Turnout small for candidate forum
Four candidates for three open seats
By Bobbi Mlynar
Monday, March 23, 2009
Fewer than 10 people, including moderator Mark Schreiber, attended a candidate forum held Wednesday evening at the Flint Hills Technical College conference room.
School board incumbents Mike Crouch and Brent Windsor, joined by candidates Danny Giefer and Amy Scheller, talked to the small audience about their qualifications to be board members and their ideas of what could be done to educate local children well and within budget constraints that are expected to grow tighter in the near future.
One of the four will be eliminated on April 7, when voters elect three candidates to fill the vacant seats on the board.
Crouch, who has served on the board for four years, said that he went through the Emporia school system and his two school-age children currently are enrolled in local schools, with two more nearing school age.
Crouch said that he has survived the learning curve that comes with operating a school districts and dealing with budgets, and that he would provide experience that would be valuable to the board if he is re-elected.
Brent Windsor, who was chosen in September to fill an unexpired term on the board, said that as marketing director at Hopkins Manufacturing, he routinely is in charge of "pretty significant budgets" and has experience in team-building, working with groups of people, and in planning for the future. He said that strategic thinking -- "What's something different we can do? -- is something that he deals with on the job daily and was a strength that he brings to the board.
Danny Giefer told the audience that he had lived in Emporia since 1970, when he came to work at Iowa Beef Processors, where he worked for nine years before taking a job at Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Plant. Giefer retired last month. He said he had management experience and that at times, had 30 people working under his supervision.
Giefer added that he also owns and operates Mr. G's car washes and has rental properties.
Scheller -- who has four children about to be in high school, middle school and elementary school -- talked about her work with various committees within the district that help the board and administrators determine priorities for operating the schools.
She is a lifelong Emporian with a degree in nursing and nursing education.
A member of the audience asked the candidates how art and music would be affected by budget cuts.
None of the candidates were willing to eliminate arts and music, or other special activities, from the board budget.
"I think those are very important to creating a whole person," said Windsor, adding that those activities teach much that cannot be learned from books.
"I'm very much a supporter of the different special activites that kids get involved in."
Windsor said teachers, parents, administrators and community members would recommend educational priorities to the board.
"It's not just one person that's going to make that decision," Windsor said.
Giefer said that his daughter had found art classes rewarding.
"I do think it's a big part of a well-rounded education," Giefer said.
Scheller advocated looking for partners in the community to support some programs and said that she believed the special classes and activities needed to be incorporated regularly into students experiences.
"So that when they graduate, they are not just test-takers," she said.
Scheller said that research has shown that activities like music, for example, help students score better in math.
"I believe it's an integral part of our curriculum," she said.
Crouch agreed.
"It's our job to create well-rounded students who become well-rounded adults and citizens," Crouch said.
In response to a question about whether older teachers might be first to go if there were a reduction in force, candidates talked about the value experienced teachers bring to classrooms.
"But it's nice to see the young ones coming in, the newness they bring to the table," Giefer said. "We need them."
Scheller said that a study at Stanford University had shown that teacher quality "by far has the biggest impact on students. ... My hope is that we have good evaluation procedures in place."
Windsor said he preferred a mix of experienced and new teachers.
"I'm not a proponent of retiring people early," he said. "... Hopefully, our budget situation will not get to the point where we have to look at reducing staff."
Scheller said that teachers need to be free to use more creativity in their teaching, rather than the "teaching to the test" that seems to be part of meeting No Child Left Behind guidelines.
"The common phrase I hear is 'I just wish I could teach. I just wish they would left me teach,'" Scheller said.
If she is elected, she said, the would lobby the board of education to take a different approach to Adequate Yearly Progress, standards of which vary from state to state.
Scheller suggested the board "step back and re-evaluate" how students are taught and develop ways to teach children creatively while still meeting state standards.
"When you start teaching to the test, you take out the creativity, you take out the problem-solving," Windsor said, adding that problem-solving skills essential for students to adapt better to situations when they are older.
"I'm very much a proponent of making some changes," Windsor said.
Giefer said that the school board needs to listen more to the teachers who are "on the front line" in education.
Each candidate mentioned potential budget cuts as the major challenge facing the local school board, though Crouch added that the learning curve necessary to become an effective board member also is a major issue. Crouch will be the longest-serving board member on July 1, when long-time member Grant Riles leaves the school board.
"One of the challenges is not to look two years ahead, but to look on out so that we're not in trouble five years from now," Giefer said. "My thought is that we should be listening to the principals and the administrators. ... There's obviously not enough money for everything, so there'll be some hard choices there."
Scheller said that the school district is the largest employer in this area and that the board needs to be supportive of its employees.
"How do we do that with limited funds?" she asked. "What tangible ways can we support them" beyond the budget.
Windsor said that the board needs to rely on administrators to provide members that data needed to make decision.
"In tough times, you often have the opportunity to look at ways you have been doing things and ask yourself, 'Why?'" Windsor said.
Having less money or less time to accomplish a task is not necessarily a negative, but can be an opportunity to find new solutions, Windsor said.
Giefer emphasized that he wanted to look at priotizing facilities and make sure that class sizes do not grow to the sizes they were when his child was at Village School, when 31 children were in one classroom.
"I don't want us ever to go back to that," he said.
Scheller said the board may need to re-evaluate complex issues and changes. As examples, she said the board may need to partner with LCAT on some student transportation, make sure the administration is as streamlined as possible, ensure that "the right teacher is teaching the right subject area for the right students," and getting updates from the administrators to "try to do some anticipatory planning."
Crouch said it was important not to lose sight of the board members' roles in the district, as representatives of the people of Emporia. He suggested that board members and district patrons communicate their needs and suggestions to local, state, and national officials.
bharz (anonymous) says...
Was this forum publicized? I'm very much interested in making an informed decision, and I don't know much about about the school board candidates.
March 24, 2009 at 7:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
The problem with teachers who just want to be left alone to teach is that their lessons don't always relate to what students need to learn as far as standards are concerned. The idea of autonomy in the classroom would work if teachers would learn to accept that they must take their old lesson plans and adapt them to the new standards. Simple.
It is entirely possible to modify creative lesson plans to include standards. It's just a matter of looking up the standards for your discipline, and then adapting your own methods to those standards. It takes a bit of work, yes, but hey, you need to learn to put your lessons on paper anyway.
When NCLB was first introduced and Kansas schools were expected to adhere to state and national standards, I was still teaching with many years left to go. I took the initiative to spend the extra time it took to weigh all my lesson plans against the standards to see if I was meeting them. It didn't take long, about six months. It didn't take long to put all the standards and benchmarks for my discipline on a CD that I could use with all my lessons. Now, you don't even have to do that. Just go to the Kansas Board of Ed website and cut and paste from there.
The name of the game is not teaching to the test; it's adapting to the standards. If people and candidates would really look into this more closely, they would stop saying "teaching to the test." I would think that a candidate would certainly be better prepared if he/she would go to a few schools and ask about the standards and how they are being used in lesson plans.
The No Child Left Behind methodology is worthwhile if it is used properly and not railed against with complaints of paperwork. I remember when QPA was first introduced. A large number of teachers simply retired early rather than do the extra paperwork. Good riddance. All teachers need to be accountable, and NCLB covers that quite nicely.
If your students aren't learning, let me see your lesson plans.
March 24, 2009 at 8:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
schooler (anonymous) says...
Thank you create! I am a teacher who is still in the classroom and I don't think NCLB is necessarily a negative issue as a whole. We as teachers are being held more accountable for what we teach (the standards and skills-not teaching to pass the test). Just because we are teaching the standards and skills doesn't mean we are teaching to the test. It means we are teaching the skills our nation and state have determined to be important skills for the students to have to become strong citizens. I know the dinosaur and fall pumpkin units were fun, but how are those units going to help our students in the future? And yes we practice at taking the test, but why shouldn't we practice something before doing the real thing?
We are now required to follow data to measure student success and how our teaching should be modified to best help our students reach their highest potential. Many teachers who want to be left alone are those who don't want to look at their teaching and self assess their own skills. In Emporia, our student success has increase over the past several years when NCLB has been in place. How is that a negative? I'm proud of where we have been, but more excited about where NCLB is taking us-higher rates of success and achievement.
I realize NCLB has its negatives, what gov't initiative doesn't? BUT- lets look at how this has improved the opportunities for our students-your children. NCLB has also made us more accountable for all levels of students. Yes, we spend a great amount of time with struggling students, but I have also seen teachers differentiate their instruction to meet the needs of all students. With NCLB and our district's strategic plan, we are looking at gains for all students, not just the ones who are not making it.
The thing with education is it critical to have community and parental support throughout the system. Since everyone has spent time in schools and classrooms (at some point in their life) many feel they have the knowledge and right to tell educated professional how it is best to do their job. I would recommend those who haven't been in a school for a while to go visit. Take a look at the wonderful things teachers and staff are doing to continuously help our students reach their highest potential. It's amazing how kindergarteners are learning skills I learned in the fourth grade and having a blast while doing it.
Ya there's always a bad apple, but don't loose faith on educators and let it ruin your sight of the orchard! Here in Emporia and surrounding districts, teachers and staff do a fabulous job with your children. Tell them thank you-those words go a long way for a teacher.
March 24, 2009 at 9:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Thank you, schooler. We definitely need you to be in the classroom. I hope you are assigned a student teacher now and then; it sounds like any beginning teacher would benefit greatly from your philosophy. It's right on target. Bless you!
Those of you school board wannabes: Contact a teacher today to see how lesson plans and standards work, then stick around to see how it works in a real classroom. Don't just listen to those who complain about "teaching to the test." Find out for yourself. You just heard from two pros, one recently retired, who know. Schooler's explanation regarding "teaching to the test" was excellent. Pay attention to the teacher.
March 24, 2009 at 9:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...
As the parent of a second grader who has a fabulous teacher, I have to say I am not impressed with how things are being handled. My kid is wiped out and ready to unwind when he gets out of school, but no, we have an hour of spelling and math homework that needs doing. At least the math has gotten classroom attention and he always knows how to do that, but the spelling is solely taught and practiced here. Incidentally, when he cleans out his back-pack, there are a lot of drawings on scrap paper that he did to fill classroom time. (He does very well in art class because of all that practice, but I really do think it's backwards.) He is a good student with a good teacher and I am able to visit with her anytime I have a question. Her hands are tied and I am a public school mom that home schools my kid in some subjects. I wonder how this is all going to look in five years when he is in the grades that are traditionally supposed to have homework. How many subjects will I be solely responsible for teaching him then?
March 24, 2009 at 3:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Crea..and School...Thank you very much for these posts. All one continues to hear is how bad "No Child" is and children learn nothing
March 24, 2009 at 3:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )