School board endorsements: Marion

TODAY: The Gazette Editorial Board offers its endorsements for school board candidates in Tuesday's contested races for the Marion and Linn-Mar districts. SUNDAY: Iowa City endorsements

The Marion Independent School District has a reputation for sound fiscal management and pretty solid academics overall.

But the next school board will face one of its most difficult financial situations in years as the economic recession, an expected enrollment drop and substantially less state aid loom large. There's also some lingering dissatisfaction with a change in the math program made several years ago.

The candidates we believe are best equipped to effectively deal with these challenges are two incumbents, Diane Bys and Alan Tribble, and newcomer Jim Conklin.

Bys, senior contracts coordinator at Rockwell Collins, demonstrates a strong understanding of the district's academic and financial workings. Her dedication to making processes work effectively is a strength.

Tribble, a project manager at Rockwell Collins and a part-time college instructor, also is seeking re-election. We appreciated his candidness regarding the district's need to review its math program and make sure more students are ready for college-level requirements in that subject and others. We also applaud his emphasis on ensuring the board's transparency to parents and taxpayers on tough issues.

Conklin, an electrical engineer and former Linn County Republican Party chair, brings extensive coaching experience at area schools as well as a demonstrated willingness to challenge the status quo if he doesn't think a program or policy is serving students very well. He also publicly challenged the board to be more forthcoming about the resignation of former superintendent Nicholas Hobbs last spring. Now he's looking forward and, like the others, thinks highly of the new superintendent, Sarah Pinion, and how the community was engaged during the selection process.

Conklin says the district's test scores are “stagnant” and students must be challenged to raise their academic performance. We welcome someone willing to push the comfort zone of staff as long as it's constructive and realistic.

Our choices also seem eager to take on revisioning with the new superintendent this fall.