School candidates focus on local issues, eschew culture wars

Editor’s note: Publication of this story was delayed due to unforeseen technical problems.

Largely avoiding the controversial issues that are dividing other communities but are not particularly relevant to Perry, the three candidates running for two seats on the Perry Community School District Board of Directors answered a dozen questions for some 75 people who gathered Wednesday night in the Spring Valley Ballroom of the Hotel Pattee.

During the 90-minute forum, the candidates — incumbent Kyle Baxter, Eddie Diaz and Travis Landgrebe — fielded questions ranging from the role of school board members to school budgets and COVID-19 relief funds, to the meaning of equity in education, to teacher pay and retention, to the substitute shortage, to expanded sports offerings and the progress of the new building trades program.

Twenty-six written questions were submitted in advance, and time permitted 12 to be posed to the candidates by the moderator. The following questions were asked, and their starting points on the audio file are also indicated in parentheses.

1. What do you believe is the role of a school board member? (12:40)
2. How would you as a board member propose spending the COVID money that will be allotted to the Perry school district? (14:30)
3. If necessary, where would you cut the school budget? (18:15)
4. How should the district ensure educators and their union are engaged in these decisions (about budgets and the like)? (21:40)
5. What is your definition of “equity in education,” and what can be done to “level the playing field” for students? (23:10)
6. I teach and coach in Ames at the high school. I am a veteran teacher of 16 years and would have loved to apply for the open PE position. However, the pay scale in Perry is extremely low. In four years of teaching in Ames, I will make almost $100k more than if I would work in Perry. I have my masters in Phys Ed and coaching. I’ve won PE teacher of the year and have held multiple leadership positions with the 3 districts I have worked for (Council Bluffs, Des Moines Public School). My question to the school board members needs to be “how is the school board going to tackle bringing effective and seasoned teachers to the district?” instead of brand new teachers that need trained and then end up leaving for places that pay more and have better housing options. (27:.50)
7. Think of a situation you’ve been in on the school board, at work, in an organization, in your family, etc. in which everyone has not agreed on a key issue. What specific actions have you taken in such a situation when differing perspectives need to be sought and heard, a decision needs to be made, and everyone needs to continue to work respectfully with each other? Briefly, what was the situation, your specific actions, and the result? Not, hypotheticals or generalities, but actual past actions in a situation dealing with differing perspectives. What have you done to seek and invite information, sincerely listen, and move forward positively? (34:20)
8. Can you tell us your thoughts on the successes and challenges associated with the Perry schools with construction trade homes? (43:00)
9. How important is planning time for teachers in improving student learning? Do you think that teachers in our district have enough, too little, or too much planning time at the elementary, middle school and high school levels? (51:20)
10. Would you allow more sports to be started, such as tennis, middle school baseball and softball, girls wrestling, boys volleyball? Kids want these sports. (55:50)
11. What are your thoughts on the district hiring 2-3 full-time substitutes to help with the teacher shortage? Boone has implemented this and can count on those full-time subs to make sure coverage is provided. (1:00:00)
12. In light of current societal issues/problems (e.g., hunger, poverty, homelessness), what part should the school play in the education of diverse learners? (1:03:00)

Several audience members also posed spontaneous, unwritten questions toward the end of the forum. “What about critical race theory? No, I mean, what about something like that being taught in our schools when it’s happening all over the country?” a man asked apropos of nothing, and the candidates spoke briefly to the issue (1:05:10).

A woman said that last year her middle school child “was invited to make signs for Black Lives Matter,” and the woman asked whether teachers should teach political opinions in the classroom (1:09:00). A man in the audience then asked about sex education in school: “Do you believe that the teachers, different things that will we be voting this in to have all these different aspects coming into our schools that a lot of people don’t believe in?” (1:11:25).

Another woman in the audience asked where the candidates stood on mandatory face masks and mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations (1:16:10). Although the question is moot in Iowa because the governor has signed a bill outlawing such mandates, the candidates each answered and then closed the event with brief final statements (1:21:10).

The fourth question — “How should the district ensure educators and their union are engaged in these decisions (about budgets and the like)?” — was too hastily passed over due to some confusion on the part of the moderator, and Diaz and Baxter each returned to the question in their closing remarks.

“Just because collective bargaining has been withdrawn from the state doesn’t mean unions are our enemy, doesn’t mean teachers are our enemy,” Diaz said. “So for us to not even want them at the table at decision-making time is sad. Most good employers want feedback from their employees. They want their employees involved. So what I would say is I would want teachers at the table, making those decisions with me, because they are doing the work every day. I’m doing my stuff on the side. I’m busy with life. The administrators, the teachers, the bus drivers, the paraeducators, the lunchroom ladies — and gentlemen, I’m sure — they should be involved.”

Baxter said the school board reached out to the teachers union during recent contract negotiations but was rebuffed.

“That question actually came up at the last union negotiations,” Baxter said. “The question come from the board of, ‘Will you guys come help us make these decisions because if we agree to this, we’re going to have to make some cuts?’ And the response from the teachers union at that time was, ‘That’s not our job. That’s not what we’re here for. We’re here to teach. We’re not here to help you make the hard decisions.’ That has actually come up, and that was the response we got from them, so if we could get more common ground in that area, it would be awesome if we could work together.”

In addition, the following 14 questions were submitted but went unasked for lack of time:

1. Teachers need to challenge students by encouraging and teaching critical thinking skills, not just rote learning. This would increase rigor and develop a life skill necessary for success in any area. How can teachers raise expectations for students to think critically, using Bloom’s taxonomy, for example? Can you give an example?
2. As a school board member, how do you plan to cut and control the budget but yet put Perry schools on the map and best in district?
3. What are major issues our school district is facing?
4. What efforts, plans or initiatives would you pursue to retain staff members?
5. Do you believe in teaching critical race theory in our schools? If yes, do you believe it causes racial division?
6. How are you planning to retain our teachers?
7. Where do you stand on the mask mandate? Where do you stand on making COVID vaccines mandatory? And for what ages, if you want to make them mandatory?
8. What will the school board do to help our students grow academically and mature as individuals to help them learn accountability?
9. It seems that there will be a probable food shortage. Some schools are already having problems getting foods from their suppliers. What is your plan if this happens in our district?
10. What are your areas of concern regarding student achievement, and what suggestions would you have to remediate the concern?
11. What is your perception of the current working and learning environment? What evidence do you have to give you this understanding? What will you do as a board member to ensure a positive working and learning environment?
12. Teachers are more stressed than ever before. While they were give verbal praise, the board only gave teachers a $115 increase on their base salary. Do you feel that is adequate?
13. As a school board member, how do you plan to collaborate with the teacher and staff unions in our district?
14. What education, training and experience do you have in the educational system outside of serving on the school board?