5 years on multiple states' statewide technology modernization projects. I worked with tech teams at state departments to engage with non-tech staff and district staff. I worked with many communities to understand education data, from what is tells us to what it doesn't say.
Educator: I worked for 8 years in undergraduate education, specifically with college students adjusting to being adult learners post-high school. I also spent time as the summer program administrator at a PreK-6 school.
Education
2011 - 2019
University of Iowa
Master's in English
PhD in English
Iowa City, IA
2008 - 2010
University of Iowa
Bachelor of Arts in English
Iowa City, IA
Contact
Email mm.janechek@gmail.com
Location Maplewood, Minn.