Q&A with Linn-Mar School Board candidate Brittania Morey

Brittania Morey is running for the Linn-Mar School Board. She is an incumbent. Here are her answers to a survey we sent to all of the candidates.

Occupation and Employer: Vice President, Marketing and Communications at the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN)

How and who should determine curriculum?

The district has highly trained educators who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of knowledge, studying and researching the best ways to educate our students. While it is important for everyone to understand what is being taught, why it is important, and how we can best support students in their learning, it is those who are experts in how to educate our students that should select the curriculum that best enables them to meet the set requirements and standards of the state. This should be led by the administration of the district (teaching and learning) with input from the teachers who have studied and worked to become the experts in the classroom. As part of evaluating curriculum during the selection process, it is also important to gather feedback from students and parents on the experience to ensure student engagement is happening and that students are having a positive learning experience.

Why do you want to serve on the school board? What relevant experience do you have?

I have worked in the nonprofit education world for nearly 20 years, and I have seen the difference education can make; changing lives, elevating families, and instilling a love of learning in our children. I truly believe there is no greater pursuit than the education of our youth, and I feel that serving on the school board is the best way to serve my community.

I have served on the Linn-Mar school board for the last four years, two years as President. These four years I have also served on the finance/audit committee, the policy committee, the career and technical education committee, the facilities committee, and led the district’s advocacy efforts around school funding, teacher retention, and the need for additional mental health supports such as additional school counselors.

Outside of my school board work, I have served on the Iowa School Counselor Association board of directors for 14 years, so I have a depth of knowledge surrounding tiers of support for students. In my professional work, I have spent my career advising students and families on career and college planning, and have developed programs and curriculum utilized across Iowa and the US.

I have a great understanding of the laws and processes of education, and I have spent my time on the board developing a full understanding of school board governance and the requirements outlined in Iowa law, meaning I understand the role and responsibilities of this position and take the opportunity of serving very seriously.

How would you describe your attendance at past school board meetings?

I have not missed a school board meeting in four years. Prior to my election to the board I attended school board meetings as an observer to learn the process and procedures and gain an understanding of the workings of the board.

What are your three top priorities for the school district? What will you do to address them?

My top three priorities are wrapped up in the successful execution of the strategic plan that was passed in August 2023. This plan set targets for the district that address the budget, staff retention and recruitment, student engagement and achievement, community engagement, facilities, and resource management. It is the board’s job to set priority goals for the district and then to oversee the work to achieve them.

Currently as president of the board, I, along with the Vice President and Superintendent, outline progress monitoring of these goals through the board agenda. I will ensure each area of the strategic plan is addressed by ensuring that the board gets continual progress reports throughout the school year.

The plan is a five year plan, so annually it will be important to monitor the success of the short term goals, updating and adjusting as progress is made, while also keeping the long-range goals in view.

What do you see as strengths and weaknesses of the school district?

Linn-Mar is one of the best districts in the state and I am able to say that because whether we’re talking academic outcomes, student achievement, fine arts, or athletics, we continually rank at or near the top. Our strength is that we have an attitude of continuous improvement, we are constantly looking at the next step and looking at how we can continue to do better. We set high goals for our students and stretch ourselves to reach success, empowering our students to see their potential and the pride in their hard work.

Our strength is our students who continue to excel in everything they do. We have state champion athletes who also consistently make academic all-state, excelling both in the classroom and on the field or court. This year all our teams, both boys and girls, earned the MVC All-Sports Trophies in the Valley Division. We have National Merit Winners and Finalists. We have speech and drama students that put on Broadway level productions and win state awards. And, we have national award winning Poms and the National Championship Show Choir.

Our strength is also our staff. We have skilled and dedicated staff who love our students and make our buildings welcoming environments where every student knows they matter.

As far as weaknesses go, there is a pattern of undermining public education that weakens every district. Continual underfunding not only for the general fund, but also for special education makes meeting our mission challenging and compromises our ability to pay staff competitively and fill open positions. The more resources are diverted away from public institutions, in favor of private options that are not held to the same standards, the more disparities in educational opportunity will be widened. Public education is the cornerstone of our community and is here to serve ALL students. The attacks on public education that exist today will only further erode the promise that public education provides - the fundamental right to quality education for every student, regardless of their race, socio-economic background, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Are there any curriculum concerns you have with the district? Why? How should the school board address these issues?

I do not have concerns with the district’s core curriculum. The district just updated both math and literacy curriculum to better align with the state of Iowa’s standards, and I believe we are on the right track. The district teaching and learning department did a lot of testing and trials with curriculum options, allowing staff to try things out in the classroom and weigh in on the final selection.

Implementing new curriculum will always have it stops and starts as teachers adjust, so while I don’t have any issues with the core curriculum, I think it’s vital that the board continue to hear about how the implementation is going, continues to monitor assessment data through the year to ensure the progress we hope and expect is happening, and continue to ensure that staff get the professional development needed to best serve their students.

If you were required to cut the district's budget, what areas would you look to for savings and why?

Budget cuts should begin with discretionary programs and things that are as far from the classroom as possible. What areas of the budget can be reduced with the least direct impact on students? Discretionary programs are things we are not required to do by the state, but that provide a service to our students - such as bus routes that fall within the state’s walkability distance. While we want to provide transportation to as many students as possible, discretionary routes are a budget cut that can be made rather than cutting a teaching position. We can also look at departments or positions that may be in need of restructure to see if there are adjustments to the program that can improve operations and efficiencies. Budget cuts are never easy, but at times they are necessary and hard decisions have to be made. I have experience making these hard decisions and I am prepared to do so again to ensure we have a balanced budget and are moving forward as a district.

What level of control do you think school boards should have?

Local control allows school boards to tailor educational programs to the specific needs of their community and respond more quickly to evolving needs. A great example of this is the Venture Academics program at Linn-Mar. This home grown program allows students to learn in a project-based format engaging with local business and industry without the complications of leaving campus. Local control allowed the district to adapt curriculum and develop a new program that provided a unique educational opportunity for students who preferred a different way of learning from the traditional classroom.

While I believe 100% in locally elected school board members representing their community and making decisions about the priorities and programming of the district, it is also important to have that control and flexibility within a broader educational framework. The standards set by both the state and federal Departments of Education are important to ensure consistent expectations, educational quality, and opportunity are available to all students, regardless of where they live. There must be a balance between the standards and expectations set, and the flexibility for school boards to achieve those expectations in the way that best fits their community.

If the school district had additional funds available, what should they be allocated to? Why?

First it depends on the additional funds, are they one-time use funds or are they funds we can rely on year after year? If they are only for a single year, then looking at one-time expenses is a start. Is it enough to provide a higher percentage raise to all staff? If not, then looking at other upgrades or one-time use purchases such as a technology upgrades the district needs? If they are only available once, hiring additional staff would not be possible because we wouldn’t have the security of continuing to fund that position in the future. However, if the additional funds are to be an annual addition to the revenue, then I would consider staff - are there positions we need to add or can we increase pay? We could also reconsider expansions of programs such as additional school counselors, discretionary bus routes, or additional professional development opportunities.

What will you do to be responsive to parents, teachers and district staff? What types of communication should the public expect from you?

I am a firm believer in communication and I love talking to members of our great district. In my first term on the board I committed to responding to every email, even if it was just to acknowledge the email and help them connect to the district contact that could most help them with their inquiry. I also have a Facebook page dedicated to my journey on the board. I have always shared updates on that page, and, when I started getting questions about board meeting conversations or the meaning or reasoning behind the structure or rules, I started providing summaries of each board meeting following each meeting. These unofficial summaries gave me the opportunity to provide insight or reasoning into board votes and also provided the opportunity for increase community dialogue. If re-elected I will continue to be open in my communications, providing clarity and detail to the workings of the board and the decisions that are made.