Board of Education candidate Q&A

Update: Jan Reding's responses have been added to the article. 3/24/2023

     Seven candidates are on the ballot for Grain Valley's school board. Voters will select three members from the slate of seven candidates. 
​     Each candidate was invited to respond to the following series of questions from Valley News. Two incumbent candidates - Jeff Coleman, Tisha Homfeld - have not provided responses. Responses received after the deadline will be published and any updates will be noted at the top of this article. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order, and other than minor spelling or grammatical corrections, the candidate's responses are provided as written. 

Michael Hackett
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Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board of education?
     I don’t have a particular issue that motivates me, I want to see all our children succeed.  I want us to come together as community to support all of our students.
 
What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
     I have 18 years of experience serving the community on the Grain Valley Board of Education. I have experience with how state statues impact our local schools, and a working understanding of how a Public School operates.
 
What is the biggest challenge facing public education and how can the board best address the challenge in our community?
     Sufficient funding to make sure our teachers and staff are paid what they should be paid is high on the list of things that allow us to attract and keep good people.  We need to be the voice to our state lawmakers to remind them of the needs of our community and their duty to see we have the support we need to prepare our students to be Missouri Citizens tomorrow.
 
What role should the community play in supporting the education of children?
     There are several ways the community NEEDS to play.  Parents need to engage with their students, they need to engage with the teachers who teach their children.  The community needs to be involved in every opportunity the school has for engagement; PTA’s should be standing room only, and there should be wait lists to serve on Steering Committees, as well as every Stakeholder opportunity.
 
What distinguishes you from the other candidates?
     I’ve been passionate about Grain Valley Schools for many, many years.  I’m a graduate of Grain Valley Schools and want to see our students have far more opportunities than I did, and even that my children had coming through Grain Valley.

Lance Pollard

​Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board of education?
     I believe there is a disconnect between the community and the school district. We must do a better job of being transparent with what is being taught in classes and what is being distributed to the kids in our schools. 

What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
     During my career, I have been given the opportunity to take on leadership positions and help move groups of people towards a common goal. I have found that communication and transparency are key components of leadership. 

What is the biggest challenge facing public education and how can the board best address the challenge in our community?
     I believe that one of the challenges currently facing the public education system is a decrease in teacher's salaries. Also, I believe parent involvement is far too low. We need to find ways to better interact with our community. 

What role should the community play in supporting the education of children?
     GET INVOLVED. Attend your school board meetings. Go to your parent/teacher conferences. Know the curriculum and content being taught in classrooms. Don't be afraid to reach out to our great teachers or administrators with your concerns or questions. Be a volunteer when needed. There are so many productive avenues that parents and community members can take to give back to our education system. 

What distinguishes you from the other candidates?
     I would bring a fresh mindset to the BOE with a common sense approach to leadership. I would always advocate for increased benefits and salaries for our hard working staff and administration. Every decision made must benefit the kids in our district. I will fight for your kids as hard as I do my own. 
​

Jan Reding


Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the Board of Education?
  It is important on any board to have seasoned members that have not only experienced the activities and transactions of the past, but have had a working participation in the short and long-term goals of that organization.  I believe I have the experience and knowledge in making policy, in expanding and maintaining our district facilities, and in assuring that our district is financially sound.

What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
  I feel qualified to serve on the Board, as I have been a board member for the last 24 years.  I have attended over 100 hours of board professional development and received a Masters’ certification for professional development in the training sessions at the annual Missouri School Boards’ Association meetings.  In addition, I had a working experience in personnel and property management during my 37 years as manager of the Kansas City Power & Light Building.

What is the biggest challenge facing public education, and how can the Board best address the challenge in our community?
  It would seem that the biggest challenge facing public education in Grain Valley is the lack of sufficient funding to provide adequate salaries for our teachers and staff, and bonding capacity to continue to build and maintain facilities to accommodate our growing student population.  Funding for our employees is below that of the surrounding school districts, and we have the best-qualified staff in the state.  It is important that the public understand the reasons why we are seeking the funding we need.  We are fortunate to have our monthly senior citizen luncheons.  I visit with each table to answer any questions they may have concerning news they have heard or read about.  In addition, our school superintendent, Dr. Brad Welle addresses the audience as to any current issues they will hear or read about concerning the school district.

What role should the community play in supporting the education of children?
  Any member of our school community who has a question or concern is welcome to attend our board meetings or to call a member of our administrative team.  We want households to understand the reasoning behind the decisions we make, and having an open line of communication eliminates misunderstandings. 

What distinguishes you from the other candidates?
 I do not think there is a distinction.  I believe we are all willing to serve in a capacity that can assist in providing the best possible education for all of our Grain Valley students, while at the same time provide the adequate funding for our teachers, staff and facilities to live up to our motto of “effectively educating every student every day!”

Sarah Swartz
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Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board of education?
     As a Board of Education member, I would ensure that all kids feel safe and included in our schools. Additionally, I want teachers to know they are supported through their professional decisions in the classroom. 

What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
    I have previously taught 6th grade and 9th - 12th grade and am currently a school counselor. Working in a school gives me a vantage point of the everyday life of an educator. I understand all the demands our teachers and students are facing. I have served on many district committees and serve on Sni A Bar's PTA. I am dedicated to this district and helping our community. Through my skill set of counseling, I am able to listen to all viewpoints and work together to come to a common goal. 

What is the biggest challenge facing public education and how can the board best address the challenge in our community?
    One of our biggest challenges is that we are facing a teaching shortage. Teachers spend more time with our kids than we do as parents. We need to make sure we have the best professionals in the classroom to support our kids. Our teachers need to feel supported by the board and be fairly compensated for the work that they do. 

What role should the community play in supporting the education of children?
     The community should be involved. There are many ways to volunteer at our schools and partner with our schools.

What distinguishes you from the other candidates?
     I have graduated from Grain Valley, taught in Grain Valley, and send my son to Grain Valley Schools. I have been in this community since I was in the 5th grade. Additionally, my experience as an educator brings a value to the board. We need a balance of members that are not in education as well as some that are. We currently do not have any board members that have any experience working in education. I would bring the experience of that of a teacher and a school counselor. 

Julie Taylor
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Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board of education?
     There are several reasons I was encouraged to run for school board.  
     First, there is the issue of equity within our school district. When I speak of equity, this is not only related to our students, but also for the amazing staff within the district. For our staff, one of the biggest issues we face is our inability to hire and retain quality teachers. Grain Valley continues to be one of the lowest paying districts in the Metro KC area. This has caused capable staff to leave the district with a low application rate for their potential replacements.. I believe we can improve in this area by advocating for all district employees to receive quality pay and benefits as well as improving on the training, resources, and support needed to properly educate our students. 
     For our students, we need to start by taking a whole-child approach. As a district, we must understand our students’ needs come before the curriculum or standards. What I mean by this is before learning can occur, a student must feel safe and have a sense of belonging. Our staff must know our students and where they’re coming from — the different perspectives they bring into the classroom every day. To do this, there has to be a movement in our thinking to accept and educate students however they walk into our schools. 
     Further, when we think about the whole-child approach, and the equity of each student,  it also leads to the issue of mental health. Students today are experiencing mental health problems at alarming rates. These include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, and substance misuse and abuse.  Currently, our teachers are actively engaged in trauma informed school training and participate in Signs of Suicide lessons during Eagle Time, but we owe it to our staff and our children to provide more assistance in combatting and helping the struggles our students are experiencing. I would advocate for the hiring of an additional social worker – Grain Valley currently has ONE social worker to assist the needs of the approximately 4,500 students. It is simply too much for one person to provide the quality help our students deserve. Additionally, I would recommend the enhancement of the district’s trauma-informed training which trains staff to help with students in crisis. 
 
What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
     I have been an educator for over 20 years with experience in the urban, suburban, and university setting, with seven of those years being right here in Grain Valley.  Additionally, I hold several masters degrees emphasizing curriculum and instruction, equitable education, diversity, and technology that will help in the decision making within our schools.  I also have a doctorate in philosophy, education, curriculum and instruction, and the social sciences.  Each of these degrees, as well as the first-hand experience I have in teaching and connecting with students and communicating with parents, allow me to hold a unique perspective of the changing world our students currently live in and how to give them the educational needs that will help them be successful after they leave Grain Valley.   I am also a proud parent of a graduate of Grain Valley school district and have personally seen and experienced the district as a parent as well.  
 
What is the biggest challenge facing public education and how can the board best address the challenge in our community?
     One of the biggest challenges facing public education is the issue of staffing, whether it be certified or classified staff.  During COVID, teachers were the unsung heroes.  They were thanked, appreciated, and praised, and for once, it felt as if they were truly understood in the extent of the hard work they put into our students and our jobs everyday. Upon return, teachers seemed to be the opposition, yet they were working the HARDEST they had ever experienced.  We need to respect our teachers’ time and role in educating the lives of our students. We need to support that they are doing what is in the best interest of their students, every day, to ensure they receive the best education possible to prepare them for the real world. One way to begin working towards this is to have our school board listen to their staff more.  Our educators are experts in their field and when they come to the table with concerns, whether it be curriculum or discipline, they need to feel like they are heard in the discussions of things that impact them and the way they educate students. 
     To assist with this, the district needs to work on hiring full time subs in the school to help with the sub shortage in our schools to help protect plan times of teachers.  It also helps in allowing our students to have consistency and feel safe by having a familiar face in the classroom that knows them and has built relationships with them.  Hiring building subs will be a forward thinking move that ensures the placement of at least one or more substitutes in each building every day, ready to cover any absences that occur. To do this, the board can discuss having the district issue personal invitations to retired educators.  With the state making allowances for retired teachers to continue collecting their pension, while also earning substitute wages, it is an added incentive to lure newly retired educators back into the job they love for part time work. There is also the ability to recruit college students from teacher education programs:  By committing to substitute teaching, they can gain valuable experience in an internship of sorts allowing them to gain on the job training and learning opportunities to help in their future careers.
     Another way to assist the challenges of staffing that would help both students, and teachers, is having a math and reading interventionist and grade level specific instructional coaches to help close the learning gaps that have become more pronounced from COVID. The district could help in paying for this by looking closely at the budget and seeing where there is room for improvement to receive the academic support students are showing that they need. 

What role should the community play in supporting the education of children?
     All stakeholders should absolutely play a part in the education of our students.  Grain Valley is made up of diverse perspectives. It is through embracing these varied beliefs and backgrounds that can benefit our district by providing valuable input to our resources, our career and technical education programs, and being positive mentors and support to our students and staff. Seeing our community volunteering in our schools as room parents, classroom readers, real life career presentations, even help in funding, and supporting the variety of school programs are crucial to supporting and encouraging our students' academic and social emotional growth.  
     Further, having the community involved in education allows a bridge from school to home that allows teachers to get to know the families their students come from, their needs, and how they are helped at home.  This direct relationship with the community can help teachers understand where children need help with learning and ensure the best academic path and way of learning for each student.  
 
What distinguishes you from the other candidates?
     Aside from my career and educational experiences, I feel I hold a unique way of listening and making decisions. From a young age, I believed everyone had a story. Not one person's story is going to be the same, and I may not always agree or understand  the story someone tells.  However, I can listen to hear and to understand their story.  I can put aside my bias and my own feelings on a subject to come to the table to learn, process, gather information from multiple sources, and then make decisions and compromises on what is best for each student and staff member. As a school board member, being able to listen to learn will benefit all stakeholders to continue the growth of our district to continue to be the amazing district I have grown to love and support in and outside of the classroom.