Four candidates will be vying for two positions on the Clear Lake School Board in the Tuesday, Nov. 5, General Election.
Current members, Chad Kuhlers and John Brady, will not be seeking re-election. Mike Moeller is the only incumbent seeking another term. He has served two terms on the School Board. Also seeking positions on the school board will be Abby Bauman, Andrew Young and Talitha Allen.
The candidates responded to a series of questions provided to them by the Mirror-Reporter.
Each candidate for
Clear Lake School Board was given the following questions to answer:
1) Please provide a brief personal and professional profile.
2) Why are you running for School Board?
3) Quality teaching is the heart of improved learning. What policies or supports would you like to see enacted that could help teachers help all students learn at high levels?
4) Many good causes compete for limited funds. Regarding school finance, what would be your main priorities to receive adequate or additional funding?
5) There are several “hot button” issues which school boards across the state and country have been facing, such as bullying, curriculum content, diversity, etc. Would you like to explain your position on any of these issues?
6) Any additional comments?
MIKE MOELLER
1. I am married to my wife, Rachelle, and we have three children, George, Beatrice, and Caroline, who are all in the Clear Lake Community School District. I grew up in town and graduated from Clear Lake High School in 1998. I then went on to the University of Iowa and then ultimately to law school at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minn. I am an attorney with Laird Law Firm in the Clear Lake office. I have served on many boards and committees throughout the area and the State, and I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve another four years on the school board on behalf of the people of Clear Lake.
2. I am about to complete my second term on the school board. The reason I continue to run for the school board is that I care about our schools and our children. I grew up in Clear Lake and I am forever grateful for the experiences that I had, and I want future generations to be able to say the same thing. I have young children in the district, and I care deeply about their education, and I care deeply about the education of every child. Like every parent, I want my kids to receive the best education possible in an environment that is caring and safe. I want our school district to prepare my children for life after school, so they can live out their dreams. I want our school to push our children towards excellence. I want our school to help our children when they are in need. I want to continue making our district the best it can be by fostering a rich learning environment and to give students and staff the tools to do their best.
3. To ensure that the Board is doing the best for our students, we must look at the whole picture, and see where we can improve the school experience, whether that is through curriculum, amenities, supports, or student opportunities. It is imperative that parents know that their children are going to be safe and that they will have the best possible educational experience. Teachers are at the heart of ensuring a high level of learning for all students. The district has implemented Professional Learning Communities (“PLC”) to help all teachers work together to find the best methods at delivering the best instruction. In theory, this process should then help all students succeed. The idea is to get teachers learning from one another instead of in isolation. I believe, as a District, we need to continue this approach but continue making it better, so it fits the needs of our students and teachers. It is a nationwide struggle in keeping good quality people in education, which is why we need to continue looking at teacher and paraeducator pay. The educators we have here in Clear Lake are fantastic, and it will be important moving forward to make sure that those educators know they are appreciated.
4. The board needs to continue to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. School finance is a unique beast, and it is important to remember that there are several different silos of money from where school districts can spend. It will be important to continue to lobby the legislature in giving School Districts in the State flexibility and authority, so spending decisions can be made at a local level. There is also a voter approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (“PPEL”) before the voters this election cycle which I am in favor of so we can continue to provide the best facilities for our kids. Fortunately, the board has been able to add programs, improve first class facilities, and continue to give students unique learning opportunities without raising the tax rate for several years. We need to continue to budget on what is needed now and to forecast what is needed in the future to determine the best use of the public’s money.
5. The most important issue we face every day as a school board is whether we are doing what is in the best interests of our students, staff, and parents. It is easy to hold on to an issue, but issues come and go. We need to always ask if our decisions are what is best for our students given the resources we have available. Parents trust the school to teach our kids and to ensure they are safe, and the board needs to do all that they can to continue that trust.
6. I believe the School Board has made a lot of progress the last several years by correcting the budget; we implemented professional learning communities; we started the only Ag program in Cerro Gordo County; and we invested in capital projects including the Wellness Center, which not only enhanced opportunities for our students but also the community. There are certainly areas to improve, and if given the opportunity, I will work at making the Clear Lake School District the best it can be in the future.
Thank you to the people of Clear Lake as it has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the board and it has been an experience I will forever cherish. I kindly ask for your support in continuing to serve this town and school that I love.
ABBY BAUMAN
1. My name is Abby Bauman and I am running for school board for the Clear Lake Community School District. I attended Clear Lake Community schools. After graduating from Clear Lake I attended Drake University where I graduated with my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. I work as a pharmacist in the North Iowa area.
2. Running for school board has been on my heart for a while. I am running because I feel that I have unique personal experiences within the school district. I grew up in Clear Lake and graduated from Clear Lake Schools. My mother is a former Clear Lake Special Education teacher, and my father is a retired Clear Lake Schools Janitor/District Maintenance and bus driver. I am now a mother of two children who attend Clear Lake Schools. Through all of this I have gained understanding of different perspectives within the school district and community. I understand the importance of strong relationships between the school district, families, the community and local businesses. I care about all aspects of the Clear Lake Community School district and desire a well-rounded education for all our students.
3. I will focus on staff retention and continued educational experiences for current staff to allow them to increase their knowledge base for their specific area of expertise, which will allow our students a well-rounded education. This along with maintaining smaller class sizes will enhance learning for our students.
4. Continue to work to find solutions to funding concerns whether that solution be within the community, state level or grants. Working with organizations that support the financial needs in a team based approach that will provide the best outcomes for all the students. Fundraising is a great option but can at times stretch parents. I would like to find ways through businesses in the community where we could meet the specific financial needs.
5. My position on issues facing the Clear Lake Community School District would be dependent on the issue at hand. Curriculum content should be based on educating our students to provide them with life skills and hands-on experiences that allow them to pursue potential careers, jobs and further education (trade schools and/or college/university).
6. As a candidate running for school board I feel we need our schools to be safe and functional to enable learning for our students.
ANDREW YOUNG
1. I am a 39 year-old seventh generation Clear Lake native. I graduated from Clear Lake High School in 2002 and attended the University of Iowa until 2006. I am married with two young boys and two dogs. My wife, Megan, is a teacher at Clear Lake High School in the English department. My eldest son, Vincent, is a sixth grader at Clear Lake Middle School. My youngest son, William, is in first grade at Clear Creek Elementary. I am the senior field technician at Clear Lake Independent Telephone. I am also a volunteer firefighter, joining the Clear Lake Fire Department in 2018.
2. I am running for school board to help our students be better prepared for life after graduation. I also want to give our students and teachers a louder voice with the district’s administration.
3. I would like to see polices that lower the number of students in each classroom. Having a teacher to student ratio that is too high reduces the chance for students to get individualized attention. This is especially true in the lower grades.
4. I believe that we need to spend our limited resources more wisely keeping and expanding programs that benefit the most students. I also believe that we should not only be offering, but requiring students to engage in programs such as art, industrial technology, and family & consumer sciences. Also, though unpopular, I think we need to make sure that we are prioritizing the education of the student at their grade level over other activities, such as sports and college prep classes. We need to get our students ready for life, not just ready for college.
5. A lot of time is spent on discussions of “hot button” issues. This can often take away from other pressing needs. I think every student, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, or economic status should be provided the same opportunities. Everyone should be treated the same and no one student should be singled out to get better or worse treatment. We should be teaching our students to stand up for themselves against bullying and giving them the support to do so. No book should be banned due to its content; however, each student and family should be able to choose for themselves. We need to empower our kids to think for themselves.
6. Educating our children is a hard task that has gotten harder due to many forces. We need to start working towards overcoming these obstacles so that we can educate our future leaders and community members. We also need to work on programs that keep or return our students to our area after graduation or college.
TALITHA ALLEN
1. My name is Talitha Allen. My husband and I moved to Clear Lake in 2009. We have two children, both in the Clear Lake Community School District. I am a proud graduate of Iowa State (Go Cyclones!). I previously worked at a company here in Clear Lake where I was a customer service representative to several global firms. Once I became a mother, I had the opportunity to stay home and care for our family. When our youngest child started preschool, I began working for the Clear Lake Community School District as a paraprofessional, and currently work for the district as a paraprofessional at Clear Creek Elementary.
2. I, like other parents, grandparents, and guardians, want the best for my children. I want them to have not only an excellent academic background, but also have extracurricular opportunities. Having a solid curriculum is important, but without our teachers, paras, and school staff, it’s not enough. I believe, especially after working in the school system, the key to having the best for our children is to have teachers and staff members who know they are listened to, heard, and supported. Teachers, paras, custodians, bus drivers, office staff, counselors, nurses, and administrators have significant impacts on our students’ lives every day. When they feel cared for and supported, that will in turn have positive impacts on our students. I want to be a part of a school board that works hard to provide support to our district staff. Over the past several years I have created many relationships within the district through my involvement at work, but also as a volunteer. I’ve led multiple fundraising efforts to provide food and needed items to our staff members and most recently have worked with another parent in the district to start the Clear Creek Elementary Parent Teacher Organization. Ensuring we have teachers and staff that want to stay in our district because of the support they receive from the community, other staff, and school board is very important.
3. What I’ve seen and experienced from more successful leaders in the past is they observe, listen, and gather information from those directly involved in the situation prior to making or pushing any changes. I want to understand from the district’s staff what is working and what improvements they feel could be made. After gaining a better understanding I intend to work with all parties to make positive improvements.
4. First and foremost, I’d like to make certain we have competitive pay for our staff. It is disappointing to hear the education field is losing so many quality individuals partially due to pay. As a member of the CLCSD’s strategic planning team, it has been beneficial to hear the interest level and priorities of different groups. Infrastructure is going to be an area in which our district is going to need to invest as we continue to have increasing enrollment numbers. As an example, our auditorium is outdated. A larger area with updated audio-visual equipment would provide not only our school but also our community with a needed state of the art space.
5. First and foremost, I believe there is no room for bullying or hate in our district. Students or staff involved in such acts should be reminded of the expectations for conduct and must have consequences for actions as is laid out in our staff and student handbooks. As a member of the school board, I would want to make certain these expectations and consequences are clearly defined, accessible, and that our students, parents, and all staff are aware of them.
In terms of curriculum content, I believe that our teachers work hard to provide a solid curriculum for our students. That being said, there may be times where a parent disagrees with a piece of that curriculum. For example, if a required reading book is one that a parent does not want their child to read, I believe it is important that parent expresses their concern to the teacher and works with the teacher to identify another option for the student. Recent Iowa laws have also required school districts to review books when a request is made, and I support the committee established for that purpose in our district.
I believe parents need to be involved in their students’ education. Iowa has implemented several laws that directly impact the public education for Iowans. While I understand the intentions, I feel that parents working with the teachers and district directly can better identify the needs of local schools.
6. I would be honored to serve as a director on the Clear Lake Community School District School Board. I am very passionate about the education our students, including my children, are receiving. Additionally, after working in the school for the past five years, I have an appreciation for the work that teachers, paras, office staff, nurses, counselors, custodians, kitchen staff, bus drivers, and administrators within the schools do every day that few people see firsthand. As an employee of the school district, a community member, and most importantly a parent with students in the district, I am very appreciative of the school motto: “All Students, All Staff. All In.” I want to make certain we are doing our best for those district employees because when we’re All In for our school, our school is All In for the students.
