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Sunday, August 17, 2008 6:27 AM CDT
Six C.F. residents face off for Board of Education seats
Heavy rains bring about flood warnings
Emotions still run high nearly three years after Walterman Implement bankruptcy
Six C.F. residents face off for Board of Education seats
People outnumber bags at school supply giveaway
Having it their way
Speaking of Women's Health event lineup scheduled
Washington Park golf course closure eyed
DISCLAIMER: The Courier provides our story commenting feature in order to solicit feedback, debate and discussion on topics of local interest. Please keep in mind that civility is a necessary component of productive conversation. All blatantly inflammatory or otherwise inappropriate comments (i.e. vulgarity, marketing, etc.) are subject to rejection and/or removal. Comments will appear if and when they are approved. For a more in-depth explanation of our policy, please see our Rules of the Road. Thanks for reading, and thanks for participating.
Six C.F. residents face off for Board of Education seats
By EMILY CHRISTENSEN, Courier Staff Writer
CEDAR FALLS --- Cedar Falls residents will have their choice of six candidates when they head to the polls Sept. 9 to fill three open Board of Education seats.
This is the first time since the early '90s that there has been a contested race in Cedar Falls.
The incumbents, who have 48 years of combined service to the board, say their experience and commitment will continue to push Cedar Falls schools in the right direction during the next three years.
The challengers, a group of young, professional parents, believe their voices and ideas will infuse a new life into the board and schools.
The challengers
Jim Brown
He knows he won't be able to please all people all of the time, but if elected, Jim Brown hopes his straight-shooting style will give people confidence in his ability to make decisions for the district.
Brown, 40 of 2806 Waterloo Road, said he doesn't think there needs to be any radical changes made in the district in the near future, but he wants to guard against settling for the status quo.
"I do think there needs to be a changing of the guard. I don't have any ill will against the current members," Brown said. "They have done well with some tough issues, but most of them don't have kids in the system anymore and I think that is important."
Brown and his wife, Corrine, have two daughters, a kindergartner and a third-grader, at Cedar Heights Elementary.
Though the district is sitting in a good position now, Brown expects the board to face some hard decisions in the next three years. When the need arises, he hopes he can listen to what the citizens want and effectively communicate those desires to the board.
Brown, who owns a business that does industrial and organizational psychology recruiting, said his wife's career in education --- she teaches at Blessed Sacrament --- also will give him an insider's perspective into the needs of educators.
Garth Cornish
Building relationships is a top priority for challenger Garth Cornish.
"The school board has an obligation to build relationships with the community and from what I saw, I didn't feel we had that kind of communication," he said.
Cornish, 36 of 1605 River Bluff Drive, was one of dozens of parents who regularly attended boundary line committee meetings during the last school year. He said the experience opened his eyes to what was happening in the district and piqued his interest in running for the board.
However, the John Deere supervisor said he is concerned about more than just boundary line issues. Cornish wants to become part of a school board that puts Cedar Falls children first, not only in their own community, but also in education.
If elected, Cornish hopes to find new ways to get more families involved and make them feel comfortable voicing their concerns.
Cornish, who is bilingual and lived in St. Petersburg, Russia for a year, would like to see the district research the possibility of bringing foreign language into the schools at a younger age and expanding options in high school.
"I believe I can bring not only education and commitment, but also a global perspective to this board," Cornish said.
Cornish and his wife Yana have three young children, including a kindergartner who will attend St. Patrick Catholic School this fall. Cornish said for personal reasons his family needed to find a school within walking distance of their home.
"North Cedar has great faculty, but right now, for her, this is the right thing to do," said Cornish.
Angie Edgington
Angie Edgington understands the Cedar Falls Community School District is known statewide for its tradition of excellence, but a tradition isn't enough. Edgington, 35 of 219 Cordoba Ave., wants to ensure that the district is striving for a future of excellence as well.
"When students have great test scores and the schools are good, we tend to butt out. But, when I got into it a little bit, I didn't get the impression that the board really listened."
She also said the boundary line meetings were what brought her to board meetings for the first time.
Edgington voiced her opinion about the committee's recommendation and the board's decision several times over the course of the boundary line discussion earlier this year, calling the plan a "Band-Aid" fix.
"Their solution seems very short-term and nearsighted," she said. "We need to be making decisions with long-term, strategic intentions and my opinion on that has not changed."
Edgington's desire to serve on the board is twofold. First she wants to ensure that her children and other Cedar Falls students are offered the best educational opportunities possible. But, as a manager of reliability at John Deere, she also hopes to have a part in training her future workforce.
If elected, Edgington hopes to find new and innovative ways to make the board decisions more interactive by getting the community involved through forum events.
Edgington and her husband Jason have two children at Southdale Elementary.
The incumbents
Joyce Coil
Joyce Coil can sympathize with parents who stand up for their child's educational needs. She can still recall her first run-in with Cedar Falls administrators and the Board of Education.
"Jared was going into first grade at Cedar Heights and was in a group of students who were going to have 29 or 30 students in their class," she said. "As parents, we became very active in finding a way to change that classroom number."
After several meetings at the building level the parents took their concerns to the administration building and board. They presented their concerns during a board meeting, but weren't successful in getting the class sizes reduced. The disappointment didn't deter Coil. Instead, it pushed her to get involved.
When her son, who is now 25, was in third grade she began attending all of the school board meetings. Eventually she was asked to sit on district committees and then run for an open position on the board.
This year, Coil, 52, will complete her fifth term on the board. She believes her experience will be beneficial as the board helps guide the district as the high school begins to implement the model core curriculum and enrollment hopefully continues to grow.
Coil works part time in a dental office, for the Cedar Falls Recreation Center and for ME&V. She lives at 3008 Jepsen Road.
James Kenyon
Education runs deep in James Kenyon's family. He is a fourth generation school board member and is currently seeking his sixth term.
"I've been on this board for 1/4 of my life. ... I've enjoyed my experience there and believe in the benefits of consistency, of having someone trained," he said.
During his time on the board Kenyon, 60 of 3023 Winter Ridge Road, has seen the district fall on some hard times, including enrollment numbers that fell by about 800 students over the course of several years. But, he believes the board's fiscal responsibility is one of the reasons why the district is facing a financially sound future.
He understands that the support of the community has played a big role in ensuring stability in the district. Kenyon said the willingness of Cedar Falls voters to support both a physical plant levy and one cent penny tax has allowed the board to put together long-range maintenance and improvement plans for each of the schools.
"I think we've made some far-thinking decisions. We've purchased land for future growth and when you make that kind of decision, you are thinking out 10 and 15 years."
Kenyon hopes his experience will help guide the district through the challenges he expects the board to face in the coming years, which he lists as managing continued growth in the district and meeting the benchmarks laid out by No Child Left Behind.
Kenyon and his wife Cynthia have three grown children.
Duane Hamilton
In his 18 years on the board Duane Hamilton has faced the challenges thrown at the district's Board of Education and is prepared for the new challenges ahead.
Hamilton, 64, of 1911 Victory Drive, sees the state putting more emphasis on pre-kindergarten education and the district will have to determine the best routes possible to offer learning opportunities for its youngest students.
"This will become even more important as our population continues to diversify," he said.
There is also a lot of work being done to make sure that the education systems in the state --- from prekindergarten to postsecondary education --- are functioning in conjunction with each other and Cedar Falls needs to make sure they are fulfilling their piece of the puzzle, Hamilton said.
And Hamilton also has a special understanding of educators, having been one himself for a short while and being married to one for even longer.
"I do try and get into the schools as much as I can and I know many of the teachers," he said. "I really try to take input from all areas and then base my decisions on what is best for the student. It's about how our decisions can benefit all students on a fair and equitable basis."
Hamilton is a public accountant
This is the first time since the early '90s that there has been a contested race in Cedar Falls.
The incumbents, who have 48 years of combined service to the board, say their experience and commitment will continue to push Cedar Falls schools in the right direction during the next three years.
The challengers, a group of young, professional parents, believe their voices and ideas will infuse a new life into the board and schools.
The challengers
Jim Brown
He knows he won't be able to please all people all of the time, but if elected, Jim Brown hopes his straight-shooting style will give people confidence in his ability to make decisions for the district.
Brown, 40 of 2806 Waterloo Road, said he doesn't think there needs to be any radical changes made in the district in the near future, but he wants to guard against settling for the status quo.
"I do think there needs to be a changing of the guard. I don't have any ill will against the current members," Brown said. "They have done well with some tough issues, but most of them don't have kids in the system anymore and I think that is important."
Brown and his wife, Corrine, have two daughters, a kindergartner and a third-grader, at Cedar Heights Elementary.
Though the district is sitting in a good position now, Brown expects the board to face some hard decisions in the next three years. When the need arises, he hopes he can listen to what the citizens want and effectively communicate those desires to the board.
Brown, who owns a business that does industrial and organizational psychology recruiting, said his wife's career in education --- she teaches at Blessed Sacrament --- also will give him an insider's perspective into the needs of educators.
Garth Cornish
Building relationships is a top priority for challenger Garth Cornish.
"The school board has an obligation to build relationships with the community and from what I saw, I didn't feel we had that kind of communication," he said.
Cornish, 36 of 1605 River Bluff Drive, was one of dozens of parents who regularly attended boundary line committee meetings during the last school year. He said the experience opened his eyes to what was happening in the district and piqued his interest in running for the board.
However, the John Deere supervisor said he is concerned about more than just boundary line issues. Cornish wants to become part of a school board that puts Cedar Falls children first, not only in their own community, but also in education.
If elected, Cornish hopes to find new ways to get more families involved and make them feel comfortable voicing their concerns.
Cornish, who is bilingual and lived in St. Petersburg, Russia for a year, would like to see the district research the possibility of bringing foreign language into the schools at a younger age and expanding options in high school.
"I believe I can bring not only education and commitment, but also a global perspective to this board," Cornish said.
Cornish and his wife Yana have three young children, including a kindergartner who will attend St. Patrick Catholic School this fall. Cornish said for personal reasons his family needed to find a school within walking distance of their home.
"North Cedar has great faculty, but right now, for her, this is the right thing to do," said Cornish.
Angie Edgington
Angie Edgington understands the Cedar Falls Community School District is known statewide for its tradition of excellence, but a tradition isn't enough. Edgington, 35 of 219 Cordoba Ave., wants to ensure that the district is striving for a future of excellence as well.
"When students have great test scores and the schools are good, we tend to butt out. But, when I got into it a little bit, I didn't get the impression that the board really listened."
She also said the boundary line meetings were what brought her to board meetings for the first time.
Edgington voiced her opinion about the committee's recommendation and the board's decision several times over the course of the boundary line discussion earlier this year, calling the plan a "Band-Aid" fix.
"Their solution seems very short-term and nearsighted," she said. "We need to be making decisions with long-term, strategic intentions and my opinion on that has not changed."
Edgington's desire to serve on the board is twofold. First she wants to ensure that her children and other Cedar Falls students are offered the best educational opportunities possible. But, as a manager of reliability at John Deere, she also hopes to have a part in training her future workforce.
If elected, Edgington hopes to find new and innovative ways to make the board decisions more interactive by getting the community involved through forum events.
Edgington and her husband Jason have two children at Southdale Elementary.
The incumbents
Joyce Coil
Joyce Coil can sympathize with parents who stand up for their child's educational needs. She can still recall her first run-in with Cedar Falls administrators and the Board of Education.
"Jared was going into first grade at Cedar Heights and was in a group of students who were going to have 29 or 30 students in their class," she said. "As parents, we became very active in finding a way to change that classroom number."
After several meetings at the building level the parents took their concerns to the administration building and board. They presented their concerns during a board meeting, but weren't successful in getting the class sizes reduced. The disappointment didn't deter Coil. Instead, it pushed her to get involved.
When her son, who is now 25, was in third grade she began attending all of the school board meetings. Eventually she was asked to sit on district committees and then run for an open position on the board.
This year, Coil, 52, will complete her fifth term on the board. She believes her experience will be beneficial as the board helps guide the district as the high school begins to implement the model core curriculum and enrollment hopefully continues to grow.
Coil works part time in a dental office, for the Cedar Falls Recreation Center and for ME&V. She lives at 3008 Jepsen Road.
James Kenyon
Education runs deep in James Kenyon's family. He is a fourth generation school board member and is currently seeking his sixth term.
"I've been on this board for 1/4 of my life. ... I've enjoyed my experience there and believe in the benefits of consistency, of having someone trained," he said.
During his time on the board Kenyon, 60 of 3023 Winter Ridge Road, has seen the district fall on some hard times, including enrollment numbers that fell by about 800 students over the course of several years. But, he believes the board's fiscal responsibility is one of the reasons why the district is facing a financially sound future.
He understands that the support of the community has played a big role in ensuring stability in the district. Kenyon said the willingness of Cedar Falls voters to support both a physical plant levy and one cent penny tax has allowed the board to put together long-range maintenance and improvement plans for each of the schools.
"I think we've made some far-thinking decisions. We've purchased land for future growth and when you make that kind of decision, you are thinking out 10 and 15 years."
Kenyon hopes his experience will help guide the district through the challenges he expects the board to face in the coming years, which he lists as managing continued growth in the district and meeting the benchmarks laid out by No Child Left Behind.
Kenyon and his wife Cynthia have three grown children.
Duane Hamilton
In his 18 years on the board Duane Hamilton has faced the challenges thrown at the district's Board of Education and is prepared for the new challenges ahead.
Hamilton, 64, of 1911 Victory Drive, sees the state putting more emphasis on pre-kindergarten education and the district will have to determine the best routes possible to offer learning opportunities for its youngest students.
"This will become even more important as our population continues to diversify," he said.
There is also a lot of work being done to make sure that the education systems in the state --- from prekindergarten to postsecondary education --- are functioning in conjunction with each other and Cedar Falls needs to make sure they are fulfilling their piece of the puzzle, Hamilton said.
And Hamilton also has a special understanding of educators, having been one himself for a short while and being married to one for even longer.
"I do try and get into the schools as much as I can and I know many of the teachers," he said. "I really try to take input from all areas and then base my decisions on what is best for the student. It's about how our decisions can benefit all students on a fair and equitable basis."
Hamilton is a public accountant
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More Stories from News » Metro
Heavy rains bring about flood warningsEmotions still run high nearly three years after Walterman Implement bankruptcySix C.F. residents face off for Board of Education seatsPeople outnumber bags at school supply giveawayHaving it their waySpeaking of Women's Health event lineup scheduledWashington Park golf course closure eyed
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DISCLAIMER: The Courier provides our story commenting feature in order to solicit feedback, debate and discussion on topics of local interest. Please keep in mind that civility is a necessary component of productive conversation. All blatantly inflammatory or otherwise inappropriate comments (i.e. vulgarity, marketing, etc.) are subject to rejection and/or removal. Comments will appear if and when they are approved. For a more in-depth explanation of our policy, please see our Rules of the Road. Thanks for reading, and thanks for participating.
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