JCPS candidates weigh in on space, building issues

Six candidates are seeking three positions on the Jefferson City School District on the April 4 ballot. The candidates responded to questions about space and building needs in the school district.

Space and building issues at East Elementary drew calls for it to be addressed by the board. The board and district have committed to adjusting some boundary lines for the coming school year, and have promised that East would be addressed next on the needs list. Do you agree with that decision? Are there other schools that warrant promises of immediate action?

Lori Massman: "First and foremost, we need to address our high schools. I hope the community embraces this need, and we can begin to look at the other needs of the district as soon as possible. The bond levy provides an excellent mechanism to shift our attention to our elementary and middle schools without asking taxpayers to pay more. I do agree that we should make good on our promise to our neighbors on the east side of town. We owe it to the community to stick to our word. From there, we need to use the recommendations of the committee and start with any issues that pose a safety risk to our kids. We need to get our kids out of mobile classrooms and continuously review our facilities to be sure we never end up this far behind again."

Steve Bruce: "You don't build trust through fence-sitting or complaining on Facebook; you build it through decisive action and keeping your word. Addressing East School is at the top of the list if both propositions pass. This creates savings for taxpayers and addresses the district's poor history with East School property owners and families. That history has tarnished the district's credibility in other areas, which is both bad and easy to fix. Most JCPS buildings need overcrowding relief; East and Pioneer Trail are just two examples. East students and teachers have the fewest square feet to learn and teach in throughout all of JCPS, and Pioneer Trail is the largest elementary building and has a trailer."

Scott Hovis: "The list of building concerns within the JCPS is lengthy! There are many buildings with overcrowding problems that need to be tackled. I agree that a new East grade school needs to be addressed. However, I believe that building a second high school and renovating the existing high school is the first step we need take to begin addressing these overcrowding issues. I feel like it is time to look at all of boundary lines of the entire district to make sure that the population of the grade schools are equally distributed based upon the capacity of the elementary schools. All of the issues cannot be solved overnight, but getting the bond issue passed is the first step."

Don Salcedo: "I do not agree with the board's decision on East School. The situation should be addressed as soon as possible because they have been ignored all this time. The redrawing of boundary lines is a stopgap, short-term measure for a long-term problem. East School has had promises made for years with little improvements in new classrooms. Nothing and no one will stop me from getting into our district's buildings and determining the problems. The other schools must be researched too, and immediate action is needed. Again, listen to the teachers; they know what they and their students need."

Paul Graham: "It's sad to pull a child out of a school she is used to and perhaps her parents also attended to fix an overcrowding problem. But it had to be done. Millions of dollars have recently been spent on East School. But it's still 80 years old; most of our school structures are now over 50 years old, and the district's "books" are carrying multiple millions in deferred maintenance. Can we deal with this piece-meal, deferring maintenance and then spending a few million ad hoc on each old building every few years? That's not a plan. That's a mess. This district needs a full 'engineering audit' of its entire physical plant and a global building and financial plan."

Victoria Sterling: "I am 100 percent in support of a second East Elementary. Since JCPS first bought land for that project in the 1960s, five other elementary schools have opened in other parts of the district. I believe the east part of the district would flourish and diversify with another school there, as it would make the area attractive for homebuyers again. The proposed lofts at the old International Shoe Factory could result in a population boom on the east side. Space needs at East Elementary should not have to wait any longer."