C.R. school board candidates agree focus should be on kids

CEDAR RAPIDS - There wasn't one topic voters wanted to discuss with Cedar Rapids school board candidates Thursday night; there were many.

Student achievement. Bullying. The ongoing facilities and enrollment study. Professional development. The nine school board candidates shared their views on a variety of issues during the Cedar Rapids School Board Candidate Forum, but one message remained the same - it's for the kids.

“We're not up here to represent the adults,” incumbent John Laverty said. “We're here to represent the kids and make sure they get the best education.”

“They aren't identical,” Kathy Ulrich said. “They come from a variety of backgrounds, ethnicities.”

Of the 16,065 students enrolled in the Cedar Rapids school district in 2010-11, 44.5 percent qualified for the free and reduced-price lunch program. Incumbent Mary Meisterling said programs that help these students achieve academic success, such as the state's free preschool program, must continue so children can begin their education on par with their peers.

“We've got to hang on to those programs so we can help those kids in a very structured environment,” she said.

Four seats are up for grabs in Tuesday's election - two at-large; District 1 and District 4. All are four-year terms.

The candidates for the at-large seats are incumbents Laverty and Ann Rosenthal, plus Matt Ford, Karen Hartlep and Ulrich.

Meisterling hopes to be re-elected to her District 1 position. She is being challenged by Dustin Weiland. Weiland told forum attendees he will strive for open communication as a board member, “to put the public back in public education.”

Allen Witt and Sunny Story are running for the District 4 seat.

When asked about the achievement gap, Witt said the district's Professional Learning Communities design is a good start, but the issue comes back to what's happening in homes.

“We need to help our parents get more involved,” Witt said, adding that many of the students who make up the achievement gap numbers have parents who don't attend school functions. “I don't know how to solve it, but think it needs to be addressed.”

Ford echoed Witt's sentiment.

“It is the district's responsibility to provides knowledge,” Ford said. “It is the parents' responsibility to provide an education.”

What that education looks like is open to interpretation. Some candidates mentioned charter schools, but no one spoke for or against the possibility. Current board members said the timing wasn't right for charter schools, but that doesn't mean alternative forms of education aren't an option.

“I don't think we're going to be successful without (them),” Rosenthal said.

Story said she'd like to see a balance of Advanced Placement classes and vocational classes, stressing that while AP opens the door to college for some students, vocational classes could introduce others to untapped talents.

The district's ongoing facilities and enrollment study was mentioned, though it wasn't the focus of the evening. Hartlep stressed that whatever comes from that process, it is up to the adults in the community to determine the attitude of the results. She chooses to see what happens as a positive development, an opportunity for the district to refocus its goals and make decisions that are best for the kids.

Thursday's forum was sponsored by the League of Women Voters.