The Iowa City School Board recently added five new members.
By Alex Kramer
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Last week, voters put five new members on the Iowa City School Board.
LaTasha DeLoach, Phil Hemingway, Tom Yates, and Lori Roetlin will have four-year terms, and Christopher Liebig was elected to a two-year term.
The group is optimistic about the future of Iowa City area schools, Hemingway said.
“I know there is going to be challenges, but I’m optimistic about what lies ahead of us because of the team that the community has elected to be the board,” he said. “I think they have made a statement that they are looking for reform and for change.”
Among the changes, neither Hemingway nor Yates, a former City High teacher, agree with the recent decision to close Hoover Elementary by 2017-18.
“I just want a serious discussion, as there’s never been a clear explanation,” Hemingway said. “If the future success of City High is somehow threatened by the existence of Hoover, a phenomenal elementary, then that case needs to be made, but as of now, it doesn’t make sense to eliminate it in a growing School District.”
Yates also believes there is no logical conclusion for closing Hoover.
“One of the basic ideas was that no new East Side elementary could be built unless the other closes,” he said. “I became identified with the ‘Save Hoover’ movement simply because I didn’t see that the district provided sufficient justification for its closure.”
Yates said the main item on his radar is class size and the possible threat of diminishing quality of education as a result.
“When teachers have the resources they need to do the best jobs that they can, then the kids do well; when the kids do well, the parents and families are happy; when the families and parents are happy, then the school does well; and a school that’s doing well is a vital part of the community,” Yates said. “Consequently, the whole district benefits. I look at it as sort of a cornerstone: making sure the best education that can be going on in schools is actually going on.”
DeLoach said she was focused on inequalities in the School District.
“One of the biggest issues is making sure that we have a clear process about how and why we make the decisions that we do, as well as really working to try to decrease many of the inequities we have across our district,” she said. “Another concern is once the ball gets rolling, how do we keep moving forward and improving?”
Hemingway said he was interested in partnering with the University of Iowa on various issues.
“I am interested in exploring the possibilities of working out some sort of amenable arrangement between the University of Iowa and Iowa City School District where [West High] could use the university’s new tennis facilities,” he said. “The money saved could go toward renovation of schools that have been decades behind in getting air conditioning, upgrades, and additions.”
However, tennis courts are not the only things worth working on together, Hemingway said.
“There are many opportunities for us to partner because we’re both in the same boat, fighting for diminishing state resources,” he said. “Anywhere we can team up, I think it would be mutually beneficial for the university and the [School District].”
Though the newly elected members said they would give their attention to separate causes, one stance remains clear: the betterment of education in community schools, Hemingway said.
“The most important thing is making sure we provide opportunities for each and every student in our district and prepare them for the 21st century world they will have to learn in,” he said.
A earlier version of this story incorrectly quoted Phil Hemingway as saying he hopes City High could use some of the UI’s new tennis facilities, when he was referencing West High. The DI regrets the error.