University of Iowa alum and undefeated four-time Iowa high-school state wrestling champion Jeffrey McGinness announced his candidacy for the Iowa City School Board on Wednesday in a press release.

McGinness, who graduated from the UI College of Law in 2001, told The Daily Iowan he plans to address several issues with the board, including redistricting and communication with parents.

“The two upset parents [Tuesday night] are not going to go away,” McGinness said referring to the parents of two Hills Elementary students who spoke out about wanting the board to consider the school’s boundaries before completing redistricting plans. “The community hasn’t felt the current board has really listened to them.”

Advancing classroom technology is also something McGinness, who is a partner at Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC in Cedar Rapids, would like to tackle.

“The district is left behind on technology, unfortunately, and there’s not a lot of money to update,” he said. “The use of technology by our teachers in the classroom is definitely something that needs to be considered.”

The school board’s elections are slated for September.

— by Ariana Witt