2 South Bend school board seats contested in election. Where do hopefuls stand on issues?
The Tribune is partnering with the League of Women Voters of the South Bend Area and the American Democracy Project of Indiana University South Bend to publish candidates' answers to questions on the issues. The League and IUSB's ADP operates Vote411.org, a website with information about the candidates and their positions on key issues. The site also includes other tools to help navigate the voting process.
The Tribune has agreed to run candidate answers unedited, meaning any spelling, typographical or grammatical errors are the candidates' own. The Tribune is publishing only some of the questions from a selection of significant races. Additional questions and answers are available at Vote411.org.
District 2
Mark Costello
Retired in 2021 after 51 years in education
markcostello43@yahoo.com
574-299-8005
Facebook.com/MarkCostelloforSchoolBoard
Laquita Hughes
CEO/Director Milestone STEAM Academy
electhughesforsbcsc2@gmail.com
Facebook.com/votehughesdistrict2
Oletha L. Jones
Retired
oljones614@att.net
Facebook.com/OlethaJonesforSchoolBoard/
Gabrel Kempf
South Bend Community School Corporation
electgabrelkempf@gmail.com
Facebook.com/people/Gabrel-Kempf-for-SBCSC-School-Board-District-2/100084880545645/
District 5
Stuart Greene
School board trustee
sgreene1@nd.edu
stuartgreeneforschoolboard.com
facebook.com/SGForDistrict5
Robert Smith
Retired school administrator (assistant principal)
smitty0314@comcast.net
What steps should the school board take to protect the physical and emotional well-being of students? Please include your stance on the role of school counselors and resource/police officers.
Costello: The school board must provide the tools necessary to meet the needs of all students. This includes the physical and emotional needs of students, which is a very important component of student learning. Students cannot learn if they are in fear, hungry, or abused. The school counselor plays an important role in assisting students with developing their physical and emotional needs. The school counselor should share this important role with the other educators in the building. The classroom teacher and building administrator should also be involved in assisting students. It has been my experience that the school resource/police officer is an extension of the building administrator. Many students use school resource/police officers to seek counseling, prevent physical incidents, and to be a mentor and friend during long school days. School resource/police officers protect schools by creating a safe environment for students from any outside threat.
Hughes: The physical and emotional well-being of students are a high priority. We need to create an environment where teachers can teach, and our children can learn. Students need structure to feel safe. They also need to have strong relationships with other students and with adults. School counselors and social workers are key. They should be engaged not only with students but also with families and community. Outside mental health agencies can also provide support. SROs are sworn law enforcement officers and can assist with safety and crime prevention in schools. Their responsibilities range from developing the safety procedures for potential threats in schools, de-escalating aggression between students and between students and teachers, as well as providing a presence to deter trespassers on school grounds. They build strong relationships with students both in school and in the community. The roles, responsibilities and expectations for SROs need to be clear.
Jones: The Board should have a separate committee to focus on school safety, one that is effective in providing oversight in establishing best common- sense practices that will keep children safe and will not infringe upon the rights of any of our students. There should be more investment in hiring counselors and social workers as first responders, except in volatile situations. There should be more resources for professionals that can deescalate and not exacerbate the situation.
Kempf: It is very crucial and one of my top priorities to protect the physical and emotional well-being of our scholars. I believe we need more additional restorative justice opportunities, and create and set up a better structured system to track and gather data on how effective our restorative justice programs are doing in our schools. Now, I believe our SRO’s are a very vital asset to our schools. Without our SRO’s past and present situations in our schools could have went very differently if we did not have these instrumental and vital assets in our corporation. So, with that being said I am a full advocate and supporter for SRO’s.
Greene: I am committed to having social workers in every school to support children’s emotional well-being. To maintain physical safety, there are security personnel and School Resource Officers (SROs) in high schools and four middle schools. I would like to see the MOU include the following: (1) Clarity: Will everyone – teachers, professional staff, and families – agree that they understand the policy and its implications? (2) Consistency: Is the policy consistent with other policies? (3) Transparency: Are the procedures written in a way that families and children understand the consequences of any police action; (4) Fairness: Is it applied consistently in different schools and with different populations of children? (5) Accountability: Is there an ongoing effort to ensure that the policy is applied consistently? (6) Appropriately measured: How do we know the policy has the intended effects? (7) Oversight: Is there agreement about what entity will provide a regular review of the policy?
Smith: The School Board must take consistent steps and strategies to protect the physical, social and emotional well-being of our students.
Our school counselors are strategic in the support of the above components as they, “(1) utilize data and focus instructional standards to effect and increase students’ academic achievements (2) support students through effective student assistance services (3) maintain broad reaching career, training and internship programs to bridge school with prospective employers (4) advocate for the needs of all students (5) identify and promote school counseling programs to all stakeholders.
”Our school resource officers are instrumental for the physical and emotional well-being of our students. Our school resource officers have been involved in athletics/coaching; mentoring students through career pathways (law enforcement, legal (avenues/attorney, paralegal, judicial, etc.,) and providing intrapersonal relationships that extend far beyond the school door.
How would you rate the current performance of schools in your district? What changes, if any, should the district make to improve school performance and student learning outcomes?
Costello: Over the past several years, test scores in most of the South Bend schools have been down. However, test scores have been down in most schools throughout the State of Indiana. The pandemic has been a major reason why test scores have fallen. Before any changes are made to escape from the pandemic dilemma, every aspect of the learning process should be examined. The district needs to measure the data from student learning outcomes and explore ways to make improvements. Providing additional assistance and resources to teachers would help to make improvements in education. I strongly believe all aspects should be reviewed. This includes investigating the need for additional aides in classrooms and for reducing class sizes in primary classrooms.
Hughes: I would rate the current performance of district schools as “improving.” Learning loss, looming closures, school buildings in need of repair, and the ongoing pandemic have all adversely affected our children and have made it harder for parents and the community to be optimistic about the future of our schools. I believe the district is actively facing the challenges, using the strategic plan as a guide. Steps are being taken to improve literacy, ensure equity, be fiscally responsible and develop community partnerships.
Jones: I have not been provided substantial information to make an informed assessment on the district's current performance of schools. So far, the information that has been reported particularly since 2020 did not include all of the relevant data to a particular matter. However, based on what I have observed from district 2 so far this year from several schools the school administration is creating an environment conducive to learning, the students were well behaved and engaged. This is encouraging especially after the Pandemic. The board should establish policy that will focus on the low performing students, one that will enforce equity and provide for equal opportunity, this should equal what is provided for the magnet and academy students.
Kempf: The current performance of schools in my district have significantly raised within the past couple years. I honestly think we have some more work to do, but we are definitely headed in the right direction. Our elementary level scholars needs more out-of-school learning opportunities in their buildings to better support their academic and social needs. Now, from the data I have read out-of-school learning has made significant impacts in our high school and intermediate schools, and has been proven to raise grades with participants and establishes more social and interactive behavior within our scholars. I personally believe these amazing programs can honestly make huge improvements with our scholars across the entire school corporation.
Greene: Graduation rates at all 5 high schools have gone up. Test scores indicate that a concerted effort during the past 3 years – despite the effects of the pandemic – has provided an upward trajectory in math and reading scores for elementary schools. However, there is a great deal of work ahead in a number of areas: (1) Ensure that schools have highly qualified teachers and support them; (2) Reduce class size; (3) Support socio-emotional learning with social workers who work in concert with cognitive intervention specialists and provide programs on mindfulness and movement; (4) Partner with local universities with social work programs to create internships; (5) Add counselors whose sole purpose is to support students’ academic needs (not be used to cover classes and the like); and (6) Ensure that teachers, social workers, paraprofessionals, and others have time, space, and incentives for professional development and professional learning communities.
Smith: Due to COVID influences affecting students’ academic performances, past reports of some schools (test scores/ELA and Math) in the Clay District demonstrate a state of decline. Currently, some of our students’ test scores in respective Clay District Schools indicate the need for necessary and immediate improvement. Fortunately, our students, teachers, parents, administrators, school support staff, the community, Central Office and the School Board remain focused, with a collaborative effort to the commitment to increase student achievement reflected in test score reports. “Eight primary pathways that the School Board must remain as guidelines to improve students’ academic performances are vision, standards, assessment, accountability, alignment, climate, collaborative relationships, and continuous improvement.” Changes within these pathways will provide our students with the opportunity for increased student learning through the avenues of effective teaching.
School districts nationwide have been asked to address the issue of what to do if a student requests a name and pronoun change after identifying as transgender. Do you believe it is necessary for your school district to add resources for students with gender identity questions?
Costello: I believe that respecting the rights and dignity of all students is important for their overall success. Appropriate resources should be provided if major problems are indicated in the South Bend schools. Out of respect for every student, teachers should correctly communicate using the name and pronouns that the student has chosen.
Hughes: The South Bend Community School Corporation celebrates all students. Our policy of equity, inclusion and justice supports the identities of all.
Jones: I don't believe there is a need to isolate the gender identity question into a separate category in order for these students to receive what they need. If sufficient funding is allocated for investing in more counselors and social workers for every building on demand, this should be sufficient to address their needs.
Kempf: I think this is a very controversial and important topic to talk about. I believe it is very necessary to provide resources for our transgender students. I am a very big advocate for equal opportunity. I believe our school corporation should research and set up resources for our transgender scholars, because studies find a lot of those scholars do not have a lot of home support. If we could provide support for those scholars that they lack at home it’ll be very monumental for our school corporation to be able to provide those resources.
Greene: My sense is that students will create the spaces they need, but it is important that adults hear what students’ express and “walk the path’ beside them. Every effort should be made to address and heal the harm that students experience in schools, make things right, and transform the conditions in schools that cause harm so that students can be themselves. It is up to the leadership in schools to ensure that teachers respect the ways students self-identify, the pronouns they wish to use, and the names they want to be called. It is equally important o understand how power works in different contexts – the classroom, the hallways, cafeteria, sidewalks, and the community – and how power can silence students who are poor, non-binary, black and brown, newly-arrived and undocumented, neurologically diverse, and differently abled. All of our students need support if they are to thrive.
Smith: I do not believe that it is necessary for our school district to add resources for students with gender identity questions. I am confident in the effective abilities and skills of our school counselors to address students with gender identity questions. Our school counselors consistently assist students in acquiring the attitudes, knowledge and inter-intrapersonal skills to help understand and respect self and other students. I have observed that our school counselors effectively address the diverse needs of all students by extending individual and group counseling services, classroom guidance, consultation, crisis intervention and social service agency referrals. Lastly, I have observed, our school counselors who have formed intrapersonal relationships with students that provide a foundation to address gender identity questions with a clear understanding and appreciation for diversity, ethnicity, culture and inclusion.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend school board elections: Where candidates stand on issues
