As the April 4 election approaches, Jefferson City School Board candidates gave their opinions on a few last questions from readers and the News Tribune.
The News Tribune asked candidates about their views of equity and equality, district expenditures, restroom policy and district performance.
The following answers are verbatim except for edits for grammar, spelling and length, where appropriate.
Question: What is your definition of equality and equity? How do you believe these terms apply to the school district? Explain your answer.
Mike Harvey
Answer: Equality is to make provisions available for all students staff and other users regardless of mental or physical restrictions. Equity means that all students benefit from the same practices, policies, resources and instruction at the school.
Suzanne Luther
Answer: In certain contexts, the words equality and equity are used interchangeably, but in the public school setting, equality means the same, while equity means fair. Both are important, as all public schools should be equal, with the same resources, opportunities, and quality of instruction, and of course schools within a district should be equal as well. Equity is more student specific: what additional resources or different teaching strategies, for example, might a student need in order to best learn?
Brad Bates
Answer: Arguments about these terms erupt because people have different definitions. From my perspective, equality means- everyone has the same opportunity to learn or participate and succeed as any other student. An example- there is a band competition next Saturday in Columbia. Every student has the opportunity to participate in the activity; an equal chance. Equity is when something prevents a student from participating equally and allowances need to be considered. Again, band competition in Columbia, if a student doesn't have transportation to get themselves to the competition, then equity is providing assistance to get to the point of equality.
Tapiwa "Felix" Madondo
Answer: Equity refers to fairness while equality is the idea of sameness. In equality, every student gets the same resources. In equity, every student gets the kind of resources and opportunities they need depending on their circumstances. The school board must ensure each and every child is treated fairly and provided the same educational resources.
Scott Hovis
Answer: The terms play a vital role to the district's mission and goal to build champions. It's important that all district buildings operate in a manner that is equal to their counterparts at all levels. All educators and students have equal opportunity and access to help them learn and succeed. It is important that the district operates the schools with parity. It's also important they do not enforce it in a way that limits ability to have own individuality as a school. Equity within the district's procedures is important so that rules are clear, and consequences are same for everyone.
Question: In 2021, the school district spent $16 million to install energy efficient things around school district buildings. The school board has also spent millions of dollars on new athletic fields and lighting. Meanwhile, some teachers still dip into their own personal account every year to buy supplies for kids. How would you assess how the district is spending its money?
Mike Harvey
Answer: When the superintendent and board proposed a second high school, it was stated that because of budget constraints, certain sports would be farmed out to other venues around the city. Somehow money was found and state-of-the-art athletic facilities appeared. It seems that academics have taken a back seat to premier sports facilities.
No teacher should be put in a position to supplement classroom expenses out of their pocket. Each classroom needs an expense account to handle additional supply needs. Teacher salaries should be the bedrock of the budget and not be discounted because of other expenses.
Suzanne Luther
I think our district does a decent job of budgeting. While teachers have been spending from their own personal funds seemingly forever, I understand that money can't be diverted from earmarked funds, both the energy updates and athletic fields being capital improvement designated expenditures. I believe the energy updates were part of a program the district utilized that will in the long run save the district a great deal of money. As far as the issue of teachers spending their own money on classroom needs, the JCPS Foundation is one program that aims to help teachers with different grant opportunities.
Brad Bates
Answer: I believe the district should supply all adequate materials for classroom and activities. I supported the activities facilities and opposed the energy issue. My first priority is safety. JCPS was sending our soccer teams down Highway 179, crossing train tracks everyday to get to their fields, our softball girls previously crossed the bridge and changed clothes in their cars before practice, our tennis teams were having issues with homeless men exposing themselves. I'm sorry, but that's unacceptable. No one wants that for their kids, right? It is our responsibility to provide safe and accessible areas for our kids' activities.
Tapiwa "Felix" Madondo
Answer: Making schools energy efficient is very important; as a matter of fact I would encourage more of such investments. However, such investments should translate into higher quality of education for children and better pay for our educators. The district should spend the savings from energy efficiency on getting enough supplies for teachers. I would suggest having a comprehensive cost study to determine how much is enough for supplies for each grade level. Currently, our district teachers are allowed to spend $300 for classroom supplies and that is not enough.
Scott Hovis
Answer: The current administration is working to offer the best teacher pay and investing in ways they can evolve with the needs of students and staff. Investing in teacher's classroom budgets, upgrading building materials, and safety protocols are a few examples the district is wisely spending money. Moving athletic fields from a variety of locations is visible investment to our community. The one-time expense will enforce safety of our youth and betterment of student activities. Funds being spent offer recruitment opportunities to secure statewide events for our community. Overall, investments the district is making will provide greater return for the community.
Question: As a school board member, would you vote for gender neutral or "inclusive" bathrooms like what was tried in Blair Oaks recently? Explain your answer.
Mike Harvey
Answer: Extremely opposed to any gender neutral facilities. My Christianity dictates a generational path that has been accepted for centuries and I expect it to continue for generations to come.
Suzanne Luther
Answer: I would vote yes for gender neutral, or inclusive bathrooms. As a board member, it is my responsibility to respect the authenticity and protect the dignity of every child.
Brad Bates
Answer: It's the board's responsibility that our buildings are safe for our students. In unique topics, we must first consider what the consequences will be for the majority of our students/ families. While I sympathize with a student who may be struggling with any issue, the board is obligated to ensure the needs of the one do not outweigh the needs of the many, so I would not support this. The district's practice currently is to work with individual students and their families and utilize staff restrooms so all students can feel comfortable while at school, and I support this approach.
Tapiwa "Felix" Madondo
Answer: No, I believe in gender as indicated at birth. Some form of accommodation is possible, such as setting aside gender neutral single user washrooms. I have some safety concerns with gender neutral or "inclusive" washrooms.
Scott Hovis
Answer: JC Schools District takes great pride in showcasing its diverse student population that radiates how working together can overcome obstacles. Along this mindset, the district does not focus on any one student as being different, but rather believes in all students and their individual needs to learn. Our buildings offer environments that focus on learning and allow staff to work with individual students to meet their needs. This approach includes identifying solutions to ensure bathrooms are available to all no matter what their beliefs may be so that differences don't become barriers to students learning.
Question: When it comes to the performance of the district and the students it graduates, how would you rate JC Schools? Explain your answer.
Mike Harvey
Answer: I believe, although I'm looking at it from the outside, we are turning out a pretty good product. We are the capital city of Missouri and economic development is of gigantic importance. How others view our schools with the prospect of relocating here makes it of great importance that our schools show community leadership.
Suzanne Luther
Answer: Currently at 90 percent, our district has the highest graduation rate it has had in over 30 years and offers 31 advanced placement classes, which is more than any school of comparable size. More relevant though are the opportunities that will be afforded with the Kids First zero tax increase bond issue. Tangibly addressing both equality and equity, Kids First improvements should raise the graduation rate, improve learning outcomes, and create even more graduates who are better prepared for the futures they choose.
Brad Bates
Answer: Anywhere from superior to needs improvement, depending on where you look. JCPS offers more advanced classes than any district in Mid-Missouri and we have kids graduating with almost 2 years of college credit and being accepted in schools like Stanford, MIT, Harvard and Brown. On the other side of the coin, we have kids who may have gotten distracted and didn't take advantage of all that was before them. For all of our kid's sake, we can and must do a better job for our students.
Tapiwa "Felix" Madondo
Answer: Based on recent Annual Performance Reports (APRs) 2022 data our district scored at 71 percent. I believe we have a lot room for improvement performance compared to other school districts. Our graduation rate of 90 percent is above the national average, which is 84 percent. Graduation rate is great but we need to make sure our graduates are well prepared for the workforce, technical schools and colleges.
Scott Hovis
Answer: JC Schools strive to attract, hire, and retain the best educators in our state. The district challenges its staff to work through tough situations to help their students learn. Setbacks like COVID-19 can occur, but the district has proven they can work through challenges. Changes in staffing, scheduling, structure, policy, and procedure are occurring behind the scenes, which is why I rate the district as "improving." These steps are important ones for the district to take and will pay off with enhanced performance if the community and the district continue working together to produce respectful, educated youth.
Submitted photo Brad Bates
Submitted photo Mike Harvey
Submitted photo Suzanne Luther
Submitted photo Tapiwa "Felix" Madondo