Two announce bids for Iowa City school board

IOWA CITY - Two people have announced their intentions to run in the Iowa City school board's July 19 special election.

J.P. Claussen and Paul Roesler launched campaign websites and Facebook pages this week. Claussen is a former West High School special education teacher and Roesler campaigned for the board's two-year term seat in September.

The filing period for candidates to officially enter the race begins Monday. Candidates have until 5 p.m. June 24 to file petitions to the school board secretary.

The winner of the special election earns a spot on the board until September 2019, fulfilling the remainder of former board member Tom Yates' term. Yates, who was elected in September in an election that put five newcomers on the seven-member board, resigned in May.

The special election, which is to cost the district between $15,000 and $17,000, was triggered by the board's decision Tuesday not to appoint someone to the vacant seat.

J.P. Claussen

According to his campaign materials, Claussen would fill the experiential void created by Yates' resignation.

Both Claussen and Yates taught in district high schools and served as president of the Iowa City Education Association, which represents teachers in negotiations.

Claussen, who supported Yates' campaign, wrote on his Facebook page that he feels 'strongly that we need an educator's voice at the Board table.”

Claussen taught special education for 10 years at West High. According to his campaign website, he earned his master's degree in special education from the University of Iowa and currently works as an educator for the UI Hospitals and Clinics at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry inpatient unit.

In his application to the board for appointment - submitted before the board opted not to fill Yates' seat by appointment but rather by special election - Claussen wrote that he has 'a long standing commitment to advocating for under-served and often under-appreciated populations.”

Claussen was not available for comment Friday.

Claussen's two daughters are to be students at Kirkwood Elementary and Tate Alternative High in the fall.

Paul Roesler

Roesler, who campaigned last September for the two-year term seat won by Chris Liebig, is again vying for a seat on the board.

Roesler is a familiar face at the Iowa City school board meetings - he said he has attended nearly every board and committee meeting for more than two years.

Roesler also has been an active member in the Parent Teacher Association at Lemme Elementary and the District Parent Organization since his children have been enrolled in district schools.

He has two daughters, ages 9 and 11, with his wife Brandi, who teaches kindergarten at Mark Twain Elementary. Roesler works as the events leader at Scheels and earned his bachelor's degree in sport studies from the UI.

'We need to get past talking about boundaries and buses and bell schedules and get back to talking about the kids,” Roesler said Friday.

Roesler supports the district's 10-year facility master plan and said he would vote for general obligation bonds to fund its completion.

Creating diverse student bodies in schools would also be a priority, he said.

'Being exposed to different races and social classes will help all kids learn and prepare to be adults,” he said.