Three candidates running for open seat on Ririe school board
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RIRIE — Three candidates are looking to fill one school board opening for Ririe Joint School District 252 this upcoming election.
Cody Kemp currently represents zone five, but he’s not seeking re-election. Instead, Austin Rasmussen, Taelyn Nelson and Angela Reed are running for the seat.
You can learn more about the candidates below.
Austin Rasmussen — Rasmussen graduated in 2002 from Madison Senior High School in Rexburg. He graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho in 2009, on the same day that he married his wife, who he met in Ririe. He earned a master’s degree from Idaho State University in 2011.
He and his wife started their family in July 2010 and further expanded their family in August of the following year. Although career paths have carried the Rasmussen family to many places, he said all roads eventually lead to home, and they came back “where the soil is fertile and the roots grow strong and deep.” Rasmussen currently has four kids in District No. 252 and two more who will be joining their siblings soon.
Rasmussen said education has provided many opportunities to his family and is important to him. If elected to the school board, his commitment is to ensure the resources provided to and directly from the community fully benefit the experiences of the children. He wants to see the success in Ririe translate to a foundation for the children that helps them commit to a lifelong journey full of learning and improving the world around them.
To learn more about Rasmussen, click here.
Taelyn Nelson — Nelson is 25 years old and has been married for a year and a half. He graduated from Ririe High School in 2014. In 2018, he graduated from BYU-Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. He plans to graduate in April 2022 with a master’s degree in crop science from the University of Illinois.
For the past five years, he has taught agriculture at North Fremont High School. Nelson teaches the school’s plant science pathway with classes in biology, botany, crop science and intro to agriculture. He also oversees the greenhouse, which grows and sells plants, flowers and vegetables locally. He runs a CTE program budget of over $25,000, and he holds several industry certifications.
Having spent his whole life in Ririe, Nelson said he understands the community, the issues going on and issues that may come up — not only from community members’ points of view but from students and educators too. Nelson plans to give a voice to all while making sure to do what’s best for the kids because they are the future. He wants to “keep Ririe great,” the graduation rate up, and retain faculty and staff.
Angela Reed — Reed could not be reached for comment.
The 2021 General Election is Nov. 2. For more election coverage, click here.