Earlier this summer, the Post asked our readers what issues you wanted to hear candidates running for USD 232 Board of Education to address leading up to the Nov. 7 election.
Based on that feedback, we developed a five-item questionnaire centering the issues most important to USD 232 district patrons.
Each day this week, we’ll publish the candidates’ responses to one question.
Today, we’re publishing candidates’ responses to the following question:
By some metrics, including national standardized tests like NAEP, Kansas schools’ academic performance has declined in the wake of COVID-19, and student achievement has yet to fully return to pre-pandemic levels, especially in math. At the same time, USD 232 remains one of the highest achieving school districts in Kansas when it comes to state-level assessments and graduation rates. How do you assess USD 232’s current level of achievement? What, if anything, are you most concerned about?
Below are the answers the Post received from candidates on this issue:
Member Area 1
Chad Philhour
USD 233 continues to score above the state and national averages on the ACT College Readiness Exam. De Soto students have traditionally performed very well on these assessments and the graduation rates suggest students are on track. Our district does boast a graduation rate of 97.3%, which is excellent. What I believe is positive is the district’s approach to assisting students by expanding AP and college-readiness courses and even allowing pre-AP for middle schoolers. It is about providing opportunities.
I believe a healthy student-teacher ratio promotes these achievements through individual attention, increased participation and communication between teachers and students. Student performance has been declining for years and was amplified by the pandemic learning loss. Math and reading need to continue to be areas of emphasis for our district.
Teacher quality is the number one factor impacting student achievement. My family has been blessed with the teachers we have had so far; they are caring, high quality educators.
I’m going to steal a phrase from our Superintendent Cory Gibson: It’s about making sure our students are fully prepared for their next phase of life.
Bill Fletcher (incumbent)
I am immensely proud that USD 232 remains one of the highest achieving school districts in Kansas. A large part of the work during and after the pandemic has been the result of our community and doing whatever it takes to help students learn. Teachers took on this challenge and excelled at teaching online with the support of technological staff. Our families remained invested in the education of their children, so they became an integral part of the educational process at home during COVID.
Our district ranks well on bench-marking test scores and graduation rates amongst our peers in Kansas City, the region and the nation.
A focus area I would like to improve on would be how the district can better support our students in special education. We must do better about accommodating the diverse learning needs we have and ensuring what measures we have in place are accurately monitoring their growth and achievement. Students learn in diverse ways, and we need to foster a variety of methods, so all students learn effectively in our classrooms. We also need to investigate better assessments of these children so we can understand their needs and meaningfully measure their progress.
Member Area 2
Greg Withrow
When I look at our test scores and levels of achievement in the state, I am encouraged. I want to help safeguard these numbers. This is where it is CRUCIAL for us to hire and retain high quality educators.
Our district has a bright future, and through perseverance and hard work, we can make sure it’s as bright as it can be. School can be frustrating, and I couldn’t be prouder of our students.
I do think we need to begin to put an emphasis back on trade work. We are all smart enough to know that higher eduction isn’t for every child. The last thing we want is a child to be frustrated trying to find their place in life. I know for a fact that Caterpillar is willing to — at THEIR own expense — come and introduce our students to being a machine operator. They would bring their own equipment and staff to facilitate. WE just need to give them the space to do it in.
As a board member, I would be a major proponent of helping students to find their niche. Each student deserves a chance to explore all academic and vocational opportunity.
Ashley Spaulding (incumbent)
I’m incredibly proud of USD 232 for being such a high-achieving district academically. Our students consistently perform above state averages on assessments. Our students have consistently scored above state and national averages on the ACT for years. Our 97% graduation rate is well above the state average. Our district has earned five stars every year since the 2019-2020 school year in the Kansans Can Star Recognition Program, which recognizes districts for excelling in outcomes established around the state’s education vision – that Kansas leads the world in the success of each student.
We were recently named the #2 district in Kansas, placing USD 232 among the top 2.5% districts in the country. Outcomes like these don’t happen for no reason.
That said, no matter how well we’re doing, we should always strive to do better. We need to regularly evaluate our performance across all areas and identify potential places for improvement. While our graduation rate may be extremely high, we still need to identify and support those students who are at risk of falling into that less than 3% who don’t graduate.
We need to recognize that there’s not one size fits all when it comes to our students and how they learn, and we need to continually understand and identify individual student needs. Our teachers and staff already do a great job with this, and we need to set them up for success in this area by giving them the resources necessary to meet their students where they are.
Member Area 3
Stephanie Makalous (incumbent)
I am proud of the way our district’s student achievement metrics are headed. We continue to have one of the highest graduation rates in the state. USD 232 was recently recognized as the second best school district in the state of Kansas (so awesome!). Our average composite ACT score was 21.7 for 2021-2022 school year, higher than the state average of 19.8. The district has received gold awards for high school graduation and “post secondary success” categories from the Kansas Star recognition program for 2022. We earned silver awards for social-emotional growth and individual plan of study, and a copper award for “prepared for postsecondary”. I believe we are headed in a great direction.
Henry Sandate
Did not provide the Post with a response.
At-Large Area
Anh-Nguyet Nguyen
While I am proud of how well USD 232 has performed, I also feel it can always improve.
Comparisons against the state are a good indicator, but comparisons against the remainder of the country would also be important. In addition, it would be a mistake to measure the success of the district solely on the college-readiness of its students, as not all students are university bound.
With such a shortage of skilled trades, it would be valuable to assess students four or more years after they complete high school for their personal feelings of their own success.
Andy Jacober
Our children’s achievement is fantastic, thanks to our teachers, staff and children. They work really hard.
Do some of those kids who are struggling need extra help, like tutoring and support? Yes! On the other hand, do some of our kids need the extra challenge or work in AP and Honors classes? Absolutely.
These are two non-negotiable areas for me: we must continue to offer the high quality programs for all of our children and keep the funds in the classroom.
I would also like to spotlight our parents on the success of our kids. Our parents do not give themselves enough credit. A strong family with parents that care about their kid’s education, ask them how they are doing and get involved, have kids that perform better. Our parents are a huge asset to USD 232.
Tomorrow, we will publish candidates’ responses to the final question:
The mental health of students remains a priority for local schools three years after the COVID-19 pandemic upended traditional modes of education and forced students to learn from home on computers for long stretches of time. Some educators continue to report lasting impacts of that experience, including ongoing behavioral issues and increased rates of stress among students. How effectively is USD 232 dealing with this issue? What more, if anything, can the school board do to help?
