District 4 candidate: Sunny Story

Schools in Iowa are graduating students at one of the highest rates in the country, and our test scores still rank among the top states. However, there are things we can do better, and we should.

The amount of growth in technology and information alone justifies major improvements and investments in our education system. We need to solve the problem of effective facility usage, make sure our educators have plenty of time to collaborate with their colleagues to keep up to date on the best practices, continue to fund a universal preschool program so that all 4-year-olds get the best start possible, and continue to invest in the professionals who work inside the schools.

The governor, state legislators and the director of the Department of Education have ideas about how to reform Iowa's public schools. They have talked about test results, adequate yearly progress, teacher training and a host of other issues, but are they truly considering that education is a large part of a child's growth process?

Our students are not manufactured products of metal, wood, and concrete and shouldn't be subject to the same kind of quality-control inspection as a manufactured product. They are people with emotions and talents and dreams. They are developing their interests and abilities at different paces. Your child did not say his/her first word on the same day my child said her first word, and your child did not get his/her first tooth on the same day my child got her first tooth. So why do we expect our children to learn at the same pace and be able to spit that information out on a standardized test in the same way, on the same day?

I want to shape education reform to best serve our students and their families. Education should be the steppingstones used to transport a child into adulthood. Education starts with preschool and continues through college or other career training options.

Students should always be our first priority! The teaching and learning environment is a top concern. We have many highly qualified teachers and paraeducators who are dedicated to the students. We also have secretaries, bus drivers, food service workers and custodians who go above and beyond to make sure the paperwork and record-keeping is done, phones are answered, library books are checked in and out, students arrive on time and safely and don't go hungry, and they have a clean, well-maintained space in which to learn.

I have seen staff we usually don't think of as “educators” in the hallways listening to a student read, explaining a math problem, and being a friend who encourages a student to keep trying. Our system also benefits from wonderful parent and community volunteers.

My contribution as a school board member would include my rich history with our school district and community and the valuable leadership skills I have learned along the way. My involvement with our schools began as a parent volunteer and then evolved into employment as a teacher assistant. I worked for the school district as a paraeducator for 30 years, receiving my state paraeducator certification in 2001, and involving myself in the leadership of the teachers' association.

I was honored as the National Education Association's Support Professional of the Year in 2004. I worked with the district administration in collective bargaining and was instrumental in the establishment and practice of our successful labor/management collaboration programs.

I will partner with parents, educators and students to ensure that our kids, your kids, get the best access to the brightest futures.

Sunny Story has lived most of her life in Cedar Rapids. She and her husband graduated from Washington High School; her children graduated from Jefferson. She's an active volunteer at The Teacher Store and longtime blood donor. Comments: astory@imonmail.com