Meet the six candidates running for Urbandale School Board in the 2023 election
Six candidates are running for four seats on the Urbandale School Board, including Steve Avis, Danielle Bartkiw, incumbent Katherine Howsare, Josh Van Ryswyk, Carissa Williams and Margaret Young.
The Des Moines Register asked each candidate to respond to questions on why they're running and the issues their district is facing. Their answers may be lightly edited for clarity or length.
The election is Nov. 7.
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Steve Avis
AGE: 56
GREW UP: Rushville, Nebraska
CURRENT HOME: Urbandale
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts in accounting, Master of Science in taxation
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Board member, Iowa Accountancy Examining Board; volunteer advocate for children, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA); tax return preparer for Low-income & Elderly Taxpayers, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program
Danielle Bartkiw
AGE: 41
GREW UP: Nebraska
CURRENT HOME: Urbandale
EDUCATION: Associate in Business Administration, DMACC; Associate in Arts, DMACC
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: For four years I have worked for several state of Iowa licensing boards, and I have extensive experience in board rooms, as well as reading and interpreting law. I managed up to 100 employees as a hiring and office manager for eight years. I have served as secretary for a church trust fund committee.
Katherine Howsare (incumbent)
AGE: 72
GREW UP: Mahaska County
CURRENT HOME: Urbandale
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts in English education, Master of Arts in counseling and library
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: UCSD Board, 2015-2023
Josh Van Ryswyk
AGE: 46
GREW UP: Carlisle
CURRENT HOME: Urbandale
EDUCATION: Carlisle High School, 1995; bachelor's from Simpson College, 1999; Iowa Culinary Institute (DMACC), 2009
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None
Carissa Williams
AGE: 40
GREW UP: Boone
CURRENT HOME: Urbandale
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Arts with a double major in economics and business, political science from Cornell College
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Co-president/president, Valerius PTO (2020-present); vice chair and co-founder, Creative Spotlight Scholarship (2020-present); board of directors, Urbandale Community Action Network (2016-2019)
Margaret Young
AGE: 36
GREW UP: Estherville
CURRENT HOME: Urbandale
EDUCATION: Estherville Lincoln Central High School Graduate, 2005, Class Valedictorian; Bachelor of Science in chemistry, with emphasis in biology, Iowa State University; Master of Business Administration with distinction from University of Iowa Tippie College of Business; certificates in leadership and marketing
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Running for School Board is my first step into elected office. In fall of 2022 through spring of 2023, I volunteered with the Urbandale School District on a parent committee to review diversity, equity and inclusion. I often visit my kids’ classrooms to read or support the PTO. I’m active in my church community through leadership, children’s programming, and music. I’ve served as an ambassador at Kemin Industries for over 12 years to connect with visitors and inspire a passion for science with students.
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Why are you running?
Steve Avis: I am running for School Board because I believe strongly in the power of education. I believe it is essential that every child receive a high-quality education in order to prepare them for success. I hope to contribute my financial skills and perspective to continuously improving efficiencies within each of our district’s schools and to advocate for the needs of students, parents, and teachers.
Danielle Bartkiw: I am running for Urbandale School Board because I want to give my best effort to support our students, teachers and schools. I want to eliminate personal agendas and focus on a core education for all students.
Katherine Howsare: I’m running to continue district work. I bring two terms of incumbency to a board with no one over two years of experience.
Josh Van Ryswyk: I was raised in a household that valued volunteerism and public service. As a parent of a UCSD graduate and current middle schooler, running for the school board feels like the right opportunity for me to be of service to my community. As an Asian American, I am a member of a historically marginalized group. My lived experience increases concern of legislative actions that may undermine public schools’ autonomy and protections for our underrepresented students in the district. I believe I will bring a commonsense approach to these issues and will uphold students and staff safety as my priority.
Carissa Williams: I want to ensure that our public schools are a safe and welcoming place for all students to receive a high-quality education. I want our staff to be heard and have their input valued. I want families in the district to understand how and have access to be an active partner in their kids’ education. I hope to build community and collaboration between the board, administration, staff, and families. My family is rooted and invested in the community and our schools and I want to see them be the best they can be.
Margaret Young: I'm running for the Urbandale School Board to support a safe, inclusive, and productive environment for all students to thrive. As a daughter of public educators and mom to two school kids, I know teachers are the salt of the earth and I will support and protect them. In recent years, collaboration sometimes falls to the wayside in favor of polarizing and combative rhetoric. I bring strong leadership, common sense, and a commitment to listening. I will foster productive dialogue to build trust and find collaborative solutions for our community and schools. Our students' education is my top priority.
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What is the most pressing issue facing the school district and how would you address it?
Steve Avis: We have many pressing issues, but my topmost priority is ensuring the physical well-being of students and staff by promptly implementing safety improvements immediately after being identified. Additionally, we must fully support teachers in taking necessary steps in maintaining a positive classroom learning environment, free from distractions. During the past fiscal year, our district spent $14.5 million more than budgeted. If elected, I will be the only CPA on the board, along with public school budgeting and audit experience, to help guide the district in avoiding a similar event.
Danielle Bartkiw: Many parents are concerned about the new “Grading for Learning” system. Adopted in 2022, it has yet to be closely examined in the boardroom. Our testing scores, teacher retention, and college readiness numbers are down. We need a core-focused education. Our special education system needs to be prioritized and improved. The SpED program needs more learning options and resources for students, along with additional paraprofessionals. Lastly, the district needs to recognize, cooperate with, and embrace parental communication and transparency. I advocate to measure academic performance, add SpED resources and paraprofessionals, and a more collaborative parent-teacher learning experience for children.
Katherine Howsare: Retention and recruitment of staff — certified and classified. We can’t do our best for students without a full, well-qualified staff. It’s a looming crisis.
Josh Van Ryswyk: Urbandale faces the same hurdles as public schools across our state with the most challenging being budget shortfalls, teacher shortages, lack of mental health support for students and attempts to privatize and legislate our public schools. Our administrators, teachers, and staff need our support more now than ever as they navigate a complicated landscape of pressure around curriculum selection, book bans and attacks on equity and inclusion practices. These issues are all interconnected and directly impact the day-to-day of students and staff at UCSD.
Carissa Williams: Our most pressing issue is the current staff shortage in education, especially in positions working directly with kids. There are already vacant positions in our system, not enough substitutes, etc. These vacancies and staff shortages put a significant burden on other staff, and reduce the quality of education our kids receive. We must find new and creative ways to recruit and retain staff. We must be competitive with neighboring districts to ensure that our staff can choose to work in Urbandale. These solutions will require creativity and thinking about education differently than in the past.
Margaret Young: Urbandale’s mission statement “Teaching All – Reaching All” embraces the ever-increasing diversity in our schools and community. While serving on the district’s parent committee to review diversity, equity and inclusion, I saw proficiency gaps in math, science and literacy for some student groups. I was most concerned to learn that only 30% of our students feel emotionally safe at school. Unless students’ basic needs are met, including feeling safe, they are unable to learn at their best. As a School Board member, I will advocate for policies that support equity and emotional and physical safety.
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How would you balance the needs of students and staff while complying with a new state law, Senate File 496, that restricts certain books and LGBTQ instruction for certain grades?
Steve Avis: School board directors are obligated to adhere to laws and regulations as currently enacted; however, it is important to foster a culture that encourages students and staff to actively engage in the legislative process, ensuring their voices are heard. Cultivating this skill among students is especially valuable now, as it equips them for active participation in civic matters as they transition into adulthood.
Katherine Howsare: SF 496's demands, although ill-defined by the state authorities, have placed boards in a precarious place. The need to protect our staff from state punishments for perceived violations, with support for all our students and their best educations, is a difficult balance. Added to those concerns, is the fact that each district has different issues.
Danielle Bartkiw: The district must follow state law. Board members need to ensure school policies align with current legislation. Keeping current and forming new committees within the school board helps secure stability and compliance. Committees also support the close examination of the needs for students and staff including teacher’s feedback, academic performance, transparency with parents, finances and school safety.
Josh Van Ryswyk: We must prioritize adherence to the law, even though the Legislature's recent directions provide minimal guidance. I believe our interpretation of these new laws should err on the side of the students. It's crucial to maintain schools as safe spaces for students to thrive. While we await further state guidance on interpretation and enforcement, we should fully support the professional integrity and expertise of our teaching staff in selecting age-appropriate materials that are best for their classrooms. My commitment lies in ensuring our students have the best possible educational experience within the bounds of the law.
Carissa Williams: It’s necessary to comply with the law. However, in order to best serve our students and staff, we must be prudent and not over-extend our application beyond the scope of the law. The board and administration should seek legal counsel and additional industry opinions when implementing new policies and procedures. The board should keep the focus on supporting our students’ and teachers’ needs while maintaining compliance. I will advocate for our students and staff so our lawmakers are aware of the impacts the legislation is having in our schools.
Margaret Young: As a member of the School Board, I’m required to uphold all laws of the state, including SF 496. Hopefully, the Department of Education will eventually give us better guidance on what this law means and how to implement it. In the meantime, we will strive to create a safe, welcoming, rigorous, relevant and inclusive learning environment for all our students and to protect our staff from accidentally breaking the law.
In recent years, Des Moines metro school districts have seen their enrollment numbers steadily increase. What can the district and board do to manage future student growth?
Steve Avis: Primarily, all school boards should work towards attaining favorable teacher-student ratios – this should always be the end game. The district has already recently undergone a demographic study for purposes of determining an efficient allocation of students because of building two new elementary schools. Collaboration with city planners for purposes of contemplating future expansion or contraction within certain areas of the district would help to improve favorable ratios.
Danielle Bartkiw: The funds for districts need to be closely examined and refocused to ensure there is sufficient staff to reach every student. We need to make sure that student-to-teacher ratios are not too great because we do not want teachers to be overwhelmed and students to fall through the cracks. Supporting our teachers with paraprofessionals will enrich the student’s learning experience in a dynamic and challenging way.
Katherine Howsare: UCSD is unique in that we are landlocked. Our major issue, with the completed new elementaries, is to determine programming and resources we can develop to best serve our families, especially considering the two empty elementaries and the upcoming need to move an athletic field from the city-owned Lions Park.
Josh Van Ryswyk: Urbandale is not in a unique situation as many other districts are faced with limitations around population growth. We must have transparent conversations about the expiration of the Educational Savings Account Program and the potential exodus of students to private schools. This raises some red flags around the balance of high-performing and special-needs students. Our district's mission is to teach and reach all students. By prioritizing both academic fundamentals and social-emotional well-being we can be a beacon of excellence and a safe haven thus mitigating enrollment decline and ensuring we continue to be a desired community to raise and educate our children.
Carissa Williams: Urbandale Schools are in a unique position within the metro, with much more limited opportunities for growth via additional housing development due to the size and district borders. Because of this, Urbandale’s focus for enrollment will more likely center on open enrollment counts. Our district recently implemented additional caps on grade-level capacities. This, in conjunction with the movement, closure, and combining of several elementaries in recent years requires that we work to determine the optimal class sizes to benefit our students and also provide opportunities for the district to continue to receive open-enrollment students.
Margaret Young: To keep up with growing enrollment, the district must invest both in infrastructure and teachers. Strong public schools build strong communities, and I’m grateful for Urbandale’s support of bond issues for elementary schools in recent years. Looking ahead, the board will determine new purposes for the Jensen and Rolling Green properties. Most importantly, teachers and staff are our district's greatest resource. To continue to provide the top-quality education that attracts students from Urbandale and the surrounding community, we must retain our top-tier educators and recruit new talent by offering competitive wages, benefits and ensuring they feel valued and appreciated.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Six candidates are running for Urbandale School Board in 2023
