Sam Carley for ISD 728 School Board

Focused on Students. Trusted by Families.

Hi, I’m Sam Carley — teacher, former school administrator, parent, and near-lifelong member of this community. I grew up in Zimmerman and attended preschool at St. John’s Lutheran Church, along with Zimmerman Elementary, Westwood Elementary (I remember voting for that name when the school opened!), Zimmerman Middle School, then Spectrum High School in Elk River before graduating from Zimmerman High School. My husband, also a teacher, grew up in Otsego and Rogers, and today we’re raising our son, John, here in Elk River because we believe deeply in the potential of this district and the opportunities our schools can provide for students and families.

My career in education has included classroom teaching, instructional coaching, educational technology leadership, assessment coordination, and school administration. I’ve worked in traditional, charter, and online school settings and have been a Substitute Teacher and Paraprofessional, Instructional Coach, Assistant Principal and AP of Technology and Assessment, Co-Principal, and Principal. I currently teach English Language Learners in a public school district. I have my associate’s degree from Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Cambridge, bachelor’s degrees in Spanish Studies and Political Science from the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor’s in Spanish Teaching and master’s in Teaching English as a Second Language from St. Cloud State. In addition to holding teaching licenses in ESL and Spanish, I also have a Principal license and will finish my Educational Specialist degree in Education Administration from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota this summer.

After serving as assistant principal, co-principal, and then sole principal of a charter school in Minneapolis during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 school years — a uniquely challenging time for schools and communities, particularly in Minnesota — while also becoming a new mom, I made the intentional decision to move to an online school in that charter district and later return to the classroom in my previous district. I wanted more time with my young son, but I also believed it was important to regain direct, firsthand experience with what teaching and learning look like in traditional public schools today. If I ever decide to return to an administrative role, I will want to periodically return to the classroom to keep my skills and perspective sharp.

My experiences have strengthened my belief that good educational leadership should stay grounded in the realities students, families, and teachers face every day. I believe schools work best when decision-making is practical, transparent, student-centered, and focused on long-term community trust rather than anger and political division. That kind of thing is not the hometown I remember. We need to create a healthier environment for families raising kids and building our communities.