Six candidates for the Sept. 8 School Board election presented potential solutions to various issues of concern in the district, including the district’s strained budget and the closing of Roosevelt Elementary.
Local residents filled all of the seats at a public forum Tuesday night, held at the school district administration offices on Dubuque Street.
Candidates agreed the board must generate solutions to address the troubling financial situation. But the methods they suggested differed.
Jean Jordison, who taught middle-school English, suggested officials increase efficiency in bus routes, which are funded by a portion of the budget the School Board can modify.
The School Board isn’t authorized to access or redistribute many parts of the district’s funds, she said.
However, Tuyet Dorau, who works in the ophthalmology department at the UI Hospitals and Clinics, suggested lobbying the state to change spending authority for district officials.
In particular, she said she would like to change funding systems in order to redistribute money towards building a third high school.
Candidates also discussed the community’s involvement with the board.
“I’m going to rely on a great amount of involvement from the community,” said Anne Johnson, who works at Pearson.
Others agreed that community engagement should be a priority.
April Armstrong, a professional nanny, said she wants to look into developing “town hall-style” forums where locals could engage in dialogues with board members.
Many locals are unaware of what goes on at a district government level, Jordison added, suggesting board members seek out input from district parents at school athletic events and concerts.
“We need to go to where people are in the schools,” she said.
During the last half of the forum, community members posed anonymous questions to the candidates. Earlier in the evening, they received scraps of paper on which they wrote comments.
One local asked if the board hopefuls would reconsider the recent decision to close Roosevelt Elementary School, which split the candidates’ opinion.
They did not agree on whether they would be open to a possible change, though the consensus was that keeping the school open would likely be impossible at this point.
Johnson said she was open to reconsidering the Roosevelt decision, but only if board members uncovered new facts.
The decision should not be an emotional one, she said, and some people believe the right decision has been made.
Sarah Swisher, a registered nurse, also said she was willing to re-examine the decision if an appropriate proposal were submitted to the board.
She wouldn’t have opted to close the school, she said, had the decision been up to her.
Mike Cooper, the only candidate who currently serves on the board, said he would not be willing to reconsider.
He noted he is excited to bring the community together to find a new use for the building, and suggested renovating the space as an art center.