Candidate forums are underway for the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education.
One took place on Wednesday, hosted by the Springfield Council of PTAs, and all seven candidates attended.
Those in the running for three open positions are Dr. Chad Rollins, Danielle Kincaid, Dr. Maryam Mohammadkhani, Scott Crise, Dr. Kyler Sherman-Wilkins, Landon McCarter and Susan Provance.
The candidates were asked “What would be your top two or three objectives if elected or re-elected to the school board?”
Incumbent Danielle Kincaid said, as a board, they’re working on addressing behavior issues in schools. But she said it’s not a quick fix.
"We're not a kayak. We're a cruise ship, and it takes time to move a cruise ship. You can move a kayak a lot faster. We are headed in the right direction, but it's going to take time," Kincaid said.
And she said the community must play a role, too, in addressing the problem.
Another priority, Kincaid said, is increasing community partnerships. She called out those on the board who voted against the Alliance for Healthcare Education.
Incumbent Maryam Mahammadkhani said her number one priority is the achievement of SPS students. To achieve that, she pointed to three of her priorities, including providing nurturing and disciplined learning environments.
"For children to grow and to thrive and to learn, they need structure, they need routine, they need organization — so, so valuable," Mahammadkhani said.
Other priorities, she said, are attaining and retaining qualified, dedicated, happy staff members, especially teachers. And her third priority is increasing parent and family engagement.
Landon McCarter praised communication between the district and parents, but he said he’d work to make it even better.
His main priority, he said, would be addressing behavior problems in the classroom.
"Parents, you know, if you ask them why they're pulling kids out of our district, literally nine times out of ten I hear it's from safety concerns and behavior expectations," said McCarter.
He also said he’d work toward smaller classes and more paraprofessionals in schools.
Chad Rollins said his number one priority is to ensure the board puts the strategic plan in place and monitors it. Part of that, he said, is to produce success-ready students and to ensure a quality learning environment.
"We all want our students to be successful," Rollins said. "We want them to be able to go out and be able to go to college or enter the workforce and be prepared when they get out of SPS."
Rollins said the board needs to focus on safety, discipline and behavior. He proposes looking at adding more resource officers in schools who would develop relationships with students. And he’d like to see SPS develop a mentorship program — pairing student leaders and athletes with younger kids. Another priority, he said, is teacher support.
Susan Provance said she would “100% support teachers. Teachers need respect. They deserve respect. They go to school everyday, work with that student all day long in the classroom to do what's best for that student. What can we do to help them?"
Another priority, Provance said, is making sure kids are ready for kindergarten, she said the district needs to place an emphasis on achieving the third grade reading level. She said the community needs to support its public schools.
Kyler Sherman-Wilkens said a priority for him is supporting all efforts to recruit and retain qualified teachers and other school staff. That includes increasing salaries and professional development opportunities.
And he said the district needs to address student discipline, "but I think we need to do so in a data-informed way that really centers the well-being of the child. And I do not think we should let our desperation to fix the problem allow us to entertain problematic and counterproductive policies such as corporal punishment. I'm against that."
Another priority, said Sherman-Wilkens, is encouraging increased collaborations and partnerships with community stakeholders, including parents, but also businesses to ensure that students are prepared for the jobs of the future.
Incumbent Scott Crise said a top priority for him is retaining high quality teachers by increasing salaries and benefits and providing comprehensive, ongoing training.
Another priority is addressing student discipline issues, "making sure they're done in a consistent manner so teachers feel they're working in a safe environment," said Crise.
And he said he’ll continue to make sure the district properly manages the construction of its new facilities and follows the strategic plan.
March 18 through 22 at 12:06 p.m. on KSMU, we’ll bring you interviews with all seven candidates for the SPS School Board as well as interviews with candidates for the Nixa, Ozark and Willard School Boards. It’s an effort by the Informed Voter Coalition to inform voters ahead of the April 2 Election.
