Board candidates discuss district's strengths, challenges

Debby Woodin, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·4 min read

Mar. 27—Four candidates for the Joplin Board of Education were asked questions by the Globe about the strengths and challenges the school district faces and whether teacher retention is one of those challenges.

Voters will fill two seats on the board Tuesday.

There are two current candidates, board president Rylee Hartwell and John Hird. The two challengers are Victor Sly, a law enforcement officer and former school district employee, and Derek Gander, a home inspection businessman and former school board member.

Hartwell

Hartwell said a strength of the district is that it is financially sound.

"To support this, we have received two flawless audit reports and have been able to raise the teacher base salary to competitive levels with other area schools. We will continue these efforts in the coming years."

In addition: "The district has been addressing needs in the curriculum area to ensure that we are meeting the Missouri Learning Standards. This is evidenced by funding strong teacher leaders in the district to be curriculum leads to help meet these needs. The curriculum coordinators at the central office have been working with teachers to help develop curriculum and write assessments. This work is never-ending but we are making progress to a comprehensive curriculum in Joplin Schools."

Hartwell also said that a long-range facility committee has been convened and is evaluating the district's future needs. Members of the committee will visit every school in the district and review the state of repair, maintenance and more.

"It is our hope that we will receive a report from them at the completion of the 2024-2025 school year."

In order to attract and retain employees, the board and district administrators also have analyzed and assessed area salary schedules and stipends to be competitive in the region, Hartwell said.

Sly

Sly responded by saying, "I feel that the district has strong leadership and a vision for the future. As with any business, small or large, the challenge will always be how money is allocated to the appropriate programs and projects, retaining valuable and qualified teachers and staff."

Gander

Gander said he believes the school district faces problems similar to what other districts face.

"There are some teachers, staff and bus drivers that really care about our students but there are not enough of them. Jobs in education are challenging and you really have to have a passion for the students," he said.

He believes the district has good fund balances in their accounts, "but just because we have the funds, it doesn't mean we should start spending more money on things that will not improve the education of our students. I firmly believe that we should reward our best and help those that are struggling in areas where they can perform better. Its not about spending more, it is about spending it in the right places, Gander said.

Hird

Hird said he believes one of the strengths of Joplin schools "is our great teachers that we have throughout the district along with the great quality of schools we have. Dover Hill Elementary and the addition to Kelsey Norman were completed over the past three years on time and on budget."

A challenge he has focused on is enabling students to stay on the same pace of learning if they move from one school to another in the district. He said nearly 35% of district's students move within the district or relocate in or out of district in a given year. The district has has been addressing that by standardizing curriculum and pacing guides throughout the school district subjects and grades to help students keep on pace, Hird said.

Teacher retention is an issue for the district "and increasing levels of teacher retirement have made the issue all the more pressing. We have been able to fill all positions this past year but I believe Joplin needs to be the proactive leader in Southwest Missouri to attract and retain the best teachers," Hird said.

"Many times I have shared with the school administration that our goal must be 'the employer of choice for teachers in Southwest Missouri.'"

Hird said he was a leading voice in advocating that the district address the shortfall in stipend for teachers to be coaches and leaders of the various extracurricular activities throughout the district. Because of the shortfall, he said, "We were losing some of the best adult leaders in the area due to the inequity in pay. We are now very competitive with all the other districts in the area. With the best teachers along with the administration leadership and our great facilities, Joplin is in the unique position to be the leader in education in our area."