Profiles of Olson's opponents: 

• JoAnne Evans
• Mark Olsen
• Anton Smets

Educational, student issues hit close to home for Olson

Carol Olson

As teacher and a mother, Carol Olson says she has a strong interest in education and caring for children.

It's these interests that brought Olson to the Eau Claire District School Board nine years ago and why she's vying for a fourth term on the board in the election on April 3.  

Olson left her job as a elementary physical education teacher to become a homemaker 24 years ago when she became a mother, but that didn't mean she stopped thinking about education.

"I was still very active in educational things," Olson said, now a mother of three. "I just had to be." 

But it was when her son and two daughters  -- now ages 18, 21 and 24 -- grew up and became busy with their own lives that Olson had more time on her hands and wanted to devote more time to educational issues. Olson ran for and was elected to a seat on school board in 1992. During her third term on the School Board, Olson was elected and currently serves as the president of the Board of Education.

If elected to a seat again and voted president, Olson said she would not turn down the offer. "I'll only lead if people are willing to let me," she said. "But it is something I enjoy."

Her ability to make decisions is a reason to vote for her, Olson said, who has lived in Eau Claire since 1974.

"(Voters) can trust me to make good decisions based on the information I have," she said.

There has never been a dull moment during her time on the School Board, Olson said, because there is always someone who disagrees with an opinion. But Olson encourages residents of the Eau Claire School District to speak out about issues that are important to them.

"We usually only hear from the people that feel strongly about an issue," she said. "But we want to know how everyone feels."