SCHOOL HOPEFULS CITE NEEDS; THREE BOARD MEMBERS TO BE CHOSEN APRIL 6

Cape Girardeau school board hopefuls expressed a desire for open lines of communication between the board and public and increased parental involvement in the school system during a voters forum held at Southeast Missouri State University Tuesday night.

The Rev. William Bird, Marty Clay, Debra Mitchell-Braxton, Sharon Mueller, Andrew Ostrowski and Tina Trickey participated in the forum at Dempster Hall's Glenn Auditorium. Bob Blank and Gary McIntyre did not attend.

The eight candidates are vying for three, three-year positions on the board. The election is April 6.

Each candidate gave a timed response to questions prepared by the audience. Submitted questions centered around the relevance of racial diversity to establishment of elementary school boundaries, the need to improve teacher morale, and whether candidates supported school tax levy increases for school construction.

All candidates supported tax levy increases to improve local and state funding to the district and improved communication between the school board and public. Most agreed that low teacher morale could be improved with incremental salary increases each year as well as more benefits and other classroom and program improvements.

Bird, who is seeking re-election to a second term on the board, said his experiences as a parent, minister and board member would be beneficial if he were re-elected. He said racial diversity is a relevant factor to consider when attempting to redraw new elementary school boundaries.

Change is sometimes necessary for growth, and the changes proposed in the district's master plan would facilitate improvements in not only buildings and curriculum but in parental involvement and teacher morale, he said. "We have to continue to educate the public about the importance of education," Bird said. "With the growth of the city and being competitive with other towns, we have to stay equal, if not ahead."

Clay said his two best credentials were a vested interest in the district and a lifelong interest in learning. He supported redistricting to improve ethnic diversity in elementary school classrooms and said teachers "have a right to expect incremental pay increases." In the end, however, parental involvement will be the determining factor in a child's educational success, he said. Clay said, "Schools bear a large burden, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the student and the parents."

Mitchell-Braxton said her 20 years working as an educator and desire to help all children maximize their potential in a good school environment makes her a good candidate for the school board. Historical inequities in facilities, curriculum and public sentiment can only be reversed if redistricting includes efforts to improve minority distribution throughout the district, she said.

"I would be supportive of any advancement that helps our students progress," said Mitchell-Braxton. "I believe we need to work hard to create a school that reflects a true picture of our society and allows all of our students to work in an environment that allows them to reach their individual potential."

Mueller, who moved to the district recently, said her experiences in other school districts and as a volunteer has prepared her to be a school board member. Many of the district's problems -- including teacher morale and the issue of redistricting -- could be improved if the school board relied more on parental involvement, she said.

Mueller, whose daughter will be moved from Alma Schrader to Clippard elementary school if a redistricting proposal is adopted, said she understands the need for school boundaries to change. "I would like for my daughter to stay at Alma Schrader, but if it means she'll be in a class of 34 students, than I would rather see her at Clippard," said Mueller. "I think the board just needs to be proactive instead of reactive and keep the community involved in what it's doing."

Ostrowski said he is seeking a school board position because he wants to decrease ignorance among the community's future leadership. If children receive reading, writing, arithmetic and responsibility in an equitable environment, issues like low teacher morale and racial diversity won't be as important, he said.

The best way I see to handle it is take the schools and make them as equitable as possible, sort of like it would be if we went to a McDonalds," said Ostrowski. "If we make things equitable, then every student will be receiving the same thing at every building."

Trickey wants to reinstate individual responsibility into the educational environment and remove students who have a history of disciplinary problems. She said school board members should base their decisions on sound judgment and have an eye to the short- and long-term impact of their decisions.

"Change is sometimes painful, and I know we often want to make those changes immediately," Trickey said. "This community can no longer afford to put education on the back burner."

Some 30 people attended the forum, which was co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri and the university's mass communication and political science departments. Dr. Peter Bergerson, chairman of the political science department, was the moderator for the event.