Common Core a common concern at school board forum

Challenges and opportunities, Common Core standards and the qualities each candidate would bring to the Jackson School Board were presented Thursday night during SEMO Pachyderms' "Get to Know Your School Board Candidates Forum."

Held at Dexter Bar-B-Que in Cape Girardeau, the forum attracted 56 people with the school board election approaching April 8.

Five of eight Jackson School Board candidates running for three spots showed while one Cape Girardeau School Board member, Don Call, attended.

All but one of the Jackson hopefuls stated their opposition to Common Core, which according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website is a set of academic expectations in English language arts and mathematics.

Call, Phil Moore, who previously served three years, and board president Tony Smee are the only candidates for the Cape Girardeau School Board, so an election will not be held. Moore and Smee did not attend the Pachyderms forum.

Jackson incumbent T. Wayne Lewis, the sole Common Core supporter, and candidates Kristi Uhrhan, Brad Noel, Jamie Pfefferkorn Nipper and Will Adams attended. Board president Terri Tomlin, board member Bruce Thomas and candidate Larry L. Koenig had scheduling conflicts.

Common Core standards define the knowledge and skills all students should master by the end of each grade level to be on track for success in college and career, the DESE website said. Created through a state-led initiative, its standards have been adopted by more than 40 states, including Missouri, the site said.

Jackson candidates were asked to step out of the room, then come in one at a time to answer the same five questions.

Those against Common Core felt it means local control is being taken away from school districts. In her campaign material, Kristi Uhrhan, an architect, said any education reform that bypasses feedback from parents and teachers "should draw immediate attention and hesitation."

Areas of "parent unease," the material said, some of which are shared by Noel, include standards-based reporting and grading, spelling, testing, discipline and the growing rate of bullying.

Standards-based assessment and reporting are meant to more accurately measure how a student is progressing toward meeting state and district education standards, according to the Jackson School District website. Standards-based grading assigns a number instead of a letter grade, indicating the grade level the student has reached in each subject.

Nipper, an occupational therapist, said she would do research, ask questions and listen to constituents as a board member. Like her fellow candidates, she said the people lost their voice somewhere along the way.

Noel, a lab technician in Jackson's wastewater plant, said his initial involvement with the district occurred about four years ago when he disagreed with changes in the way spelling was taught. Since then, Noel said, other changes have taken place which he didn't agree with and took time to discuss them with the school board.

Noel said he has the ability to research everything in depth.

"Whatever it is that's going on, I'm not going to rubber stamp. I'm not going to tell them what they want to hear," he said.

Adams, an Operation Desert Storm veteran, former police officer and now a manager at Procter & Gamble, said Jackson needs a plan for the future because it is steadily growing.

Incumbent Lewis, a dentist, said his themes are quality, progress and stability. "I hope my vision and experience can draw you to vote for me," Lewis said.

Lewis said the Jackson board has three official missions and one unofficial -- hiring a superintendent, setting a budget, setting policy; and the latter, communicating with the public.

He said the board's challenge is continuing to build on Jackson's success in tests, music and sports, to name a few.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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