Monday, March 9, 2020
CMNEA Issues Press Release, Endorses Three School Board Candidates and Bond
Columbia MNEA
Teachers Vote to Recommend
Chris
Horn, David Seamon, and Helen Wade
for
Columbia School Board and a Yes Vote for the School Bond
(Columbia, MO) – Columbia Public School educators
represented by the Columbia Missouri National Education Association (CMNEA)
have voted to recommend Chris Horn, David Seamon, and Helen Wade to CMNEA
members and community voters in the upcoming April 7, 2020 elections for the
Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education.
“Students are at the center of everything we do,”
said Hickman High School teacher and CMNEA President, Kathy Steinhoff. “We
believe that Mr. Horn’s priority to build upon the districts efforts toward
diversity, equity, and inclusion will improve our district and enhance our
School Board.” Chris Horn’s main tenets are early childhood education, equity
and teachers. These priorities are supported by CMNEA.
David Seamon has run on a platform to end the
school-to-prison pipeline and protect our most vulnerable students. “Mr. Seamon has demonstrated his commitment
and passion to provide opportunities and protections for all of our students,”
Kathy Steinhoff said. “As a parent of
young school aged children, Mr. Seamon will bring a fresh lens to the board as
we navigate important issues the Board will need to address.”
Current School Board President Helen Wade has
committed to improving the communication exchange of the School Board with
parents, educators and area legislators.
“We are delighted to hear of Ms. Wade’s interest in creating more
channels of communication between the School Board and its stakeholders,”
Steinhoff said. “Helen Wade’s rich
tenure will be an asset to our School Board.
Her leadership as President has proven her ability to manage this
complex system.”
“Our members are optimistic that Horn, Seamon,
and Wade will bring the knowledge, passion, and ability necessary to the CPS
School Board to ensure success in providing a strong education for all students
who attend CPS.”
In addition to voting to recommend candidates for
School Board, CMNEA also voted in favor of the CPS bond issue that will be on
the April 7th ballot. “Our district has
demonstrated outstanding fiscal management in handling the continuing student
growth of our district,” Steinhoff said,
“We have confidence that this bond will help our district continue to successfully
manage growth, safety, and accessibility for the students of CPS and the
greater community.” The Bond is a no tax
increase and the benefits could begin as early as June 2020.
Teachers recommended Horn, Seamon, and Wade after
an extensive candidate screening process that included a candidate
questionnaire, an interview with educators, and a public forum. There are three open seats for election in
the upcoming CPS School Board election. CMNEA teachers also recommended the
bond after a presentation during a recent meeting.
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Concern for the Environment Discussed During Latest School Board Forum
School Board candidates agree at environmental forum
"Absolutely" was the word of the night for Columbia School Board candidates Wednesday at a forum sponsored by local environmental groups.
All four School Board candidates — incumbents Helen Wade and Jonathan Sessions, and newcomers Chris Horn and David Seamon — were present at the forum.
Around 26 people attended the forum, which was held immediately after a forum for the three candidates for the Columbia First Ward City Council seat.
Candidates agreed across the board on most questions asked at the forum, which was environmentally focused. The four frequently referenced other candidates' answers in their responses and repeatedly expressed the difficulty of speaking after answers they agree with.
All candidates expressed interest in increasing sustainability education and joining the Missouri Green Schools program. The program supports sustainability and health in Missouri schools and helps the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education identity schools to be nominated for the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools Program.
They were all also in favor of a curriculum that would educate students on climate, sustainability and consumption issues.
Wade said that the state mandates curriculum to an extent, but it is important for children to understand the impact they have on the planet.
Sessions referenced a new waste minimization system first implemented Monday at Benton STEM Elementary School. He said the system involves students separating lunch waste into three divisions: what goes to the landfill, what can be recycled and what can be composted.
The waste management system will be implemented throughout the district next school year, Sessions said.
Seamon said that Columbia's location provides an opportunity to teach students how to be responsible for the planet in an urban area while also showing them how climate change affects rural communities.
"I would love for my 7-year-old to come home and keep me honest about what we're recycling," he said.
Horn recognized that sustainability and climate change are evolving topics, and wants to ensure that information taught in schools is updated and accurate. He also said curriculum tied to these subjects would help kids in the future understand the effects of their behaviors and adapt to future issues.
All four candidates supported student involvement in climate activism.
Wade noted that it is important for district policies to remain open so that students are able to participate in extracurricular activities, including activism.
Seamon expressed the importance of letting students get hands-on experience to understand why sustainability is important. He referenced field trips he attended with one of his children to the city dump and composting center — the students liked the composting site a lot better than the dump, he said.
Horn noted that the district needs to provide students with advocacy opportunities and emphasize the value of advocacy.
Additionally, all candidates supported increasing energy efficiency in school buildings.
Sessions said that there are over 2 million-square-feet of roof area in the district, some of which could be utilized to provide renewable energy to the city.
The candidates supported policies that would restrict idling times for district buses and try to reduce idling in privately-owned vehicles around schools, including signs posted that would advertise the negative impacts of air pollution on children.
The forum was sponsored by seven groups: the Citizens' Climate Lobby of Columbia, Climate Leaders at Mizzou, Columbia-Boone County League of Women Voters, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, Osage Group Sierra Club, Sunrise Movement CoMo and Renew Missouri.
Faith Voices of Columbia will hold a School Board candidate forum Tuesday, March 10.
School Board Candidates Share Thoughts on Recording Meetings and New Boundaries
School Board candidates discuss attendance boundaries, recording conferences at forum
New attendance area boundaries and the diversity of students and resources were among the topics discussed at a Columbia School Board candidate forum hosted by the Columbia Board of Realtors on Tuesday evening.
Four people are running for three open seats on the seven-member School Board in the April 7 election. Two are incumbents, board president Helen Wade and vice president Jonathan Sessions. New candidates are Christopher Horn and David Seamon. Paul Cushing, whose term ends in April, is not seeking reelection.
David Lile, host of Columbia Morning on KFRU/98.9 FM, moderated the forum, which had about 30 attendees. Several people arrived late due to inclement weather. Candidates for City Council discussed their ideas and platforms at the forum, immediately following the school board candidates.
Recording meetings between parents and teachers was discussed, particularly in regard to students with special needs. The district prohibits recording of parent-teacher meetings. The board has been reviewing its recording policy since September 2019 as parents have expressed their concerns.
Although other meetings typically last 10 to 15 minutes, Individualized Education Program meetings for students with special needs can last nearly three hours, Seamon said. He believes recording should be allowed, given that the parents state their intention to do so.
Horn also advocated for recording the meetings, citing that the terminology used in IEP meetings can be confusing to parents and recording benefits both parents and students. He said the board would work through any potential litigation that may come up.
Wade cited the nuance and complications regarding current and future legislation — federal law requires that parents be allowed to record when necessary. Pending state legislation would allow recordings of IEP meetings.
Sessions suggested providing resources to ease the recording process, as well as creating digital infrastructure for storing the recordings, as they would become part of a student's permanent record.
The candidates also discussed the district's new attendance boundaries, which will begin in August 2020 after being determined by the district and third-party consultant Cooperative Strategies. All candidates agreed with the decision, saying it was a streamlined, data-driven process that maintained strong community involvement, including consistent district focus groups with parents.
Regarding complaints of small areas that stick out from the boundaries in the new map, Seamon suggested providing multiple school options for those who live in those regions.
Other topics discussed were educator pay differentials for certain schools or subjects, balancing transportation and opportunities for students and the distribution of resources to schools that need them.
School Board Candidates Discuss Race, Class and Disabilities
School Board candidates discuss state education bills at forum Wednesday
The relationship between local school districts and state control was one of the main topics of conversation at the latest Columbia School Board candidate forum Wednesday night hosted by Race Matters, Friends and CoMO for Progress.
Race Matters, Friends does equity work focusing on race, class, LGBTQ and disability issues, according to its website. CoMO for Progress advocates for progressive activism in Columbia.
This was the fourth forum the School Board candidates participated in this year and was moderated by Rebecca Shaw of CoMO for Progress and Peggy Placier of Race Matters, Friends. Approximately 27 people attended Wednesday's forum.
The candidates agreed on most topics discussed, which included two bills being discussed in the state legislature.
All candidates expressed opposition to HB 1565. The bill would allow parents to pull their children from any activity that includes material discussing sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill was proposed by Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, in response to posters defining different sexual orientations and genders that were hung up at Gentry Middle School by the student Gay/Straight Alliance Club in 2018, according to previous Missourian reporting.
Jonathan Sessions, vice president of the board, expressed complete opposition to the bill, which he said was clearly an attack on members of the Columbia community.
New board candidate Chris Horn also opposed the bill and said it would only continue to oppress and marginalize people. He said that parents should be notified of the content of class discussions, but they shouldn't prevent those discussions from happening.
David Seamon, another new candidate, was visibly worked up and said he didn't have the words to describe how disappointed he is that Basye would propose the bill. He said it would create an atmosphere that would cause suicide rates among LGBTQ students to increase.
Helen Wade, president of the board, said the bill was ill-conceived, illogical and disrespectful. She said the state can tell the district what to teach but cannot govern extracurricular activities.
Also discussed was HB 1961. This bill would require an armed school protection officer to be placed in Missouri school districts' buildings or allow districts to employ trained volunteers who were former law enforcement officers or U.S. military. All candidates voiced opposition to the bill.
Sessions said he opposes the bill completely and that there are many issues with it, including fiscal issues. He said placing officers in every school would be expensive and the district is already underfunded in other areas.
Horn agreed with Sessions, adding that the district should be able to retain as much local control as possible. He said the issue of protecting students can be addressed locally without a state mandate.
Seamon expressed concern for the possibility of a tragic accident in school if there was an armed presence, especially if unpaid volunteers were allowed to be armed in schools.
"I don't care how much training you have, an accident is eventually going to take place," he said.
Wade said the bill has no value whatsoever and would prevent the policy flexibility that is needed in Columbia's growing community.
"This is a terrible, terrible idea," she said.
Candidates also echoed previous statements about seclusion and restraint policies practiced at the Center for Responsive Education, which is operated by Catapult Learning.
Wade and Sessions said communication needs to be improved between the district, families and Catapult Learning. They said the contract between the district and Catapult Learning needs to be clarified.
Seamon said the district has enough resources that it should be able to operate the special education facilities without needing a private contract. He added that the district should have strict oversight over education and complete control over any student discipline.
Also discussed was the presence of school resource officers in the district.
All candidates agreed that school resource officers have the opportunity to build relationships with students and change the dynamic between the community and the police force.
Wade said the officers should be more of a support system than a police presence in schools and there needs to be cooperation between the district and the officers to ensure they are on the same page.
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