Here’s who is up for election on Eastern Iowa school boards

Here’s who is running for re-election for Linn-Mar, College Community, Marion Independent and the Clear Creek Amana school boards.

The official filing period for school board elections opens Aug. 25 and runs through Sept. 18. Candidates should file the necessary paperwork with their county auditor’s office.

Election Day is Nov. 4.

Recommended Reading

Here’s whose running for reelection on Cedar Rapids, Iowa City school boards

School boards establish the vision and goals for the public schools in their district and set standards for the performance of schools and superintendents, according to the National School Boards Association. School boards typically are responsible for making the final financial and budgetary decisions for their schools and districts, and ensure taxpayers get the most for their tax dollars.

If you plan to run for school board in Linn or Johnson counties, let The Gazette know by emailing grace.king@thegazette.com.

Linn-Mar

Three seats are up for election on the Linn-Mar school board.

The seven-member board serves about 7,800 students in the Linn-Mar Community School District.

Laura Thomas, 39, and Midhat Mansoor, 41, who both were appointed to the board to fill vacancies last year, plan to run for election.

Thomas, who fills the seat left vacant by Matt Rollinger, said being on school board is “a labor of love.”

“You’re representing teachers and staff who live and breathe to do this work. It’s not a paycheck. It’s not a punch in, punch out. They love what they do, and I’m standing up for them and standing up for the kids,” said Thomas, who is a senior programmer at Social Policy Research Associates.

Mansoor was appointed to fill a vacancy left by Rachel Wall last fall. She said it’s been an opportunity to learn what she was committing herself to before she ran for election.

Mansoor said she’s seen how Linn-Mar positively impacted her own daughter, who graduated from the district. She wants to ensure all students have that experience in the district.

As a financial analyst at Collins Aerospace, Mansoor said she has a unique ability to understand and explain school finance.

“People think we are splurging. We’re not splurging,” she said, adding that the district is building to meet the needs of students and stay competitive with other public and private schools.

“We can make that happen without raising taxes,” she said.

Board member Melissa Walker, who has served one term, is not running for re-election.

Walker — who has experience in behavioral health and advocacy — said she joined the board because she thought she could offer “expertise” as students returned to learning after the pandemic.

Walker said that as a board member, she might be able to cast her vote in decision-making, but she doesn’t feel like she has the freedom to be an “advocate.”

“I have really strong personal convictions, and I felt like I was losing the opportunity to hold true to my personal convictions … I still consider myself to be an advocate for children and families. I will be able to do it a little more freely now,” she said.

College Community

Three seats are up for election on the College Community school board.

The seven-member board serves about 5,700 students in the College Community School District.

Todd Hahlen, 58, is seeking a fourth term.

Hahlen is a former teacher and coach in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. He followed in the footsteps of his dad, who was a teacher in Dubuque. He now works for Johnson & Johnson MedTech.

Hahlen said he is proud of the opportunities the College Community district provides students and would like to continue to create more opportunities, especially in career education.

Tobey Harrison, 60, is seeking election for a second term.

Harrison, who works security for Hy-Vee, said he wants to support the district in implementing a new strategic plan, which focuses on student achievement, graduating career and life ready learners, employee engagement, family engagement and optimizing district resources.

Kellan Petz, who was appointed to the board this month to fill a vacancy left by Jed Peterson, said he plans to run for election.

Petz, 34, has two elementary-aged children in the district. He works at Fastenal in Cedar Rapids.

Marion Independent

Three seats are up for election on the Marion Independent school board.

The seven-member board serves about 3,100 students in the Marion Independent School District.

Board President Shari Funck, 59, said she “absolutely” plans to run for a fourth term.

“It’s not my job to be political. It’s my job to love and support every child in our district,” said Funck, who is retired and substitute teaches in Marion schools.

Under her leadership, each of the Marion Independent school board members have achieved the Iowa School Board Association’s Better Boardmanship Award for completing a required number of professional learning hours.

Over the last few years, district voters have approved a $31 million bond issue, built a new elementary school, an auditorium and an activities complex and made repairs to other buildings.

Funck said in a next term, she would like to continue to focus on improving English language arts proficiency in the district.

“Although we are proud of what our district has accomplished, we still have more work to do,” Funck said.

Bryan Fentress, 50, is running for a second term. While he started his time on the board almost four years ago “a little bit timid,” he said it’s been a great opportunity to ask questions.

Fentress, general manager at Sure Wood Tree Service in Marion, said he wants to continue working to improve student achievement in a second term.

“I fee like it does make a difference. I am encouraged to stay on the board because I feel like we’re doing a good job,” Fentress said.

Diana Zrudsky, who also is up for re-election, did not respond to request for comment.

Clear Creek Amana

Four seats are up for election on the Clear Creek Amana school board.

The seven-member board serves about 3,100 students in the Clear Creek Amana Community School District.

A director district map showing the boundaries of the four districts can be found online at ccaschools.org/our-district/school-board-elections.

Nick Pfeiffer, appointed to the District 3 board vacancy in August 2024, is running for the remainder of the district 3 seat, a two-year term, which expires November 2027.

Pfeiffer, 45, vice president of public affairs at Think Iowa City, said he joined the board initially because he wanted to improve communication between the district and stakeholders.

When school leaders make a decision, it should be communicated “why the decision was made and how it will benefit students,” Pfeiffer said.

If elected, Pfeiffer said he wants to ensure teachers are well compensated, although he understands there are budget constraints, and that the district hires the “best and brightest.”

Other board members up for re-election — Jennifer Downes, District 2 Kara Prickett, Distict 4, and Shaun Kukuzke, At-Large — did not respond to multiple emails from The Gazette requesting comment.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com