School board candidates discuss what they think is most important function of CPS

Candidates for the Columbia Board of Education gave wide-ranging answers Tuesday when asked about the most important function of Columbia Public Schools.

The teachers' union, the Columbia National Education Association, put on the candidate forum over Zoom. The election is April 4. The union announces its endorsements before the school board elections.

Candidate Chuck Basye skipped the forum, after suing the district to get on the ballot. He complained when he won that he already was at a disadvantage after missing one candidate forum.

The candidates were allowed five words to describe the district's most important function, but were allowed to elaborate when describing how they would prioritize it. Some took more than five words.

"The most important function is education," said candidate John Potter. Student achievement also is important, he said.

"Political leadership to sustain trust," said candidate James Gordon.

The political leadership needs to be deeply rooted in the community, he said.

State-level politicians in Jefferson City are using what he said are "toxic politics" perpetrated by "wealthy elites."

"Prepare students for life," said candidate John Lyman.

Life is everything after high school graduation, he said.

"We're supposed to get our kids ready for life when they get out on their own," he said.

He added a word in his closing statement.

"Prepare all our students for life," he said. That means all, regardless of socio-economic status and including neuro-diverse students and any sort of differences, he said.

"Teaching is the most important function of what we do in Columbia Public Schools," said Chris Horn, the only incumbent school board member running.

"All of our efforts we do is in support of that most important function, that is teaching," Horn said.

"We are creating contributing members of society," said April Ferrao

The students need to be high-achieving but also prepared for life, she said.

"We are creating critical thinkers from preschool on up," Ferrao said.

"Educate our children for life," said candidate Paul Harper.

School board members need to build the framework and get out of the way, he said.

"Teacher working conditions are student learning conditions," he said.

Candidates were asked when they most recently advocated for public education.

Harper said he works with parents of LGBTQ students to advocate for them.

Potter always tells parents who want to place their children in private schools to reconsider, he said.

"We keep them in public school in order to live in reality' where his children can develop social skills and relate with a diverse range of people, he said.

"I hope it counts that I'm running for school board," Gordon said "This is a big leap for me."

He called it "incredibly liberating."

"Equity and accessibility are there for us to address," Gordon said.

Calling being a school board candidate his best education, Lyman said he is "public schools for life."

A statistic he learned recently surprised him, he said.

"There are over 300 students who are homeless," Lyman said. "This absolutely blew me away."

On the school board, he's always wearing that hat, wherever he is, Horn said.

As a school board member, he stays up on legislation affecting schools, he said.

As a parent volunteer, she's been advocating for public schools for 15 years," Ferrao said. That includes advocating for students who aren't receiving services and advocating for teachers.

"I am constantly advocating for public schools," Ferrao said.

Potter used his closing statement to complain about what he said was "racially divisive" teaching and training in the school district in the name over diversity, inclusion and equity.

"There's this privilege and oppression training that is going on," Potter said, saying it was an overreach.

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Teacher's union school board candidate forum, skipped by Basye