SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES ANSWER QUESTIONS

The four candidates for Cape Girardeau's school board answered questions on a variety of issues facing the school district.

Seeking two three-year terms on the school board are Larry H. Trickey, R. Ferrell Ervin, Terry Taylor and Harold Hager. The election is April 4.

The League of Women Voters forum videotaped March 16 will be shown on cable access Channel 5 today and April 2 at 5:50 p.m. The program lasts a little more than an hour.

Cape Girardeau teachers are holding a forum Monday at 3:45 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Vocational-Technical School and Washington Elementary School's PTA is holding a forum Thursday at 7 p.m. at the school.

Why did you decide to run for the school board?

Trickey said he has four goals:

-- removal of the present superintendent.

-- establishment of an alternative school.

-- reduction in the number of students per classroom so that teachers can be more effective.

-- more efficient use of the district's resources.

"We need to take a look at and make better uses of district resources and money," Trickey said. "Maybe the board and superintendent can't take all these trips."

Ervin said, "One of the things I offer is the ability to listen and try to involve people. I think that I could help the school district get back on the right road."

The problems of the school district aren't insurmountable, Ervin said. He said teachers and students are doing outstanding jobs, despite the turmoil surrounding the administration and school board. "Imagine what we could do if we were all working together," he said.

Taylor said he has communication skills that allow him to communicate with and listen to people in the community, adding: "And I will follow through with their wants."

Hager said he doesn't have all the answers, but he's willing to tackle issues. "I thought perhaps I could make a contribution," he said. "I'm viewing it as a public service to a community that has given me much in my lifetime."

What is the top issue facing Cape schools?

Trickey said the community has a complete lack of trust in the school board and superintendent. He thinks Superintendent Neyland Clark should resign.

"I think the board has to share responsibility with Dr. Clark for the community's lack of confidence, especially certain members of the board who have demonstrated very poor judgment," he said.

Ervin said the top issue facing the school district is a lack of trust between the community itself and leadership of the school district, both the administration and the school board.

Ervin said the board must reach out to the community and ask for input. Once trust is re-established, the district must set a long-range strategic plan.

Taylor said the top issue facing Cape Girardeau schools is restoring credibility to the school board and the superintendent's office.

Hager said the school district must get beyond the problems of the past year and somehow re-establish credibility with the community.

Do you support construction of a new elementary school?

Trickey said he supports construction of an elementary school.

But, he added, "I think it's a complete waste of time to ask for voters to approve a new school as long as we have Dr. Clark as superintendent."

Ervin said at least one new elementary school needs to be built. He thinks a new school should be built on the north side of town, probably the northwest.

He estimates the school system needs at least 1 1/2 to two years to build enough trust before voters could approve a new building.

Taylor supports construction of a new elementary school and would like to see a proposal on the ballot within a year.

Hager said he's voted for all the building issues in the past and would support future efforts.

Hager said a new building should be on the ballot as soon as is practical, but the board should be confident of victory first. "We can't really afford to have another one voted down," he said.

Does Cape Girardeau need to redraw its elementary boundaries?

Trickey said he favors neighborhood schools and opposes any plan to move children a great distance from their homes.

Ervin, who serves on the redistricting committee, said three elementary schools are overcrowded and three aren't so crowded. To equalize opportunities, something must change.

"If we are going to be building, we are going to have to redistrict when the building is completed," he said. "I maybe lean more toward waiting to see what's going to happen with a new school."

Taylor said elementary boundaries shouldn't be redrawn until a decision is made on a new elementary school.

Hager said if a building project gets under way, redistricting will naturally be a part of the process, especially if the new building replaces an existing building.

Do you support a middle school for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grades?

Trickey said he likes the junior high and high school situation as it is. "And I like the concept of neighborhood schools," he said.

Ervin said he thinks people in Cape Girardeau really like the neighborhood schools and want sixth-graders in elementary schools. He might support a sixth- and seventh-grade middle school, but he doesn't want to see ninth-graders at the high school.

"Literature in education really supports the concept of a middle school," he said.

Taylor favors a middle school for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

Hager doesn't have a strong opinion about a middle school. He would like to hear from principals, teachers and parents before making a decision.

What steps should be taken concerning racial imbalances in the district?

Trickey said, "I feel that the neighborhood-school concept is much more important than racial imbalances."

Ervin said redistricting is needed to balance racial enrollments. The question he sees is who will decide what action to take, Cape Girardeau leaders or someone else, like a court judge.

Taylor said new construction will help balance racial enrollments among elementary schools. He would like to see the district aggressively recruit black teachers.

Hager said the racial imbalance must be corrected. That might mean moving students. A new elementary school might solve the problem. Hager added that recruiting minority teachers should be a priority.

What ideas do you have to discourage students from dropping out of school?

Trickey's second goal is establishment of an alternative school for students who need different teaching strategies. He taught at an alternative school in St. Louis and saw the value of this type of school.

Ervin likes the project at May Greene Elementary School that joins the school with social service agencies to help children. For older students, he would like to see an alternative school. Children who are disruptive in the classroom would be moved to a different learning environment.

He added that students need to be shown different careers and ways to achieve those jobs.

Taylor said the district's dropout rate is one of his top concerns. He would like to see an alternative school for students at-risk of dropping out. Teachers should look for a student's strengths and build on those strengths. Not all children are destined to attend college, he said. Other opportunities should be available.

Hager said the idea of an alternative school makes sense. He also would like to see some kind of parenting program to help families of children at-risk of dropping out of school.

What is your opinion of tenure?

"To be honest," Trickey said, "I probably am not a big supporter of the tenure concept. Teachers can burn out over the long haul and not be a real service."

Teachers shouldn't remain employed solely because they have tenure, Trickey said.

Ervin said tenure should be awarded to faculty members who have proven their competence. But he also wants to see a regular evaluation of all employees from cooks and custodians through the superintendent.

Taylor opposes the concept of tenure. "Although I don't believe it fosters bad teachers, I think we need to evaluate all teachers periodically as we do with most of the rest of the workforce," he said.

Hager favors tenure as long as evaluative measures are in place for tenured teachers.

Does the school board have a credibility problem?

Trickey said the board has such a severe credibility problem, he thinks some board members should resign, specifically Ed Thompson, Pat Ruopp and Kathy Swan, to help build confidence in the board.

Ervin said a credibility problem exists. For example, while the redistricting committee was soliciting community input, the school board met with representatives from a bonding company.

"It appears there are two or three different ideas going on at the same time," Ervin said. "It simply is upsetting when the public doesn't know what the school board is doing."

He said a strategic planning process would help build credibility. Once goals are set, he added, the school shouldn't change direction without the public being aware of the reasons.

Taylor, too, said the school board lacks credibility in the community. He said school board members must listen to voters and parents more, adding: "Unfortunately in the last two years, I don't think that has happened."

Hager agreed that a credibility gap exists. He would like to see the board establish credibility so the school system can start moving forward.

How would you vote on an extension of the superintendent's contract or a pay raise for the superintendent?

Trickey would vote no to extending Clark's contract and no to a salary increase.

In fact, he said he would recommend a second look at all salaries in the central office.

"I'm not even sure we need Dr. Niggle's position," Trickey said.

Dr. Timothy Niggle is director of human resources. Trickey suggests eliminating the position and using the money to hire additional classroom teachers. Principals could do hiring at the building level, he said.

Ervin answered no to both questions.

He explained. "Whenever it's clear the superintendent is not representing the goals of the school board or there is a public outcry dealing with how the superintendent is acting, it behooves the board to take the appropriate action."

Ervin said it is clear Clark hasn't been successful in his outreach into the community.

He added that salary increases should be tied to a positive evaluation and also to raises given to other employees in the school district.

Taylor said he would vote no on an extension of Clark's contract and no to a salary raise.

Taylor said he doesn't like the idea of extending a contract yearly. He would prefer to see a contract be fulfilled and then renegotiated.

Hager said he isn't in a position to answer yes or no on an extension of Clark's contract or a salary increase because he hasn't been involved in the evaluation process of the superintendent.