Candidate Q&As 2023: Donna Cook for Newton School Board

Oct. 22—Name: Donna Cook

Age: 62

Occupation: Retired

Elected offices held: Newton School Board

Office seeking: Newton School Board

1. Introduce/Reintroduce yourself to voters and explain why you are running.

I am running for election to the school board to advocate for the best education for all of our students.

I am proud to be a graduate of Newton Community School District. Go Cards! I am honored to be the mother of three children that are all graduates of Newton. Four of my grandchildren are currently Newton students. I graduated from the University of Iowa. I worked as a registered nurse. I volunteered innumerable years in the local, state and national Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) to advocate for children.

My experiences and training from PTA and from the Iowa School Board Association make me a strong choice because I am able to navigate the increasing challenges in public education. I am also able to fully participate in training offered by our district and by the Iowa School Board Association to further my understanding of those challenges. Lastly, I am a lifelong learner and believe in the transformative power of education.

2. What is most important to you regarding the current configuration discussions for Newton Community School District's elementary buildings?

Community involvement is the most important issue regarding the current configuration of NCSD's elementary buildings. There have been; opportunities for discussion, teacher input, presentations by a group tasked with evaluating our facilities, town hall meetings, public comment at every board meeting and surveys. I have also received multiple emails that I have carefully reviewed. Lastly, there have been personal contacts made to board members by community members and school staff with input. Community involvement is how we make the configuration of our district successful. Transparency of this process is also key. I listen to all of the feedback when evaluating what is best for our students, what is financially viable and what our community believes is most important.

3. Several legislative actions this past year affected public schools. How do you feel about these and future actions from lawmakers? Do they affect Newton?

The legislature's actions this past year have spanned a wide variety of school subjects. Some addressed include child abuse reporting, required professional development, graduation requirements, administration of medication to students, school calendar, health education, selection of instruction materials, school library, eliminating required school improvement plans and anti-bullying/anti-harassment policies. As a member of the NCSD Policy Committee our district has current policies that are updated regularly. Issues discussed by the legislature are already covered by these policies. Some of the changes are minor while others require substantial time investment by administrators and teachers to make our schools in compliance.

The most concerning change the legislature enacted this year was to approve the use of public tax dollars for private schools further siphoning public school dollars. Funding has not kept up with student needs or inflation for several years resulting in compounding shortages. Public schools cannot support effective teaching and learning with shrinking and inadequate resources. While the Iowa Legislature has taken steps to improve student success in our district, many of the changes present new challenges for our district.

4. Do you think the school board does a good job involving the community in its decision making processes? Please explain.

We have worked as a school board to diligently involve the community in our decision-making processes. The simplest way is to talk to the board during the public comment section of the board meeting. These can be made in person or by Zoom session. The SIAC or school improvement advisory committee is an opportunity to learn more about school related issues and make recommendations to the school board. There are opportunities for project-oriented committees such as the committee that was asked to look at our current facilities. The District Developed Service Delivery Plan (DDSDP) is another example of a committee of school and parents developing a plan for the implementation of special education services. The importance of community and family involvement cannot be emphasized enough. Research supports this involvement having a key role in improving student achievement. It is important to me to listen and consider the feedback received when making decisions at the board table.

5. Declining enrollment continues to be a major hurdle for Newton. What do you think the district can do to attract and retain students?

The Newton Community School District (NCSD) must become the district of choice. We need to be a leader in educational excellence. We do this by providing a safe, high quality education that is inclusive to all diverse learners, offering a wide range of extra curricular activities, employing effective strategies to showcase the district's offerings, continuing our work with local community colleges to provide educational and career opportunities, and working with our community members to continuously improve our schools.

6. In your opinion, is Newton schools meeting the academic needs of its students? Please explain.

It is the mission of NCSD to empower every learner to achieve a lifetime of personal success. Academic needs are an important piece of this mission. There are research-based supports in place to meet these needs. The high reliability school framework supports high quality effective teaching, engaging all learners, providing a safe and accepting culture and a challenging and relevant learning experience. There are multi-tiered systems in place to ensure students are learning and interventions to help them if they are not. There are teams in place to look at every student's data and plan best how to help the student learn. There is so much more that goes on behind the scenes to support our students in addition to traditional classroom instruction. While many of our test scores are improving or showing growth, some are not at pre-covid levels yet. We are heading in the right direction and we have the supports in place to continue that positive effort made by teachers, administrators, students and community members.

7. What is the best quality of Newton schools? What can the district improve on?

Newton Community School District's best quality is our teachers and administrators. They are highly qualified, caring, resourceful and creative. Our students get the best every day thanks to their hard work and dedication. I also have to mention another quality across the district which is our red pride. Our schools and students enjoy tremendous support from our families and community. It is palpable, communicates belonging and that we are stronger together.

8. What other school issues are you most passionate about?

Another passion I have is for student literacy. It is the foundation of learning and it is critical that all third graders are reading at grade level. This is an important indicator of future success for students.

Engaging all students effectively is a very complex and tall order. It is essential for learning and reduces distraction and other unwanted behaviors so learning can be maximized. Looking at additional options for engaging students is one way to work at this. Work study programs, career academies, job shadowing and student-centered learning are some options to consider.

Our industrial tech programs at the high school can be expanded to further support students interested in trades and technology. If a student is not thriving, we need to find out what needs to be changed to help that student find his or her passion.

I am also passionate about both special education services and our talented and gifted program. We must continually improve these areas.

Finally, respect is a passion for me — for students, parents, teachers to all be authentic and respectful. Parents and teachers are role models. Learning to communicate effectively civilly and respectfully is crucial to future success.