Candidate Profiles

I am running for the school board because the current board and superintendent have not been willing to listen to parents, the community, or staff in their attempt to make significant changes in the district. In 2023, the district proposed a bond issue that would have created a centralized middle school at the edge of town. The bond got less than 40% of the vote. Neighborhood schools are important to the community, and the vote proved that. The very next year, the district introduced a PPEL levy. They said the levy would keep our kids 'safe, warm, and dry.' Of course, the community approved it. The district then pulled a bait and switch and spent $7.5 million of PPEL money to buy the land for the middle school that the voters had rejected the year before. Using the levy to pay for what the community overwhelmingly rejected in the previous bond shows a troubling disregard for the will of the voters. At the beginning of this year, the district presented a plan to radically change the way high schools in the district work. We were told that the plan for Freshman Academies and Career Pathways was a 'done deal' and eighth graders had to make plans this spring. I attended a couple of the district informational meetings, and it was clear that the district had failed to get buy-in from staff or the families who would be directly affected. They were unable to answer even the most basic questions about how the new system would work. Eventually, the district realized its error and postponed implementing the plan. The superintendent plays a critical role in leading the district. Based on publicly available information about our superintendent at her previous district, I struggle to understand how she was even considered for the job. When her contract was up, rather than recognizing the district's failures under her leadership, the board doubled down and gave her a three-year contract extension. I am running for the school board because our community needs board members who are willing to listen to the community, who will be open to the concerns of faculty and staff, and who will hold district leadership accountable for making decisions that reflect the values and priorities of the people they serve.

I have attended a few meetings over the years. I have watched more meetings and portions of meetings online.

1) Gaining back the confidence of the community - before moving ahead with major initiatives, like doing away with neighborhood schools or the Freshmen Academies/Career Pathways, the district must get buy in from the community. The district can certainly lead the way and help the community get behind new initiatives. However, they must either wait for the community to come on board or choose an alternative path if the community won't follow. As a member of the school board, I will ask about the district's efforts to communicate significant changes to faculty, staff, and the community every time the district proposes a change. If the response is negative, I will push back and require the district to justify proceeding without buy-in; otherwise, I will vote "no." 2) Staff morale/retention - the district's own surveys have shown staff morale to be low. Teachers are looking for opportunities to leave the district. Media outlets, as well as my own interactions with staff, have suggested that the current district leadership has created a 'culture of fear.' District leadership should hire good teachers, librarians, cafeteria workers, and others, and then be willing to hear from them about how they can be enabled to perform their jobs effectively. The quality of education in the district will suffer unless the current leadership makes significant changes to the way it treats district employees. On day one as a school board member, I will do my best to help the board put pressure on the district to consider staff morale/retention a crucial issue. I would like to see a team of staff and administrators come up with plans to help improve district morale and retention. 3) Equal opportunity - with or without Freshman Academies/Career Pathways, we need to ensure that students have access to the same academic programs, regardless where they live in the district.

As a longtime district parent, I think the staff has been the greatest strength of our district. I appreciate the impact that great teachers had on my kids. But it is not just teachers over the years, cafeteria staff, counselors, attendance personnel, coaches, and others have had a positive influence on my kids. Our district is struggling with a leadership crisis. It seems that policies and initiatives are dictated from the district office, and staff are afraid to comment or provide feedback. The resultant low morale is causing staff to leave the district. Not only staff, but with the availability of ESAs, parents are choosing schooling options outside of the district. Last year, the school board refused to sell the Garfield School building to the highest bidder, Isaac Newton Christian Academy, because they are the competition. Rather than try to sabotage Isaac Newton, the school board should focus on making the Cedar Rapids schools the first choice of families in the district!

I would reduce the district's dependence on third-party consultants and have that work move in-house.

I like the idea, but the district needs to be able to answer parent questions and bring staff on board before moving ahead.

I do not support the current bond referendum. The district misread voter sentiment on the 2023 bond and then misled voters about the 2024 levy. Most recently, the board voted unanimously to extend the contract of the superintendent who was at the helm during both of these failures. In my view, a “yes” vote at this time would send the wrong message. Approving this bond would signal that the community is satisfied with the district’s leadership and the direction it has taken — and I don’t believe that is the case.

A significant portion of the facilities master plan is designed around the Freshman Academies and Career Pathways program. Until the district solidifies plans for the programs, it is premature to move forward with the facilities to support them.

I think a good choice would be to increase the Community School Model and place community school coordinators in more schools. The demographics of our district are changing, with more English Language Learners, free and reduced lunch recipients, and transient students. The Community School Model delivers services to communities through their neighborhood schools and is a means of connecting families with the school. Ultimately, this should lead to more parent involvement and an increase in student performance.

I am concerned that a focus on STEM and vocational education programs is reducing access to music, art, and foreign languages in our schools.

As a school board member, I will sit down with anyone in the district, community members, parents, teachers, staff, or administrators, who wants to talk. I will use social media to keep people informed of issues that the board is considering.

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