D186 school board candidates take on teacher shortages, school disparities in forum

Seven of the eight candidates in three contested School District 186 board of education races ahead of the April 4 consolidated election participated in a forum sponsored by the Springfield Education Association at Southeast High School Tuesday.

About 100 or so members of SEA, the union representing public school teachers and other professionals, and members of the public attended the forum.

It was kicked off by an informal meet and greet with all of the candidates, including four who are running unopposed in their subdistricts.

Federal judge's order demands answers from Springfield man convicted in Jan. 6 breach

All seven of the board seats are up for election because of the decennial Census.

Topics ranged from how board members would address teacher shortages to curbing classroom violence to heading off disparities among district schools.

Candidates were provided the questions by SEA beforehand and each of the seven candidates addressed all of the questions.

In Subdistrict 2, board vice president Micah Miller goes up against challenger Emerson Weed. In Subdistrict 3, incumbent Sarah Blissett faces Spurgeon Johnson and Jessica Bandy, who did not participate Tuesday.

Jeff Tucka, also an incumbent, squares off against Ken Gilmore and Donna Hopwood in Subdistrict 4.

Board president Anthony "Tony" Mares (Subdistrict 1); Buffy Lael-Wolf (Subdistrict 5) and Erica Austin (Subdistrict 6) are all incumbents running unopposed.

In Subdistrict 7, Debi Iams is the only announced candidate.

Teacher shortages

According to the certified vacancy list posted by on the District 186 human resources website, the district was 30 certified teachers and educational professionals short as of Jan. 30. Candidates were asked what they were committed to do to make teaching more appealing in Springfield in an effort to fill teaching vacancies.

Miller, who works for the Illinois Secretary of State and is seeking his second full term, said the teacher shortage, especially a shortage of substitute teachers, isn't new and is something neighboring school districts have had to deal with. It was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic where a number of job sectors, including government agencies, the restaurant industry and the trucking industry, felt pinches.

While the Illinois legislature passed a minimum wage bill for teachers, Miller said District 186 was ahead of the curve by providing a starting salary above the minimum of $40,000.

"Not only is that better than our neighboring districts, but we need to make sure that our health care plan is as attractive as possible," Miller said. "It has always been a pretty good carrot to entice people into our district and now we've seen rising costs ever since I've been on the board, but we really need to be hyper-focused on making sure that plan is equitable and provides good benefits to our employees."

Weed, Miller's challenger in Subdistrict 2 which covers a wide swath of the north end, said he hoped the district's administration would devote more time and resources to "intentional recruitment" of teachers.

"I would confirm that we're going and actively looking at qualified teachers rather than waiting for them to apply," said Weed, who works for the Regional Office of Education in the truancy program. "I also think that it's in our best interest to reach out and build some partnerships with local statewide universities so we can create a pipeline of applicants."

Weed said he would advocate for time and opportunities for professional development for educators, something that is "paramount."

Johnson, who is facing Blissett and Bandy in a subdistrict covering the northeast part of the city, said board members should be ardent about meeting with District 186 Superintendent Jennifer Gill and its human resources team about creating more specific recruitment strategies for teachers.

"There is a pool (of talent out there)," said Johnson, the chief financial officer of the Garrison Group, which does commercial real estate advising. "There are people who want to work. There are people who want to teach. We just have to create our pool with more qualified individuals."

Blissett, who is seeking her first full term after being appointed to the board in 2021 to replace President Scott McFarland, said the district can find ways to make itself more appealing and stand out against other school districts.

One of those ways is looking at teacher contracts in neighboring districts to see what is being offered there, said Blissett, who works for Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

"If I could pay educators $1 million (each), I would," Blissett said. "Teachers are stressed to the max and so they need every advantage that we can give them in every way possible."

Hopwood, who is in a three-way race in Subdistrict 4 covering the city's southwest side, said violence in District 186 schools may be tamping down the number of teachers.

"That's a problem right there," said Hopwood, who works for the Illinois Department of Revenue. "I want to stand up for the teachers because they need to be appreciated. We need to make sure we have a good healthcare system for them and that their pay is where it's supposed to be. There are several different problems here. The parents also need to be supportive of the schools and we need to get the parents more involved."

Gilmore, a longtime educator in District 186 who retired last spring as principal at Ridgely Elementary, said enticing recent college graduates to Springfield is tough but not impossible. He would create a pipeline focusing on former District 186 students.

Gilmore would seek to remove barriers for paraprofessionals, such as aides and assistants in the district who want to become teachers by boosting their pay as they complete their coursework.

Gilmore said shortages of substitute teachers "have a crippling effect on schools" and he would seek to boost pay.

Tucka, who was appointed to the board on Nov. 15 to fill out the term of the late Mike Zimmers, said the key to fixing the shortage is teacher retention and happiness.

Boosting pay and helping with student loan repayment are two approaches, Tucka said, though teachers need to be supported by "effective disciplinary policies and mental and emotional support for students."

A novel approach to addressing the substitute shortage, said Tucka, a chemist with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, is pairing with local businesses to get workers days off to try to get them to sub in classrooms.

Student achievement

Candidates were asked what they would do as board members to help improve student achievement at every grade level and to ensure every student who graduates is ready for postsecondary success.

Gilmore said a lot is squeezed into a school day, but "enhancing instruction" and removing distractions can help teachers do their jobs.

"We need to make sure the curriculum of each subject area contributes to successful learning and is selected carefully," Gilmore said. "I'm a firm believer that for students to reach a higher performance level, we need to allocate that adequate time to provide quality instruction for the core subjects and the arts."

The goal should be for students to be "engaged lifelong learners," and not just test-takers, he added.

Hopwood said she would like to see the district get back to basics.

"I know the core learning is the way things are now," Hopwood said, "but there are a lot of parents who can't even sit down and help their child with a math problem because they don't understand how it works.

The job of board members, and parents and grandparents, Hopwood insisted, is "to help make sure these kids get the best education they can possibly get and to make them good human beings for the community and for our future."

Tucka said the district needs to continue its focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) curriculum.

"We're all aware that improves critical thinking," Tucka said. It can provide students with hands-on and real world learning scenarios and it also promotes equality in the classroom and beyond."

Tucka added the district should continue to support pipeline programs, like the Building and Trades Program at Lanphier High School.

School disparities

Candidates were asked to address the disparities in graduation rates at the high schools -- Springfield High reported an 81% graduation rate while Lanphier reported a 55% rate -- and disparities between schools in general across the district.

Miller said the graduation rates had been an ongoing problem, noting that data he looked at from 2006 reflected the same percentages in disparities.

"Our schools look a lot like our communities," he said. "We're meeting right now in Ward 2 and most people may not be aware but there isn't a gas station in this entire ward." On the north end, he added, a group is trying to clean up the vacant Pillsbury property after decades of idleness.

With a revenue stream of about $15 million annually from the 1% sales tax approved by Sangamon County voters in 2018, "I just see District 186 being in a unique position to help invest all around this community and I'm hoping our partners will gain traction at the municipal level."

Weed acknowledged "there might not be a more frustrating feeling" than seeing kids with potential drop out of school.

"As a county truancy officer, I'm still continuing my effort to try to keep these kids in school every day, to get them to their graduation," he said. "I'm helping these families overcome some of these obstacles and working with them to ensure that their kids stay with us."

Weed said he was "excited to see what (the new Lanphier building) inspires in our kids and in the north end in general." Lanphier is in the midst of a $93.2 million renovation of its campus. Weed previously worked at Lanphier as a permanent substitute teacher and a football and track and field coach.

Violence in schools

Candidates were also asked about changes made or still may be needed to address violence in schools.

Lanphier senior Pierre V. Scott Jr. was fatally stabbed outside of the high school on Nov. 17, 2021. Several months later, the board voted unanimously approved metal detectors for district high schools, alternative schools and middle schools.

Blissett said she was one of "the biggest and earliest supporters of metal detectors and I still stand by that. I think it was the right decision."

Blissett has suggested that elementary schools need clear backpacks to prevent weapons in schools.

"We also need to make sure that concerns teachers are bringing forth are being addressed," she added. "Discipline needs to be handled consistently among schools. You can't go to one school and the kid is doing whatever and they're getting away with it, but maybe at another school they're maybe getting a suspension for the exact same offense."

Johnson, a former law enforcement officer at Chicago State University, said while metal detectors and wanding work, the core issue is why students need weapons in the first place.

"That's where we need to start," Johnson said.

He added he would like to see more teachers trained in de-escalation tactics, which was addressed in the teachers contract ratified in early November. "We also need more security to be respectful and professional security and willing to establish a kinship in relation to the children," he said. "You should be able to know who your security guard is."

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: District 186 school board candidates address school violence