School Board Candidates Talk

Northeast Neighbors hosted a forum on August 27, 2007, for the 5 candidates seeking 2 seats on the Des Moines School Board. About 60 people attended the event at Park Fair Mall’s Senior Center. Audience questions were submitted on note cards and consolidated into questions verbalized by the moderator.

Those questions ranged from historic problems with the school board to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to specific local policies and school choices. In the order of their opening comments, here is a summary of what the candidates said:

Marc Ward: He has served about 9 years on the board, although not consecutively, and is currently the board’s president. His first priority for the board is to make sure students in Kindergarten through 12th Grade (K-12) graduate and are able to move on with the next stages in their lives. If there is money for after-school programs, they would be worthwhile but
they should be funded only if the primary goals of the schools are being met. His three points of focus for the board are to determine how it can add value to the district and to the community, to hold the superintendent accountable for results the board wants, and to communicate with the public.

Matthew Harvey: Integrity is the theme of his campaign and something he strives for in his personal and professional life. He ran six years ago when the election was also held on September 11. The year was 2001 and that day, after planes were flown into New York City’s World Trade Center towers, the world changed. He wants children to be prepared for a future in that changing world. If elected, he would hold office hours every other Tuesday in some part of the district. He thinks the district should not have had to spend money to hire a consulting firm to find out what the public thinks. He said character cannot be measured using a standardized test.

Patty Link: She is running for a seat because she believes families with young children in the system need to be represented. She has been a teacher, headed a school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and now heads the PTA for the district. She wouldn’t want to toss NCLB aside if it provided funding so her child in kindergarten was in a class with 29 students instead
of 35. Several times during the forum she noted that she wanted to take time to learn what people wanted. On the question about a new school in southwest Des Moines, she said that there should be studies and discussion and that other parts of the city shouldn’t be neglected.

Paul Knupp, Jr.: He has a graduate degree in education and has taught teachers who are now employed by the Des Moines Public Schools. He said he has talked with people who developed standardized tests, such as the ACT. Those people told him such tests are good at showing where students need extra help. The tests are not good for comparisons and other uses that have been made of them. He thinks consensus building is important and that means slowing down when making decisions and should include students in the discussions. He expressed concern that the school board might be in partnership with business instead of with education. He added that education is the most important thing government does.

Jonathon (Jon) Narcissse: When he previously ran for the school board, his reasons were fiscal issues and the need for the then superintendent to leave. He remains concerned about fiscal accountability and the commitment of the school board to talk with the public. He said he has traveled the state talking to students and educational professionals and that “you have
to work to get people involved.” When answering the question about ward-based elections, he said school board elections need to be moved to November to reduce the power of special interests. He admitted southwest Des Moines needs a new school, but asked how we will pay for it. He would use Prairie Meadows revenues to fund after school classes.

Remember to vote on Tuesday, September 11. The deadline to register to vote is Friday, August 31.

Guest Writer: M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.