Passionate about protecting our children

I am a grandpa with four grown daughters and nine grandchildren. I’ve been married to the same woman, Sherry, for 53 years. My three youngest grandchildren are still in public school. Two of my children and a son-in-law are public school teachers. At one point I took one year off to volunteer as a seventh-grade teacher in a small Christian school, which was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

I’ve had a variety of life experiences that I believe have prepared me for this time. I have a BA in history and government and a master's degree in public administration. I was a USAF pilot and was honorably discharged as a captain in 1976.

I spent the last ten years of my working career at Pearson Education, the nation's largest academic achievement testing company, in Iowa City as a project coordinator. That position offered me a great opportunity to learn how our public education system works. Unfortunately, the system doesn't always work in the best interests of the children. Over the last decade proficiency in core subjects has declined while graduation rates have climbed. Too many students graduate without being career ready. We must change that by emphasizing the core subjects of reading, math and science instead of divisive ideologies. Students should be required to read at grade level before being passed on to the next grade.

I'm passionate about protecting our children and restoring common sense in our public schools.

The major issues are protection of our children and improving career readiness. In order to do so we must restore discipline in our classrooms. There must be consequences for students who repeatedly disrupt the learning environment. We must retain good teachers. We must restore financial accountability and community trust by revising the master plan to keep walkable neighborhood schools

Richard David is one of five candidates running for two at-large seats on the Cedar Rapids school board.