Eagle Radio will moderate and broadcast a school board candidate forum Friday morning in downtown Saint Joseph. The forum will broadcast LIVE on 680-KFEQ.

All ten candidates for two seats on the Saint Joseph Board of Education will answer questions about their goals. The forum is sponsored by the Saint Joseph Chamber of Commerce and is part of its quarterly St. Joe Rising event which begins at 7 a.m.

Eagle Radio’s Barry Birr will moderate the forum and 680-KFEQ Radio will broadcast it live from the Radison Saint Joseph Riverfront Hotel, 102 South Third Street, beginning at 7:30 am. The moderator will select written questions from the audience to use in the forum.

CLICK HERE to listen to KFEQ.

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce has previously asked all candidates to answer a questionnaire.  We have their answers below:

 

Eric Bruder

President & CEO, Van AM Tool & Engineering LLC
Years in St. Joseph: Off and on for 34 years

Past experience relevant to School Board candidacy: Currently a member of the Board of Education and a member of the Missouri Western State University Board of Directors, United Missouri Bank Advisory Board and the Missouri Western Craig School of Business Advisory Board. I have a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering and an MBA, vast business and military experience.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? Before the BOE or district goes back to the public for a levy request the district’s management, administration, and structure must be optimized for cost effectiveness to set a foundation on which to move the district and city forward. A portion of that restructuring includes correcting under market compensation rates for many teachers and para professionals. Only once expenses are rationalized can that expense load be compared to revenues to see if any tax levy is needed going forward.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce?
I believe it is extremely important for the SJSD to work with the Chamber and local businesses in particular to evaluate and identify the training and education required of both High School and College Graduates to meet workforce needs of companies now in our area as well as businesses around the globe.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board?
The SJSD still needs tremendous change and refocus to move forward in an effective manner, which will set the stage for growth in this great city. As the SJSD flourishes through providing a great education and opportunities for our young people so will this city. I am the person that has the background and the fortitude to help identify problems and key issues and push critical changes forward, regardless of opposition and resistance, for the betterment of this city.

Michael G. Dulcan

Retired Postmaster
Years in St. Joseph: 70

Past experience relevant to School Board candidacy: I served on the St. Joseph Planning/Zoning Commission for one year. During that time I approved/disapproved various construction projects. In my capacity as president of the Morningside and Woodridge homes associations, I’ve had to deal and resolve all kinds of problems and situations. I served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam, receiving the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V. My wife was a teacher for 30 years, so I’m aware of a lot of problems that teachers are faced with.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? I agree that the School Board should not have proposed the 63-cent levy during 2015. I feel that a local survey should be proposed to see what the voting public would think about a modest levy increase for 1-2 years to make sure voters are comfortable with the situation.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? This is definitely a constructive idea. The more students see how local business operates, many students will get a better understanding of what careers and job opportunities are available in our city. Hillyard Technical School is an excellent example.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? I’d like to see a less expensive insurance plan for all management and staff in the SJSD. I’d like to see a School Board advocate that could increase better relations between staff and management. I’d like to see teachers’ salaries that are below 50 percentile be raised to comparable salaries in other schools. I’d like to see some statistics to show that the savings are really there after projects have been completed.

Margaret (Maggie) Elder

Retired
Years in St. Joseph: 54
Past experience relevant to School Board candidacy: I worked for the School District for 27 years as Library Aide, secretary in the superintendent’s office, manager of the Print Shop and completed my career in the bookroom. The Crayons to Computer program started during my tenure and I was in charge of setting up its format. After retirement, I served as president of the National Association of Retired Educational Professionals and I was the first support service person to serve as president of the Missouri Retired Teachers Association.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? There will eventually have to be a levy put before the voters. At this time I’m not sure of the amount. I would want to look at the budget line by line and look at all expenditures, especially those that don’t affect the education of the students. We must realize the only stream of funding that can be counted on is the levy. State funding never comes close to meeting the district needs.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? The School District could set up a commission of the different types of employers to find out what type of education would need to be offered to meet employers’ needs. Hillyard Technical School is being underutilized. Society says every high school graduate will attend college but some students have no desire to attend college. The School District and local businesses should work together to make sure Hillyard has the ability to train those students. A community college should also be discussed.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? I have been involved with education in some form or another since my children started school. Now my great grandchildren are starting with the school system and I would like to see them get the education we all desire for all students, and to be able to choose, be it going on to college or other form of higher education.

Bryan Green, MD

Physician-Family Medicine
Years in St. Joseph: Relocated to St. Joseph three years ago. I was born and spent a significant portion of my childhood and educational years here.

Past experience relevant to School Board candidacy: I have 14 years of experience working as a physician in various types of private and non-profit arenas. I’ve sat at as Chairman of Board of Directors of Saint Francis Hospital in southern Missouri. I volunteer time working on health literacy through Mosaic’s and SJSD Fourth Grade Challenge and with our neighborhood Edison Elementary School students. I have coached elementary basketball teams for each of the past three years. I’m the staff physician for our district’s concussion care protocol for school athletes.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? It is imperative that the district work toward restoring trust to earn back the .63 tax levy. For districts greater than 10K students, our tax rate was near the bottom before we lost the levy. Now it’s significantly lower than any other district in the state of similar or greater size. We are spending much less per student than other like-sized districts. Continuing this rate for much longer will be devastating for our district and the future of our community.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? The SJSD should work very closely with the local business community to help shape its goals toward education. The purpose of education should be to inform, mold, and prepare individuals to be responsible, productive, and successful participants and leaders in society. Most of our graduates will stay local. My hope is that collaboration with the business community would also bolster our schools, enhancing their ability to achieve levels that would attract more businesses to our area.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? My plan would be to promote and allow a time for healing from the difficulty the district has gone through and to reengage with the community to restore trust in the district operations. It’s critical that we bring our focus back to the classroom and reengage efforts to advance our mission of educating children. Likewise good communication with employees and staff is imperative to rebuild morale within our district. Restoring trust will require transparency, responsibility and wisdom with public funds.

Sarah P. Hochschwender
Cinderella, Whiskey Mansion B&B
Years in St. Joseph: 10

Past experience relevant to your candidacy for School Board: I am a graduate of the University of South Florida with a BA in Psychology with a concentration in Learning and Perception. I have been a teacher of horsemanship for nearly 30 years. In St. Joseph I helped organize a grassroots effort on school closings and discovered and warned the SJSD of the $10 million error on the two new schools ballot. In the wake of our disastrous audit, I traveled to Jefferson City to address the Election Committee.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? The District has to be more judicial in our approval and ask for more equitable input in TIF discussions. Likewise, the lack of “impact fees” for development causes the District to shoulder the resultant need for new schools and services. I propose the Board and administration get out and speak to the public more in informal settings so citizens know more than headlines. It is our job to fill in those gaps. Last. We have to institute a CIP approach.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? Any effort which causes students to be more prepared for the workforce is great, and it would seem so logical at an economic level that this question might be moot. There is a societal benefit here that affects the city at large. We always tell our children to “dream big.” In providing links, in exposing students to an array of possibilities and life experience, we give that dream wider horizons.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? There is a need for scrutiny and oversight in every aspect of the District. Some might call this micromanaging, I know it is needed. Every decision of the Board is under scrutiny, also. We have to be careful of the issues raised in the audit concerning nepotism, and some bidding practices. We have to be prepared to defend our decisions. Lastly, I see this District as poised on a great rebirth. “Trust, but verify” has to be etched in our every thought.

Kathy Northup

Recently Retired History Teacher
Years in St. Joseph: Lifelong resident

Past experience relevant to your candidacy for School Board: I retired from the School District of St. Joseph in May 2015 after a 37-year career teaching Honors, AP, and International Baccalaureate European history. I have held all the offices in the St. Joseph National Education Association and have participated in local community service opportunities like Cotillion for Achievement and the Ad Hoc Committee to Distribute Community Block Grants. I believe my experience and knowledge gives me the unique insight to serve our district at this challenging time.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? I believe in this community and trust that our citizens want to support our schools. Unfortunately, $45 million in malfeasance has definitely given the community pause. If the pending FBI report is as candid and thorough as the State Auditor’s Report AND the School District responds immediately with common sense remediation, I am confident that taxpayers will renew the levy. Hopefully, public trust will be so restored in our district that we can make the levy permanent – no sunset clause!

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? The modern business environment is changing more rapidly than ever before. Partnership between the business community and SJSD is essential in preparing our graduates for this 21st century economy, especially for the job market that currently exists in St. Joseph. The new Advanced Science Research Center at Hillyard Technical School is the perfect example of what collaboration between business and education can accomplish! I hope it serves as a paradigm for future visionary cooperation between local businesses and our schools.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? As a lifelong St. Joseph resident and 37 year educator of SJSD, I have a passionate interest that our school district judiciously serves the students I was honored to teach and the taxpayers I respect. I possess sound judgment and collaborative skills and am not afraid to challenge policies that would negatively impact academics or the district’s financial position. Bottom line – the School District of St. Joseph has been an unsung hero for decades! Let’s fix this!

Tami Pasley

Teacher
Years in St. Joseph: 34

Past experience relevant to your candidacy for School Board: I have 11 years of business experience, 26 years as a classroom teacher in the Savannah R3 School District, 23 years as an advocate for kids and for educators with both the Missouri Legislature and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, I was the President of the Missouri State Teachers Association during the 2005-2006 school year. MSTA is the largest education association in the state with over 46,000 members. I was in the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in 2006.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? The School Board will be coming back to the taxpayers asking for a new tax levy. It is a must if we, as a community, are going to support quality education. It may not be a .63 tax levy … it may be a .25 tax levy or $1.30 tax levy … whatever is needed to properly fund our schools.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? I think that it is imperative that the school district work together with local businesses as we prepare our students to be college and career ready. The skills needed for our students to be productive and successful upon graduating from high school are constantly changing, so there should be a continuous dialogue between the school district and local businesses.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? I know the importance of putting kids first in each and every discussion. I understand the importance of the perspective of the educator in dealing with school issues, and I think that the fact that I am an educator who has not worked under the previous and present SJSD administrations is of benefit to the school district, the Board, and the taxpayers as a whole. I will bring the much needed experience without the baggage … good or bad … of the past.

Teresa K. Simmons

Loan Officer at Farmers State Bank
Years in St. Joseph: 60+

Past experience relevant to your candidacy for School Board: I believe that the 35 years in lending and finance and the 20 years of successfully managing both a corporation branch and my own company gives me a skill set to make good overall decisions on budgets and personnel. That experience, blended with the projects I have worked on with the SJSD will help me focus on students, staff and taxpayers with every decision.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? The SJSD is going to have to listen to taxpayers, via surveys, as to when running a levy will be advisable. When that time comes, they need to roll back the Prop C abatement and run the .63 cent levy without a sunset clause. The district has to have a constant budget they can work with to make five and 10 year plans for the advancement of the district.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? The goal of a partnership with local businesses and the SJSD should be to get students invested in our community so they will raise their families here. SJSD currently has high quality programs through Hillyard with direct ties to local businesses.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? Through all of my years in lending I have worked with hundreds of employees of the SJSD. They are all devoted to their jobs and to making the district better for students. It is the board’s job to make the district fiscally efficient and be accountable to taxpayers. I am running because I believe I can assist in this direction. Every decision made should be focused on students, staff and taxpayers. It’s the only way we are going to move forward and I commit to that focus.

John Paul Leo Stehr

Akal Contractor for Homeland Security, Stock Trader
Years in St. Joseph: 1958-60 and 1963 to present

Past experience relevant to your candidacy for School Board: In 2001-2002 I taught science, math and honors English at all middle and high schools in St. Joseph. I coached sixth grade basketball while still in high school. I was the assistant coach for the state runner-up fast pitch high school women’s team and coach of the national junior chess champion Jim McKenny. I taught chess at Bode in 2002 and was a member of the Chamber in the 1980s.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? I think there is $4 million in fat in the current budget. Spending $4 million to air condition Spring Garden and Robidoux is a good deal. Maybe we can’t afford to provide school breakfast but we cannot afford not to provide a quality education for our children.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? I don’t think we should rely on Girl Scouts to introduce our girls to STEM. When I was in high school our science club toured St. Joseph Light and Power lab and the lab at Methodist Hospital. Also in high school, I went to Boehringer Ingelheim to get two pure white mice and received tours of the state hospital, Carnation, Monsanto, and the St. Joseph News-Press. We need more interface between local business and the kids.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? I went to work at 18 at Omnium Chemical. I worked during spring break at MWSU on the Omnium line and was hired full time after graduating in IT at AMTC in KC in quality control at Omnium. I think education is the background for future business. While at Omnium I discovered a process to acid wash xylene in plant instead of shipping hazmat over the road, saving the company millions of dollars.

Art Van Meter

Sr. Vice President of Finance and Risk Management
Years in St. Joseph: 67
Past experience relevant to your candidacy for School Board: I have 41 years of experience in banking and finance, risk management and administrative procedures for a highly successful company.

The School Board decided to let the .63 tax levy expire in 2015. What is your position on a future levy and the funding necessary to support quality education? The School Board has asked the administration to submit a balanced budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal year and I agree with that. We must analyze each line item of the budget to determine where cuts can be made, without sacrificing the quality of education for our students. If the budget can be balanced by cutting unnecessary costs, there would be no need for a future levy. If the budget cannot be balanced, we’d need to consider putting a levy before the voters.

What is your perspective on the School District working with local business to address the educational and training needs of St. Joseph’s future workforce? I believe that a dialogue between the School District and local business needs to be developed so the district can have a better understanding of what is needed from a business perspective. For example, the construction industry is currently experiencing a shortage of skilled workers. Through this dialogue, the district could determine what skills are needed and then work with Hillyard Technical Center to develop courses that would benefit students who want to work in that industry.

What other information or thoughts would you like to share regarding your candidacy for School Board? I believe we must restore the trust and confidence of the taxpayers. A fiscal policy based on sound business practices must be developed to show the public that their tax dollars are being spent in the wisest and most effective manner. In addition, we should capitalize on the strengths of our school district while improving the weaknesses. If we can accomplish these things, it would benefit our students and contribute to the economic development of our city.