The five candidates for three seats on the Perry Community School District Board of Directors met Sunday afternoon at the Perry Perk coffeehouse for a wide-ranging discussion of their opinions about education, from its place in the lives of Perry students to its place in the life of American society.
The candidates in the Tuesday, Nov. 7 general election — eight-year incumbent and current PCSD School Board President Linda Andorf and first-time contenders Jacob Ballard, Max C. Christensen, Mindy Farmer and Joe Tuhn — have now met in forum twice in the last 10 days, but Andorf was unable to attend the Oct. 19 meeting at the Hotel Pattee.
The full discussion can be heard here. Among other things, the candidates lamented the current politicization of the nonpartisan offices they are seeking. Most said they have been contacted by Moms for Liberty, a spin-off from the QAnon movement some of whose Des Moines suburban members have found favor with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. The Moms for Liberty first indulged in anti-mask, anti-vax and child-trafficking conspiracies and have more recently taken aim at gender-affirming literature and critical race theory in the public schools.
Perry Perk owner Tari Mason, with help from her daughter, Madison Mason, graciously hosted the 90-minute event, providing hot drinks that brought comfort on the sunny but cold Sunday.
I find your comments made in this article are very offensive. Granted, and I agree that we need to listen to all views but your comments reveal the lack of open-minded communications. Your views, as I read them, is that the school board should not be questioned about their views and that they are more qualified to determine the way our children are raised and that parents should get out of the way and let the board determine what is right.
I have to question, what has happened to the rights of the parents to be responsible for their children and the type of education they get? My own experience with the school district providing an education to my children was as a parent that you need to keep quiet and let us do the job. Now that the children are out of school, the educators that we were dealing with should have listened to us, who care more about our children than you do were wrong. I have seen that in many different cases.
My feeling is we need to vet our school board members in such a way that we will know that they will not hide anything from us and listen to the rightful guardians of our children and not treat the children as “wards of the school board,” because they are not.