Know your candidates: Tipton school board

Nov. 4—The Tipton Community School Corporation School Board will have at least two new members once the election is settled.

President Gary Plumer and Vice President April Overdorf are not running for another term.

With Plumer not running again, two Tipton city seats are up for grabs. Chris McNew, the other city representative up for reelection, is running again.

Other candidates for the Tipton city seats are Eric Underwood, Jason Springer and Gary Johnson.

Robert Cochrane is unopposed for the Cicero Township seat, which was held by Overdorf.

Below are survey responses from candidates. They have been edited for grammar and clarity. Candidates were also asked to supply photos.

City of Tipton

Gary Johnson

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Tipton schools?

I have four proud graduates of Tipton Community Schools, and I had the honor of serving on the board during the time that they were attending school for 16 years. Now my grandchildren are attending Tipton schools, and I want to see the school corporation continue to improve and develop excellent programs and honorable traditions for them and all the students of our great community.

The greatest issues facing Tipton Community Schools is balancing the needs of all of our deserving students and financing them within the confines of our budgets.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

I have been on the board previously for 16 years. I have been involved in finance, balancing budgets and the required accounting many times.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

This issue is a growing problem not only here locally but nationally. This is where I think it is going to take a great deal of cooperation between parent, teachers, schools and communities. These students deserve the extra attention and work from all stakeholders to overcome the scars of this pandemic.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

The greatest battle in keeping teachers and attracting new teachers very much starts and ends with teachers' salaries. Unfortunately, this a huge battle for all schools. One aspect that I think would help is changing how schools pay teachers. Currently most teacher contracts only award increases based solely on tenure. I think a more business style individual teacher contract would help schools better retain, promote and reward highly competent teachers. Additionally, I would like to see more cooperation between businesses and schools so that some of the brightest and skilled employees could take time away to venture into our schools and provide real world experiences to the classrooms.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

Online learning is a wonderful resource for students and teachers, and it has the potential to expand the learning environments for our students. Unfortunately, it has not been utilized to the best of its potential. There are several programs out there that could be used in the classroom to bring online learning up to a greater utilization than is currently seen. But there are areas in learning that I believe are not very well suited to online and should not be pursued in that area.

Chris McNew

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Tipton schools?

I am running for reelection to the Board of Trustees because, although a lot of my personal goals and a lot in general has been accomplished, there is still more work to do. Having spent nearly 20 years as an educator here in Tipton has prepared me well for this position.

The top issue facing TCSC, in my opinion, is keeping and attracting students. Indiana is one of 46 states that allow a family to choose what school district a student attends. There are also charter, private, religious options, as well as the decision to homeschool. We have to make each of our schools a place of envy; a place students want to attend. I feel that we are continuing to evaluate everything from program to grounds to make TCSC a very attractive school system.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

I have been involved with the budget process for the last four budgets. I understand what each fund represents, and the sources funding comes from and what can be spent and transferred from each fund. This is why student population is critically important. Our budget is directly tied to how many students we have enrolled. I also operated within a budget when I was the elementary science coordinator/teacher. Providing modern, hands-on learning experiences requires keeping within a tight budget.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

First, we have tried to communicate with teachers over the last couple of years that students aren't coming into their class/grade with the skills that they would expect pre-pandemic. Most classes require a teacher to take the student where they are at academically, and branch upward from there. This is especially true now, and likely will for years to come. As far as the math and language arts, we have to and are offering after-school tutoring and homework help. Our teachers have been going above and beyond to see to it that after-school remediation programs are offered. The school has assisted by offering transportation afterwards. We are also fortunate within the community to have West Street Christian Church, through the work of Mrs. Karen Dunham, that offers tutoring and homework assistance as well.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

I don't believe that there IS a teacher shortage in Indiana, or in most states. I believe that there is a shortage of people willing to teach. There is a big difference.

My feeling is that in order to attract and retain high quality teachers, a school system MUST offer three critical things. 1. competitive pay 2. competitive benefits 3. a healthy working environment where a teacher has the support that they need, but are also given the license to practice their craft. The third is the one area that I don't feel like I have been as successful as I could have been. I also believe that the stress involved with the pandemic made for a poor working environment.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

The major thing the pandemic taught us is that "virtual learning" isn't where it needs to be in order to be successful. As technological as we as a society are, most schools don't have the ability to provide quality virtual learning. To be honest, I have never been a fan of online learning. However, the state virtually (pun intended) handcuffed us in years past when it came to providing in-service days for our staff, while also requiring 180 student days.

The best education takes place in person. I love what we have done with our calendar this year. Our in-service days are days off with no e-learning. We have built in some snow days before spring vacation. Right now, with the present set up for virtual learning and the fact that not every home is equipped to cope with having school at home, there aren't many examples that I can think of where I feel that virtual/e-learning should be implemented. Even in a catastrophic weather event, if everyone doesn't have power, virtual learning puts students farther behind through no fault of their own.

Jason Springer

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Tipton Schools?

I've been a big advocate for school safety over the past few years; however, with my kids a little older, the timing is right for me to run for school board. For Tipton, I still believe that enrollment numbers and student safety are top issues. I also feel that we have an opportunity to create a strong working partnership amongst our staff, administration, the board and community.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

My experience comes from managing an operations center for a utility company that I have been employed with for 22 years. In my role, I am responsible for both an annual O&M and capital budget. Also, I was the president for Tipton Youth Football League for several years which involved managing fundraisers and maintaining a budget for a non-profit.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

During the pandemic, our students suffered from not having in-person teaching and structure. The online learning was difficult for teachers, students and parents. I would like to see in-school tutoring implemented to help bridge the gap on learning loss in both math & reading. Having an instructor or even utilizing a peer tutor if applicable, is a step towards effective intervention.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think the schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

Clearly one of the biggest factors in retaining and attracting teachers is competitive pay. While I think we truly need to get creative to find ways to get the most for our teachers, there are other factors that we should take into consideration as well. Personally, I would like to have skip level meetings with staff from each grade level to better understand what motivates them while simultaneously hearing their top concerns.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

Technology is great, but it can also be a huge distraction especially in our younger students. I have firsthand knowledge when my children were younger.

My vision of online learning is using it as more of a supplementary tool for students. I would like to see it used more sparingly — as students need more social interaction and development.

Eric Underwood

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Tipton schools?

I am running for school board in Tipton because I am an educator at heart. I am a former high school teacher and I have a passion for education. My experience as a parent in school districts of five different states gives me valuable input to the board. I want people to want to move to Tipton, because we have the best schools in the state.

My priorities are: Make sure our schools prepare every student for life after graduation, whether that be college or career. Provide highly competitive pay for teachers, administrators and support staff. Ensure each school has the resources to provide a safe environment for the students. Oversee a budget that provides an outstanding return on investment for the taxpayers. Create a culture in each building that attracts and retains the best educators in the area.

The top challenge for schools today is to provide the education that is best for our local students while following all of the requirements forced upon local educators by the state and federal government. Another top challenge is the increase in discipline/behavior problems that result in a poor learning environment.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

As an educator, I represented the teachers during a contract negotiation that successfully passed without delay. I have seen the process and understand the difficulties in meeting the many needs of a school corporation, often before knowing what funds will be available from the state. I was pleased to learn that Tipton schools have a rainy day fund. Personally, I believe debt is the enemy of any budget, and we must work to limit debt by being good stewards of the annual funds available.

For six years, I was a small business owner and learned a great deal about treating company money like it is your own. Every dollar must have a purpose, and at school, it must be to provide an outstanding education for our students. I would look for areas of waste and focus on programs that are redundant. Currently I manage a 10-state territory for a company with responsibility for sales growth at a targeted margin.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

Schools have access to data that identifies individual students who are not performing at grade level. Those students need designated time in the school day for targeted tutoring. The reality is it will take much effort from not only teachers, but students and parents as well, to make up for lost time.

There is another approach that I believe would work, which is giving those students an additional year to make up for the year they missed. For example, college athletes are being given an extra year of eligibility to replace the lost COVID year. Our children's education deserves the same chance.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

I think most people agree that a competitive wage will retain and attract teachers, but beyond that, teachers need to feel respected. Within each building, leaders set the tone and drive the work culture. If teachers are respected and valued by the administration, that goes a long way in improving morale. Everyone wants to work in a place that has a healthy, positive environment. Teachers are some of the most important people to our children, so we want to attract the best of the best.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

Online learning needs to be used in rare circumstances. In order to provide the best education, our students need to be in the classroom with the teachers where the teacher can see who is paying attention and who is not. The teacher cannot monitor all of the distractions during online learning. Students need to be in the room with the teacher as well to learn.

If a student has a reason they cannot attend school in person, online learning is a good substitute so they do not fall behind. I do not support online learning for an entire class unless there is absolutely no other option.

Cicero Township

Robert Cochrane

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Tipton schools?

I am running for TCSC School Board because I believe in the power of a strong TCSC and a strong Tipton. When the two work in sync together for each and every citizen, Tipton is at its best. As a TCSC School Board member, I commit to leveraging my 35+ year career as a data analyst and always be prepared to use educated, honest and thoughtful judgment based on the data and demonstrable facts.

As a school board member, I will ask myself daily "Is this what is best for ALL students in the district?" When we focus on student success, all other aspects of the district will work. What is best for all students, is also what is best for our teachers. What is best for all students, is also what is best for our facilities. What is best for all students, is also what is best for our community and its taxpayers. As a school district, we must give ALL children the opportunity to excel at learning and preparing for the workforce or attending college.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

In my career, I have executive-level experience with creating, articulating and managing budgets ranging from several hundreds of thousands of dollars to multi-million dollar budgets. I have experience in private equity backed ventures, NASDAQ traded entities and privately held multi-generational companies.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

There is so much student achievement gap data now detailing what our students lost and missed in their education due to the pandemic. I recently researched a program in Tennessee where they are incorporating "high-dosage tutoring" to address learning loss in both math and reading. The Tennessee program tutors kids 2-3 times per week for at least 30 minutes and limits the group to no more than three students. Tennessee leveraged local colleges and community colleges to find education majors to help with the tutoring.

I think Tipton should create a similar community-based program. We have an amazing Boys and Girls Club, a local church that already offers tutoring as a service, and we have great colleges like IUK, Indiana Wesleyan and Taylor (University) to draw education majors from if needed. We also have many retired teachers in our community and surrounding communities that could be engaged for assistance if needed. It seems like the ingredients are there for Tipton to replicate a program similar to Tennessee's high-dosage tutoring to address the pandemic "learning loss."

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

Unless schools take action to mitigate teacher turnover, the problems associated with a dwindling teacher population will only intensify in the coming years. Fortunately, data I have reviewed and teacher feedback have revealed proven methods that will improve the likelihood of teacher retention. Along with mitigating the significant costs associated with turnover, these strategies will strengthen the overall fabric of schools by cultivating effective collaboration, increasing teacher success and improving school culture. As a result, district leaders can create a school environment in which both students and teachers can thrive.

Obviously, we need to do everything we can to pay teachers more. Coupled with that, we need to advocate and support teachers as much as possible. A survey from the Center for Teacher Quality I reviewed revealed that support from colleagues and administrators is one of the most significant factors in a teacher's decision to stay or leave the profession. By ensuring that teachers feel supported and cared for, administrators can help keep teachers satisfied in their current positions and attract new teachers.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

As a 35-year veteran of the technology sector, I know that online instructional environments that expand learning opportunities and provide top quality education through a variety of platforms are a necessity. In order for an online program to be successful, the curriculum, the teacher, the technology and the students must be carefully considered and balanced in order to take full advantage of the strengths of this format and at the same time avoid pitfalls that could result from its weaknesses.

The curriculum of any online program must be carefully thought through and created in order to be successful. The pandemic forced teachers to quickly develop distance education programs from their existing lesson plans. Curriculum and teaching methodology that are successful in a physical school setting do not always translate to a successful online program where learning and instructional paradigms are quite different. Education of the highest quality can and will occur in an online program provided that the curriculum has been properly developed or converted to meet the needs of the online medium.

With all that being said, I believe that mass online learning for K-12 should be done in extenuating circumstances and that in-person education should be the preferred medium whenever possible.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.