Lawyer and Iowa native Maka Pilcher-Hayek is running for Iowa City Community School District Board of Education.

Pilcher-Hayek announced Monday morning that she is pursuing school board member Dromi Etsey’s seat, who is not running for reelection. Etsey secured her spot on the board in September 2020. 

“It’s the most effective and most efficient way to reach as many people in society as possible,” Pilcher-Hayek told The Daily Iowan. “And by reach them, I mean to support them, educate them, and give them opportunities.”

Pilcher-Hayek said in her official statement that as a board member, she will advocate for a range of topics, such as the District’s Comprehensive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan. 

“We need children and young adults to, I would say to value diversity, and to realize that we are a part of a diverse society, society only works if we acknowledge and respect diversity,” Pilcher-Hayek said to the DI.

Pilcher-Hayek is joining ICCSD board vice president Ruthina Malone and board member J.P. Claussen, who are both running for re-election for the ICCSD Board of Education, in the school board race. 

In 2017, Pilcher-Hayek co-founded the One Community One Bond campaign, which helped pass the largest school bond, the Iowa City General Obligation bond, in the history of Iowa.

One Community One Bond favored and supported the Iowa City General Obligation bond, which is a method that school districts can use to borrow money for construction jobs. 

Pilcher-Hayek also co-funded Every Student, Any School, whose goal was to make schools more equitable across the district.  

She received her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law and currently is a general practice attorney at Hayek, Moreland, Smith & Bergus, LLP in Iowa City. Pilcher-Hayek practices many different areas of law, including education law, she said to the DI  

One goal Pilcher-Hayek wishes to fulfill by the end of her term is to instill pride in public education within the Iowa City community.

“Maka is a strong advocate for public education and public schools,” Paul Roesler, former ICCSD board member, said in Pilcher- Hayek’s candidacy statement. “I have seen her advocate in the community, always with the end goal of creating the best learning environment for our students.”