School Board Candidate Profiles
North Polk Board of Education Election Announcement
The North Polk Board of Education is preparing for elections on November 4, 2025, with three available seats to be filled. Elected school board members will serve four-year terms. Below, you will find profiles of each school board candidate, organized alphabetically for your convenience. To qualify, candidates were required to collect 50 signatures from District residents and complete an Affidavit of Candidacy.
Those who completed the necessary paperwork and are running for the school board were asked to submit answers for the following questions:
- Tell us a little about yourself and your leadership experience.
- Why do you want to be a School Board Member, and what will make you effective in this role?
- What is your vision for the North Polk School District over the next 4 years?
To learn more about the candidates, on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, the Polk City Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development hosted a candidate forum featuring candidates for the North Polk school board. This event offered voters a chance to hear directly from those who wish to serve our community's students, families, and educators.
Did you miss the forum? No worries! The event was live-streamed and can be viewed at the following link:
Matthew Aicher
Email address: matthew.aicher@hotmail.com
Tell us a little about yourself and your leadership experience.
My name is Matt Aicher, and I currently serve as Vice President of the North Polk School Board of Directors. I was elected to this leadership position in the fall of 2024, and I’m honored to ask for our community’s support in my re-election campaign for a second term.
I’ve served as a police officer for more than 17 years, 15 of those with the City of Polk City, including seven as a K9 handler. My wife, Nicole, is the operations manager at McKinney Trucking in Elkhart, and together we are raising two proud Comets: our daughter, Cora, a 7th grader at the middle school, and our son, Cal, a 5th grader at Big Creek Elementary. We’ve proudly called the North Polk community home since 2011.
Why do you want to be a School Board Member, and what will make you effective in this role?
As a school board member, I take seriously the responsibility to grow as a leader and advocate for strong governance, a commitment that will continue. I’ve engaged in tough but necessary conversations with local and state leaders to ensure North Polk’s voice is heard and our mission stays on track. For three consecutive years, I have been honored with the Better Boardsmanship Award from the Iowa Association of School Boards, reflecting my dedication to professional growth. Earlier this year, I joined district leaders at a national curriculum summit in San Antonio because continuous learning is essential to effective leadership. I have contributed hundreds of volunteer hours to our district, demonstrating my long-term commitment to public education.
As a police officer, school safety is deeply personal to me, and I will continue working closely with the district to enhance and implement measures that ensure every student, staff member, and visitor feels protected, welcomed, and supported.
Over the past four years, I have been proud to help lead major projects, including the completion of Big Creek Elementary; equity-focused updates at West Elementary, Central Elementary, and the Middle School; and the voter-approved $17 million bond for a new, state-of-the-art CTE wing and top-tier baseball and softball facilities. We also expanded extracurricular opportunities, including e-sports and high school girls’ wrestling.
What is your vision for the North Polk School District over the next 4 years?
My vision for the North Polk School District over the next four years is to continue providing high-quality education while recruiting, retaining, and supporting excellent teachers and administrators. Although we continue to grow, we remain a district made up of rural areas and small towns where families, teachers, and staff know and support one another. Protecting that sense of community is a top priority.
Growth and where it occurs are key factors in planning. Right now, we see the greatest expansion in the Elkhart area and northern Ankeny, and it is essential that we carefully study these trends when determining where and when to secure land and build our next school. At the same time, we must remain fiscally responsible, protecting taxpayer dollars and keeping or even lowering the current tax rate when possible.
Lastly, a vision of mine is to continue expanding student opportunities so EVERY student can be the best Comet they can be!
Keith Bormann
Email Address: keith.bormann@gmail.com
Tell us a little about yourself and your leadership experience.
I grew up in Central Iowa and attended Iowa State where I received my Materials Engineering degree. After college my wife and I spent time in New Jersey and Minnesota eventually relocating to Polk City 14 years ago. We have three children who have grown up at North Polk and are now in the Middle School and High School. I’ve proudly served on the North Polk School board for the last eight years and have enjoyed supporting our students, staff, and families as we’ve navigated the district’s growth and have watched our students excel.
During my time on the board, I’ve invested time each year attending conferences and educational opportunities to increase my knowledge in topics such as school finance, legal issues, and facilities planning to improve my effectiveness as a board member. I served as Board Vice President for two years, as well as President for three years over the last eight and am ready to continue to support the needs of the district.
Why do you want to be a School Board Member, and what will make you effective in this role?
I am running for school board because, after eight years of service, I remain deeply committed to all the district's students, staff, and families. All my children still attend North Polk, and I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand how our board's decisions have positively impacted their opportunities to learn in and out of the classroom. Over the last eight years due to our fantastic community support, we’ve been able to take significant steps in responsibility providing our students and families with amazing education opportunities.
A few examples are the opening of Big Creek Elementary in 2022 to support our district's growth, a new baseball/softball complex to create space for our growing sports programs this summer, and our CTE addition to the high school this fall to allow a focus on trade and ag education opportunities.
I believe my knowledge, experience, and passion make me well prepared to continue this important work and to be effective on the first day. Our district has opportunities and challenges ahead of it as we manage our growth with difficult state funding levels that test our ability to provide a great education for all our students. I’ll continue to leverage the many relationships I’ve built with locally elected officials as well as state legislators to keep open lines of communication and to continue to advocate for public education.
What is your vision for the North Polk School District over the next 4 years?
My vision for North Polk over the next four years is to continue building on the strong foundation we’ve created. I want to see our students achieve at the highest levels, whether in the classroom, the field, or the stage, supported by staff who have the tools they need to succeed. I will work to ensure that we manage our district’s growth in a fiscally responsible way, balancing needs and wants and focusing on academic success. I also want to strengthen our strong community connections that make North Polk the unique place that it is, where everyone is proud to be a Comet.
Ben Engler
Email Address: engler_livestock@hotmail.com
Tell us a little about yourself and your leadership experience.
My wife Candi and I live on a farm near White Oak with our children Anna (7th grade), Sam (5th grade), and Josie (3rd grade). After spending several years following college in production agriculture, I spent 16 years in banking. For the last 4 years, I have been the chief financial officer for Mid-state Milling in State Center. During this time, I have been active in the local chamber of commerce, 4H and FFA programs, and state purebred swine associations.
Why do you want to be a School Board Member, and what will make you effective in this role?
There are lots of challenges and opportunities that come with being in a growing school district. A good board comes with a diverse group of options and experiences. I hope that my financial background and business experience can bring a different perspective to what we have to work through in the next 4 years.
What is your vision for the North Polk School District over the next 4 years?
There are new houses being built all over our school district. These new homes are going to mean additional students. We are going to be a bigger district in 4 years than we are today. How do we, as a school district, grow smart? We need to remember our past, do our best for our present, and plan to set up our future for success.
Holly Hunter
Email address: hollyhunter2@gmail.com
Tell us a little about yourself and your leadership experience.
Hello! My name is Holly Hunter, and I am running to earn a seat on the North Polk School Board. I am a dental professional of twenty-three years, a lifetime volunteer, and most importantly, a mom of two kids in the North Polk School District. In 2014, after some research, my husband, Justin, and I decided North Polk would be the choice for our kids’ schooling. This decision has left us feeling very blessed. I have spent the last eleven years volunteering in a variety of ways with North Polk, which includes being on the PTA Board, the NP School Foundation, Celebrate North Polk Committee, many concessions stand shifts, and several other volunteer opportunities. I have been in lead positions which have brought much joy helping the district achieve small and large goals. Serving is a part of who I am and it was instilled in me as a young girl to give back to your
community. At the age of nine I began serving as a legacy member for Beta Sigma Phi, an international women’s community organization and later started an Ankeny chapter in 2002. After graduating from college, I served as the Continuing Education Coordinator for the Iowa Dental Hygiene Association. I currently serve on the DMACC Dental Hygiene Advisory Board Committee and have gladly mentored several dental hygiene students throughout the years. I have had the great joy of being the coordinator for the Bill Riley Talent Show at the Four Seasons Festival for the last three years.
Why do you want to be a School Board Member, and what will make you effective in this role?
I would love to channel my energy and hard work into being a NP School Board member to advocate for our students, be a partner to our educators, and a voice for families throughout our district. I am dedicated to the job and will work hard to be a great asset to the board.
What is your vision for the North Polk School District over the next 4 years?
My vision for the NP district is for every student to feel empowered to succeed academically, socially, and personally through strong academic programs, providing professional development for staff, creating a safe environment, and strengthening our collaboration with parents and the community. I believe communication is key to success in all avenues of life and I would enjoy meaningful conversations with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to help our district stay forward-looking and student-centered. I whole heartedly believe in our mission of Learning for All by Learning from All. This core purpose holds value to all working parts of the district. I will also advocate for long term financial stability and responsible spending. If I am elected to serve on the NP school board, I will be a positive voice for our district, celebrating our successes and working hard to ensure even greater opportunities for the future. I believe our schools are the heart of our communities, and over the next four years I will work to ensure every student has the resources, opportunities, and support they need to succeed. My vision is rooted in excellence, collaboration, and positivity. I would be honored to earn your support!