Candidates for Cape school board stake out positions

There are five candidates competing for three seats on the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education in the Tuesday, April 4, municipal election. Candidates Kim Swartz and Roy Diamond will be challenging sitting board members Missy Phegley, Jared Ritter and Casey Cook, who are seeking reelection.

Sommer Shardae and Byron Bonner filed to be candidates but subsequently withdrew from the race. Their names, however, will still appear on the ballot.

Each of the five remaining candidates were asked five questions prepared by the Southeast Missourian.

Casey Cook, 44, said he has lived in Cape Girardeau his whole life and graduated from Cape Central High School in 1996. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from Southeast Missouri State University and a master's degree in Agronomy from Texas A&M University. Cook is the director of Continuous Improvement for Spartech in Cape Girardeau. He is married and has three daughters who all attend Cape Girardeau Public Schools. He has served on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education for three years.

Roy Diamond, 45, said he is a lifelong Cape Girardeau resident. He graduated from Cape Central High School and now works as a painter for Lloyd Slinkard Painting Co Inc. He is married and has three children, one a senior at Cape Girardeau Central, and two attending Southeast Missouri State University.

Roy Diamond

Roy Diamond

Missy Phegley, 53, moved to Cape Girardeau in 1991. She received a Bachelor of Science in English Education from Taylor University in Indiana, an MA in English from Southeast Missouri State University and a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. She is the director of composition and assessment for SEMO. She has two children who both graduated from Cape Girardeau Central High School. Her daughter attends SEMO as a Mass Media major, and her son completed the welding program at the Career and Technology Center. Phegley has served on the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education for three years and is the current vice president.

Jared Ritter, 31, said he has lived in Cape Girardeau his entire life. He graduated from Cape Central High School in 2010. He also graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in English Education. He taught sixth through eighth grade English at the Cape Central Academy for two years. He is the owner and broker for Ritter Real Estate, and has served on the Cape Girardeau Public Schools Board of Education for six years.

Kim Swartz, 67, has lived in Cape Girardeau for 34 years. She is a retired marketing director. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with Bachelors of Science in Social Work and Marketing. She is married and has four children and eight grandchildren, two of whom attend Cape Girardeau Public Schools.

Missy Phegley

Missy Phegley

Issues

In your opinion is the school district on solid financial footing?

Cook: "Yes, with our unrestricted funds we are in a very good spot," Cook said "The district has done a good job managing the funds through COVID with the one-time federal and state funds we received. We've got to keep our eyes on it going forward, because funding is going to be challenging. The Legislature is fighting really hard to take money away from public schools."

Diamond:"I want to say yes," Diamond said. "I don't have numbers to back any of that up, but I do know that we are able to do what we need to do, which therefore has us, in my opinion, solid financially. I'm not going to talk about other school districts, but other school districts around here are not in near the shape that we're in."

Phegley: "Yes, in my opinion, I think we're in a really good position," Phegley said. "Our fund balance went up 10% (from 2018 to 2020), which I think is pretty impressive. We've been able to give our teachers pretty decent raises in the last few years. Our starting salary, for teachers, is higher than many other districts in our region, including Jackson, not to throw shade. I think we're doing things, fiscally, very smart. With our facilities, we've worked hard to employ people that are tradesmen. They can do plumbing and they can work on HVAC and they could do a lot of those repairs where we can take care of things in-house instead of having to contract with people outside of the district."

Ritter: "Easy answer is, yes, absolutely," Ritter said. "Our fund balance was at 28%, which is just spectacular, in that not a lot of school districts can say that. Not having to rely on others to pay our bills is a big deal as a school district. We get audited every single year, and that gets passed with flying colors. I think it's also important to consider you have to be a good steward in all areas. I'm always asking myself, what's best for kids in this area? What support does our district need motion in, and are we voting on that support?"

Swartz: "I think the district is indeed in a sound financial position," Swartz said. "I've attended school board meetings for about a year and a half now, just as a spectator to learn more. I think our surplus position may have something to do with all of the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding that we received. The important thing, to me, is that we fully fund all of the programs of the services that represent the values in our community and make for the best learning experiences."

Jared Ritter

Jared Ritter

What is your view regarding the current academic scores of Cape Girardeau Public Schools?

Cook: "There's always the opportunity for improvement," Cook said. "From a diversity standpoint, we're an urban school that has a really good distribution of socioeconomic diversity in the district. So we've got highs and we've got lows and everything in between. It's something that we're continually working on."

Diamond: "We can always be better," Diamond said. "To get more we need to expect more. I believe we can always do better along those lines. So if we expect more out of them, we'll get a higher standard, too."

Phegley: "It probably gets old to say this, but due to the COVID years, there are definitely learning gaps," Phegley said. "As part of our Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, we're definitely working toward addressing some of these gaps. We are adopting a districtwide assessment program that's going to give us beginning-, middle- and end-of-term data where we can see how our students are doing. We can make adjustments so that we can help those students rather than waiting until we get those standardized test scores back months later."

Ritter: "COVID didn't help us, or any school district, when you think about it," Ritter said. "Whenever you have something that needs improvement there's no reason to hide that. For example, low scores right now are in math and in reading. I think if you're willing to address it, that shows that you're also willing to correct it. The district is starting a new program called Galileo. I think this program will help us focus on every single student improving, instead of trying to evaluate, a year later, when we receive test scores from DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.)"

Swartz: "An administrator during a recent school board meeting showed that proficiencies are way below standard," Swartz Said. "He mentioned they've been using a particular curriculum for three years. At what point do you say, 'Hold it, this isn't working, move to another curriculum?' We spend between $10,000 and $14,000 per student to educate them and this is above average in the state of Missouri. This shouldn't happen. We need to focus on good academic education -- math, science, reading and writing English -- to ensure that our district has a really strong and enduring foundation of education for our children's future success."

Kim Swartz

Kim Swartz

What is your opinion on the district's recent superintendent search process?

Cook: "I think it's been a good process. I think the timing is tough. It's not the time you ordinarily would go out for a search but the plan of attack was to define the critical, quality attributes, the characteristics and qualifications of what a superintendent for this district would look like. The board built a very rigorous, very thorough qualification list and put it out."

Diamond: "I have not been in those meetings to hear one side or another," Diamond said. "I do believe that if you feel like you got the right candidate then I think they've done everything that they can do. If they maybe don't know if that's the right candidate, or want to hear more, that needs to be open because, bottom line is, this is what's going to be best for the school. So, whatever that is, superintendent-wise, is what we need to do."

Phegley: "As a board, we agreed on a process and we are following through with our process," Phegley said. "I think that we established the criteria that we wanted in a new superintendent. We had two qualified candidates, and we were able to interview them and that's all I can say right now. (The Southeast Missourian) reported on a little bit of disagreement, but I think asking questions is really important."

Ritter: "There was a process that all members voted on, and I think that's the important thing to remember," Ritter said. "There seems to be a lot of questions on the process, but every single board member was in agreement on how we were going to do that process, and, quite frankly, we carried through that process. I don't think that any of us knew what to expect as far as how many we would get. We did get two qualified candidates that we, obviously, interviewed. It's definitely a hot topic, but I think it's also important to remember that you don't want a board that's going to be full of 'yes' people. You want boards that can have discussion, and can talk open and honestly, and, at the end of the day, come to a unified decision that we all agree will be the one that's going to move our district forward with that decision."

Swartz: "I just believe that this is the No. 1 most important task that the school board is given. It is a place of authority for the school board that they actually have some control over. I feel like, just for sheer transparency purposes as well as the ability to select the best candidate possible, that we should have extended the amount of time. Nine business days? That's not enough. I think that a board is elected to do the due diligence, and having done so, can always stand on the position that we examined every option. To me, that sets the candidate, particularly if he is the local one, up to an even higher standard."

Casey Cook

Casey Cook

What do you see as the primary work of the Board of Education, and is there any particular issue that's motivating you to serve on the board?

Cook: "One, obviously is to provide oversight for finances -- taxpayer dollars," Cook said. "The next piece is obviously academics, make sure that the school is delivering its product, which is teaching education. Then the last is oversight of the superintendent because that's the board's one single employee."

Diamond: "The primary thing for a school board is basically your policies. The only employee that the school board has is the superintendent. The reason why I'm running, I just want to give back to the school. I've had three kids go through Central, my youngest will be graduating in May, and me and my wife both graduated from Central. For me, I just want to give back to the school and try to do everything that I can do to make Cape public schools the best that it possibly can be. And what is that best? You know, I don't know what that answer is right off hand, but I'll tell you this, I believe you try to be better tomorrow than you were today. I think if we can have that same mentality going into a school district, I believe we can always be better no matter how good we are, we can always be better. I'm not saying we're in bad shape or anything like that, I'm just saying we can always be better."

Phegley: "We're in this for the kids. I moved to Cape Girardeau after I had already graduated from college. I didn't attend schools in Cape Girardeau; I wasn't even from Missouri. So, I'm like a transplant, but I've lived in Cape for 32 years. This town has been so good to me, and that's why I ran, initially. I feel like, with my skills, abilities and areas of expertise, this is the area where I can really give back to the community. I think schools are tremendously important. I think they are the heart of the community. If we have good schools, then we have stronger communities. So, that said, the primary role of the board, our responsibility, is we determine policy and evaluate the superintendent. Also, we support the school system and promote continuous improvement, continuous learning, continuous bettering of ourselves. We help put those things into place so we can create that strong community by way of a strong school."

Ritter: "I love Cape Central. That's the biggest thing for me. You know, born here, raised here, graduating from Cape Central, being able to teach within the district. I think that my biggest desire to run is I just wanted to still be involved and make decisions that were best for kids, but also to support our teachers. Above all, I want to be known as a district that pays its people well and, of course, anything that's good for student learning. The biggest thing I think we have to remember, as a board, is that we are on the policy side. Our job is not to micromanage every single position. Our job is to allow those people that are put in those positions to thrive. For superintendent, one of our main purposes is to hire and fire and hold that person accountable. If we do our jobs as a school board, and leadership starts from the top to bottom, then that will carry through to their cabinet, to their administrators and so on."

Swartz: "I think they have done well financially and I give them credit for that. I think, also, we have maintained an appropriate classroom size for our students. I think the average is about 16 students per classroom at this time, and I think that's well within range. Their sporting program is awesome. We've done really well and I love the enthusiasm that sports programs garner from not only students and parents, but also from the community. It's a great spirit builder and support enhancer. How is the district falling short? I suppose scores would be the most obvious, and that's really our top priority, isn't it?"

Over the last five years, what has the district done well, how has the district fallen short and how would you address those issues?

Cook: "I think the finances is something that has been managed very well over the past five years. Obviously, with COVID in play, that was uncharted waters and the district did a good job navigating through very tumultuous times," Cook said.

Cook also pointed to the hiring of a district athletic director that helped tie all the schools together. He said, as a result, district communications have seen a "marked improvement" over when "it was really easy for them to operate as islands."

Diamond: "One thing I've really noticed, probably in the last couple years, I think you're seeing the district trying to bring in the community more. That's big. We've got to have community support with the kids as well as for the teachers and the administration. I think we're doing a good job trying to incorporate our town into that. That's an ongoing process that, again, we can always be better. We may not always agree on things, but I believe everybody who makes a decision within the school district feels like they have the best for the school district in mind."

Phegley: "We have established some really good community partnerships. I'm excited about the recent apprentice program through the CTC, which serves people beyond just our school district. We have this great partnership with Cape Parks and Recreation with programs getting more kids involved in playing sports, which creates a sense of community and a sense of belonging that is so important for our young people. We can keep improving, helping our students with their academic performance. Help address some of those learning gaps, and hit those earlier in the process, rather than waiting until a year out when we get their standardized test scores back."

Ritter: "I think we're connecting with more students than we ever have as a school district. From esports to robotics to the new club sports at the elementary level, to the Junior Air Force. We started the Early Childhood Center and then the relationship with Mineral Area College. Perhaps the one that hits my heart the most is purchasing the future building of Central Academy. I'm just very proud to be a part of this. To be able to help the district in my new career, my new passion of real estate, to help the district purchase the school building that I used to teach in, is just amazing. You always have to look back and ask yourselves, 'Are there things you could do better?' COVID was uncharted territory. I think any decision we made, I'm 100% confident we made those decisions with what we felt like was best for kids in those moments."

Swartz: "I think there are three main focuses for the board. Due diligence in budgeting to maintain the financial security of the district, curriculum, and the other is hiring the superintendent. The superintendent works with school board and the school board works for the taxpayers. What piqued my interest, what motivates me, is the environment that my grandchildren are in through most of their day. I'm simply interested in the best education for the children of our district and I also believe that good schools promote good results in our community all around. When an industry comes to Cape Girardeau, they look at the schools. I want Cape public school district to be a school that they look at and say, 'I'm going to live in Cape, I'm going to educate my kids in Cape and I'm going to work in Cape. This is where I'm going to plant my roots and raise my family.' I think our school systems have a big influence on that."