Tilley: I know the district and can contribute
Upon retiring from Columbia Pubic School District last year after 21 years in various positions, school board candidate Ben Tilley believes he has a firm grasp on what the district needs.
Tilley, 61, is one of five candidates seeking two seats on the Columbia Board of Education in the April 3 election.
He spent 21 years as a classroom teacher before becoming an assistant principal at two elementary schools, assistant director of research and assessment, and Title I director and assistant superintendent for elementary education.
“I think we have a real good school district, but there are significant challenges,” said Tilley, whose two children graduated from CPS. “I have the experience to dig into the problems.”
The district in the next three years plans to build a new middle school to ease current overcrowding, and Tilley said he is familiar with this process.
“It has been on my mind of me running,” he said. “I know the district. I would love to be able to contribute.”
Tilley, if elected to the board, wants to look into how the district could raise money to increase salaries for teachers.
“We are lagging behind,” Tilley said, adding a teacher’s starting salary in Columbia is about $35,000 a year. Two years ago the board approved increasing salaries with the wage increasing from $34,353 to $35,500 for a new teacher with no experience, according to the salary schedule on its website.
Tilley pointed to the Parkway School District in St. Louis that pays beginning teachers $42,800 annually, according to a salary schedule on its website.
What frustrates Tilley is of the 140 students who did their student teaching in Columbia last year, very few stayed in the city after graduating.
“We often are the training ground, but are unable to keep them,” he said.
Prior to the pay increase two years ago, he said there had been years where teachers’ base salaries remained the same. They did receive the increases for based on years of experience.
“There is only so much money to go around, so you have to look at every expense,” he said, “You have to make the best of the few dollars you do have.”
Tilley said if elected he would like to review the budget, but he realizes the bulk of it goes toward salaries and benefits.
“Where are you spending every dollar you have?” he said is a question that needs to be asked. “Are you doing everything you can?
“It is a guessing game, but to mitigate the guessing game you have to look at trends,” he continued. Those trends could result in the school district feeling comfortable in giving raises or holding back wage increases.
Besides salaries, Tilley wants to look into school safety to ensure the schools are prepared for tragedies if one were to occur.
He also said he would like to meet with the Center for Education to get its perspective on school safety.
Another idea to improve safety would be to hold trainings on strategies to identify individuals that might be at risk, he said, and for the district to be more proactive than reactive. He added the mental health component plays a role in all of this.
Tilley said he believes most of the mass shootings in schools are from loners who might not be engaged with school or other students.
“Reach out to them to help each other,” he said. “Befriend that person who does not have friends.”
Tilley supports the school district’s $30 million bond initiative, with some of it being used to pay for a new middle school on the south side of town. He also noted the bond issue on the April 3 ballot will not increase taxes.
One advantage Tilley believes he has over the other candidates is he knows a lot of the teachers and administrators, but added that could change quickly.
“People know me and know the work I have done in the school district,” he said.
Elaine Hassemer, who has known Tilley for 20 years and worked with him when both were employed with the Columbia schools, said he would be a great school board member.
“He is very concerned about students and their (success),” she said. “He puts children first.”
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