Hank Waters Makes Tribune Endorsement Pick for Columbia School Board Race

By Hank Waters-Columbia Daily Tribune, March 28, 2018

Patrons of Columbia Public Schools will have satisfying choices April 3 for the district board of Education.

We should be grateful to the five candidates who are standing for election. Over many years I have developed great respect for people willing and eager to serve, particularly in local unpaid positions like members of the school board. The election process is rigorous enough, but nothing compared with the responsibilities of actual service in office week after week, and year after year. Bless them for doing these important chores for the rest of us.

This year five candidates are competing for two open seats.

I must say I was overjoyed to learn Teresa Maledy had decided to run. If anyone among us qualifies as a commendable public citizen, Teresa is it. For several years I have served with her on the Stephens College Board of Trustees, including her term as chair. Simply stated, Teresa is an exemplary member with a keen awareness of how boards should function. She knows how boards should interact with executive officers. She will improve the performance of any board she is on.

Her interest in education at all levels is exemplary. For many years she has had children in Columbia Public Schools. She believes in public education and particularly in Columbia public education. For her innate public service skills and her particular interest in local education, Teresa Maledy is one of the most promising school board candidates I can imagine. Many thanks to her for agreeing to serve. She deserves election with a strong majority.

For the other seat long time teacher Susan Blackburn and incumbent board member Christine King are the best choices.

Blackburn is an excellent candidate with a long record as a Columbia public schools literacy teacher. When coupled with good collaborative skills, faculty experience is the right foundation for good board service. Susan Blackburn fits this mold. She is smart and has very good communications skills.

Christine King has served for nine years on the board. Experience is her long suit.

In this election I like Teresa Maledy and Susan Blackburn, two exceptional candidates we are fortunate to have in the race.

HJW III

CMNEA Recommended Candidate- Ben Tilley!

Tilley: I know the district and can contribute

By Michael Maresh Columbia Daily Tribune

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.

Correction

This article has been updated to reflect Ben Tilley worked in Columbia Public Schools for 21 years.

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.”

CMNEA Recommended Candidate Teresa Maledy!

Maledy: Attracting, retaining teachers is a key goal

By Waverly Colville / Columbia Daily Tribune

Teresa Maledy

As a graduate and a parent of students in Columbia Public Schools, Teresa Maledy is looking to add a new level of involvement in the community: Columbia Board of Education member.

She graduated from Hickman High School before attending Stephens College and Webster University, and now has three children attending Grant Elementary School, which she says gives her a unique perspective.

“I felt I was well prepared for college and also a business career as a result of going to CPS,” Maledy said.

She now works as the chairwoman and CEO of Commerce Bank’s central and eastern regions.

Maledy has worked for Commerce Bank for 37 years, with 16 years in Kansas City and before returning to Columbia about 20 years ago. She will retire in June, and running for the school board will help her continue her community involvement.

She is a board member for several organizations, including the Alliance for Childhood Education, Cradle to Career Alliance, Regional Economic Development, Inc. and Stephens College. She also previously served on the boards of The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, Columbia Chamber of Commerce and Heart of Missouri United Way.

She’s running on three main pillars: decreasing and closing the achievement gap across all student demographics, developing sound strategies to attract and retain quality teachers and ensuring that the district continues to earn the community’s confidence, trust and consistent financial support.

“She’s going to bring a level of personal investment in children’s education,” said Crystal Kroner, the collaboration network manager of Cradle to Career Alliance. “She’s unbelievably organized and prepared, but most importantly she’s really dedicated to the cause. We’d be really lucky to have her.”

CORRECTION

This article has been changed to correct the name of The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri.

As a founding member of Cradle to Career, Maledy has worked on identifying demographics and identities that need extra attention in schools and getting the community to support those goals. Her experience in getting the community involved in educational goals will help her if elected, said Darin Preis, the current school board president who has endorsed Maledy in the election. Preis decided not to seek another term.

“We really need well-connected citizens to be on the board of education,” Preis said. “We want the community’s input to filter its way into the work of the board and so the more connected and highly respected school board members are, the more likely they are to bring in really good information and offer different perspectives, and Teresa absolutely has those things.”

Maledy said attracting and retaining teachers is key to achieving the school district’s goals, and she is open to exploring different strategies.

“I think what we need to do though is get a little bit more creative and really understand what is attractive to teachers, what encourages educators to stay on with our school district so we’re able to build up a lot of experience and retain them once we have them,” Maledy said.

Several of her former and current colleagues, including the former CFO of the University of Missouri System and member of the Board of Trustees of Stephens College, Nikki Krawitz; former Executive Vice President of Commerce Bank, Valerie Shaw; and Preis and Kroner all said that Maledy is good at balancing different perspectives and making effective decisions.

“She has a lot of great ideas,” Kroner said. “She listens first (and is) very receptive of learning from others. I’ve been in multiple brainstorming (sessions) with her and everyone has a chance to share their idea and she’s taking notes and nodding her head and really listening, and then she says, ‘I was thinking this,’ and it’s usually a much better idea than mine.”

Maledy describes herself as someone who exhibits tolerance, respect, persistence and balance. Through her experience in banking, educational boards and other community involvement, she hopes that through leading by example her legacy would be continuing to establish confidence within the community for the school board in the long term.

″(My legacy would be) the community feeling that we’ve been a transparent board and school district, that they have a lot of confidence in the decisions we’ve made and trust us to continue to make good decisions,” she said. “Having the community really engaged and really supportive of the school district is top priority.”

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CMNEA School Board Candidate Kick-Off