Sommer Seeks First Term on School Board

Like the teacher she was trained to be, Katrina Sommer is precise, detailed and highly organized. She is also very busy.

Sommer is a new mom, works full time and is completing her second master’s degree (she already has an MBA). As if that's not enough, the 28-year-old woman is also running for available with the Brentwood Board of Education.

Although her proverbial plate appeared to be full already, Sommer explained her decision to run one evening, after having had dinner with her husband, Adam, and their 10-month-old son, Jack.
 
“I’ve always been interested in education, especially since I had Jack,” said Sommer, who, still in her work clothes, sat cross-legged on the floor of her Brentwood home with her son nestled in her lap. She had started her day 14 hours earlier.
 
Sommer has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and is a certified teacher, even though she has not taught. That is because she couldn’t find a teaching job after graduation. She looked for a couple a months, hand delivering packets to schools. “I thought ‘Do I stagnate or move forward?’” she said. Sommer moved on with her life, found employment outside of education and went back to school.
 
Her current interest in the school board extends beyond being a mom and an educator; it includes being a Brentwood homeowner. Sommer and her husband moved into their neighborhood about two years ago. However, “houses a few streets behind us go for twice as much as our homes because they are in the Ladue School District,” she said. And that frustrates her.
 
With a 30-year mortgage, a home renovation underway and a baby, the young couple has a vested interest in the school district. Sommer said she is determined to make sure that education in Brentwood is the best it can be.
 
That’s why she began regularly attending school meetings. That’s why she declared her candidacy this past January. So what is her take on the issues?
 
To begin with, Sommer champions an open dialogue with all residents, especially if budget cuts become necessary.

“I feel the most important step is to solicit public input into that decision-making process,” she said. “As board members, we are representing and serving the Brentwood community, and therefore, I believe we should make decisions based on the community’s input.”

If budget cuts became necessary, Sommer said, she wouldn't cut core educational services subjects.

“I would work hard and creatively to ensure we are able to offer a well rounded education, including arts and athletics to all Brentwood students,” she said.

To accomplish this, she would consider finding cost savings through better energy-efficiency in school buildings or partnering with neighboring school districts for some at-risk programs. She said she would consider a tax increase, too.
 
Sommer is particularly concerned about the cost of utilities.

“Utilities are one of the highest expenses the school district has,” she said.

Sommer recommends the district wait to see the results of an energy audit that is presently underway.

“I believe it includes sensors that show hot spots and cold spots. Before spending money, we need to see what is working and what is not working,” she said. “We have to be a good steward of the tax payers’ dollars. A lot of people would respect cutting energy costs.”
 
A methodical person, Sommer abides by a tight schedule and an old-fashioned paper calendar posted on the refrigerator. She rises at 4:45 a.m., works from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and then goes home to spend her afternoons with her infant son.

Getting up early “is a sacrifice I’m willing to make to spend more time with my baby,” she said. With a support system in place—Sommer’s husband helps a lot—attending board meetings at night is no problem. “I usually go anyway,” she said.
 
She believes she is the most qualified candidate and is the only candidate who is a certified teacher. “I know what it's like to be in a classroom,” she said.

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Katrina I. Sommer
9367 Pine Avenue
 
PERSONAL: Age 28. Married to Adam Sommer. They have one son, Jack, who is 10 months old.
 
OCCUPATION: Sommer is a grant adminstrator for St. Louis County.
 
EDUCATION: Sommer received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Fontbonne University in 2005, a master’s degree in business administration from Maryville University in 2008, and is presently working on a master’s degree in nonprofit management, which she expects to complete this year, from Washington University of St. Louis.
 
RELEVANT BACKGROUND: Sommer is a certified teacher. She is a member of the leadership team for Gateway Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and participates in the organization’s Tutor-A-Patient Program. She is also on the Young Advisory Committee for the Delta Dental Health Theatre, which provides health education to children, and serves on the Missouri Young Executive Board of the Nurses for Newborns Foundation.

Editor's note: This is the sixth article in a series of candidate profiles leading up to the April 5 election.