Five candidates have announced their candidacy for the Iowa City Community School District’s school board ahead of Nov. 4. elections.
The five candidates are competing for three open seats, with two incumbents and three newcomers on the ballot. The district has seven seats on their school board. Board members elected at-large in this election each serve an overlapping term of four years.
Jayne Finch focuses on curbing the enrollment cliff
Finch was originally elected to the school board in 2021 and has served on the board since. Finch has been involved with the district for eight years, serving as Chair of the ICCSD Equity Advisory Committee, and as school board member. When asked what inspires her, Finch shared it is the teachers inside the classroom that motivate her.
“I’m inspired by our educators. The last four years on the board have really deepened my understanding of the expertise and care that they bring,” Finch said.
Finch is currently a physician assistant in otolaryngology at the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She also serves as a mentor for a student at Liberty High School through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County, an organization creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships for youth in the community.
Finch said the most pressing issue facing the district is enrollment numbers. From 2024-35, total enrollment is expected to decrease by 758 students.
She said declining enrollment in the district is being directly impacted by the voucher program.
She said the program has made private schools more accessible to students, taking away enrollment along with funding for public schools in the state.
“A decline in enrollment means that [the district] has to make cuts somewhere. I really want to make sure that every decision we make is prioritizing enrollment,” Finch said.
Finch plans to prioritize educators and make decisions positively impacting and supporting teachers in the district.
Ruthina Malone’s safety-focused plans for reelection
Malone, school board president, has served two consecutive school board terms, and is looking to serve a third term. She was initially elected to the board in 2017 and then re-elected in 2021.
Malone is an administrator for the Department of Psychological Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa, and serves as a director on the Iowa Association of School Boards’ Board of Directors.
Malone said her biggest priority going into a third term would be making sure the district is prioritizing the well-being of staff, including classroom safety for teachers and students.
“It is really important to me that we are protecting the people that are directly engaging with students in our classrooms,” Malone said.
Malone said it is important to her that the district is successful in helping students prepare for their futures. Whether that be going directly into the workforce, going to college, or going into the military, Malone feels it is important for the district to prepare students for their futures outside of ICCSD.
She also wants to focus on the achievement discrepancies the district faces. Iowa spring assessment results for the district show that proficiency rates are lower for students with disabilities, and students with free and reduced lunch rates are also showing lower proficiency in reading and math scores. She believes the discrepancies that the district is seeing did not happen overnight, but are a result of generational discrepancies. Malone said that most of these discrepancies are a result of racial oppression stemming from “segregation times.”
Dan Stevenson aims to support educators
Stevenson has been in the classroom for over 20 years and is currently a teacher at West Liberty High School , teaching eighth-grade U.S. History. Stevenson previously served as president for the West Liberty Education Association and has also served on the Iowa City Public Library Board of Trustees.
“I’ve always been incredibly impressed with the district,” Stevenson said. “With the experience that I’ve had as a teacher and union leader, I think these have given me a solid background and understanding of how school districts work.”
Stevenson said his top priority for the district is cultivating safe and supportive schools and making sure students are receiving “equitable educational opportunities,” meaning students are receiving the support that they need, regardless of their background.
“The wonderful thing about public education is we have the duty and honor of teaching all students in our district,” Stevenson said. “Students come into our schools with a wide variety of needs, and it is incumbent on us educators in providing opportunities for them to succeed.”
In addition, Stevenson emphasized the role of the district in supporting educators and empowering them in their roles. Stevenson hopes to be a part of a policy process to ensure that educators are supported in what they need to be able to serve students, citing the need for additional funding, staffing, and support.
Jennifer Horn-Frasier uses her background in education
Horn-Frasier, a longtime educator and UI alumni, previously taught in the school district, teaching middle school and high school language arts. She is now a strategy consultant with Bluebird Sky, a strategy consultancy that helps companies, nonprofits, and coalitions develop strategies that help them reach their goals. Horn Frasier has a bachelor’s degree in English Education from the University of Iowa.
When asked what motivated her to run for the board, she cited her concern about the future of public education, saying she worries about how legislative decisions and budget cuts could impact students and teachers in the district.
“I’ve been watching over the years the systematic dismantling of our public education, which worries me tremendously because I know that public education is essential to communities and to democracy itself,” Horn-Frasier said.
Horn-Frasier said her top priority for the district is funding, because everything stems from funding. She notes the district is not keeping up with the rate of inflation and is having to funnel money into private education.
“We need to do everything we can to maintain and grow our financial position, including attracting students to enroll into our district to maximize our per-pupil funding,” Horn-Frasier said.
Horn-Frasier said another pressing matter for the district is supporting and retaining quality staff in the district. She thinks this will become harder as public attitudes about public education become more skewed. Additionally, Horn-Frasier wants to focus on being committed to supporting civil and human rights for students, staff, and families in the district.
David Noerper campaigns for student inclusivity
Noerper has lived in Iowa City for 18 years and has two children who are currently enrolled in ICCSD. He strongly supports public education, having been a peer tutor for many years and interacting with students of varying needs and backgrounds. Because of this experience, he advocates for policies that align with children’s needs.
“I think that sometimes district policy is made by people looking at best practices, as opposed to actually having lived through the trauma that some of these kids have experienced,” Noerper said. “I think that personal connection of understanding is pretty essential when you are making policies to move beyond best-case scenario practices to understand what people might need.”
Noerper’s top priority for the district is working on behavioral issues. He is advocating for district policies that provide extra support for students with behavioral issues. He said that students that act out make learning difficult for other students, and make instructing harder for teachers.
“I really feel like we need to reach out to our teachers and understand how big this problem is. Every teacher I have talked to has said that the problem is getting worse as the years go on,” Noerper said.
Noerper said district communication is also something he would like to focus on. He says the district needs to create an environment of trust where people can communicate and express their needs and criticisms without fear of retaliation from the district.
