Two SPS candidates interviewed by current board member on conservative KWTO radio show

Days after the filing window closed, two of four potential Springfield school board candidates were featured on a conservative radio show guest-hosted by a sitting board member.

Board member Steve Makoski, elected in April 2022, invited three newcomers — Landon McCarter, Chad Rollins and Judy Brunner — to join him Dec. 30 for segments of the Elijah Haahr Show on KWTO.

"I think it's important for people to know who is out there and what they are voting for," Makoski said.

Makoski co-hosted the show with Republican state Rep. Darin Chappell, who represents eastern Greene County. They talked to McCarter and Rollins on air.

McCarter and Rollins talked about their backgrounds and why they want to serve. They also provided a glimpse into what issues will be priorities in their campaigns.

Brunner, who was out of town, was unable to participate but said she hopes to appear in the future, if asked again.

Makoski said he did not invite Shurita Thomas-Tate, the only incumbent in the running, focusing instead on the new faces.

Asked if he planned to invite Thomas-Tate on a future show, Makoski said yes and "I think it's only fair."

Brunner, McCarter, Rollins and Thomas-Tate submitted their school board candidate petitions prior to the Dec. 27 deadline. The voter signatures gathered by each are under review and those with at least 500 verified names will appear on the April 4 ballot.

The two candidates with the most votes will be sworn in mid-April to serve three-year, at-large terms on the seven-member governing body that sets policy, approves a budget and evaluates the superintendent.

Brunner is a retired Springfield principal, McCarter owns a digital marketing company, Rollins is a pharmacist and Thomas-Tate is an associate professor at Missouri State University.

More:Truth In Politics group eyes April school board election, says 'our work is not done'

As a guest-host in the past, Makoski has talked to Superintendent Grenita Lathan, board vice president Maryam Mohammadkhani and Royce Reding, a founding member of the conservative outside spending group "Truth in Politics," among others, on the show.

On the Dec. 30 show, Makoski and Chappell also talked to city council candidates David Nokes and Derrick Lee.

McCarter wants to reduce classroom "distractions," praises city's "Christian conservative values"

McCarter, who has appeared on the show before, said reducing any distraction in the classroom that takes time away from academics was a frequent concern he heard while talking to voters and gathering signatures.

He wants to limit anything that diverts attention from reading, writing, math and the arts.

"That should be the priority," said McCarter, a graduate of Kickapoo High School and father of three. "Not only is it hurting our students, I believe it is hurting the talent of our teachers."

McCarter said teachers tasked with imparting academic instruction and preparing students to be productive members of society are also sometimes asked to be "a social worker and maybe a stand-in parent, and maybe even in some situations, in these high schools, a dang police officer."

He said Springfield is "dead last" in reading and math scores when compared to many area school districts.

McCarter said while there are likely many factors involved in students' academic achievement levels, he believes the distractions teachers must deal with in the classroom are a critical piece.

"A lot of our talented teachers that we want in SPS are fed up with this type of stuff and they're going to more conservative, more traditional, more disciplinary-focused school systems and those happen to be the smaller schools around us that aren't really putting up with a lot of stuff that unfortunately SPS is sometimes forced to put up with," he said.

"I know we're doing our best and know we got a lot of students to pay attention and nobody is certainly to blame necessarily but that is a big part of our talent leaking out of our school system and going into others."

McCarter said there is a "limited amount of bandwidth" in classrooms and there is no room for the "social-type" programs and other distractions.

"Every minute that is spent on something that isn't the basics, that lead to ACT scores as an example, is something that in my opinion doesn't belong in the classroom unless it is highly scrutinized ... and the community is demanding that be in the classroom."

More:One SPS board hopeful drops out prior to Tuesday filing deadline

McCarter, an entrepreneur, said his business and financial experience are an advantage when evaluating policy and the district's large operating budget.

"I have a lot of experience in looking at profit and loss statements and balance sheets and evaluating companies based on risk, based on all types of things," he said.

"Our stated responsibility is to represent the public interest and serve as a community liaison, which means my job is to listen to the community and understand what their priorities are first."

He said kids must be the first priority and the role of the board is to make sure everything added to the budget makes it easier for teachers to teach.

"The reason that I believe Springfield is the best place to raise a family in the entire world, and why I am choosing to do that, is ... largely on the foundation of our Christian conservative values that is the majority of Springfield, that made this city so awesome that we don't have to deal with a lot of the stuff that other communities have to deal with unfortunately," he said.

Rollins wants to inspire "personal excellence," focus on "fundamentals of education"

Rollins, a graduate of Glendale High School, majored in chemistry at Missouri State. He was interested in working as a homicide detective but opted instead to obtain additional education to be a pharmacist.

Of his seven children, two are in college and five are enrolled in the district. "Why I'm really wanting to run for school board is I feel like I got a great education and so did my kids so far," he said.

Rollins said he is concerned about test scores, classroom distractions and has been talking to teachers.

"What all this really comes down to is personal excellence," he said. "Over the last five years, when I turned 40, I decided to go on a journey to look at myself and bring myself to be the best parent, the best husband, the best friend I could be to everyone."

He got into physical fitness, started doing fitness-related fundraisers, and set high goals, one of which was to compete on NBC's The Titan Games. He ended up on the American Ninja Warrior show.

"That's how far you can go when you believe in yourself," he said.

Of late, Rollins said he has been watching past SPS board meetings while he works out.

Rollins said he wants to give students "hope and aspirations" so they know anything is possible.

More:Six changes, celebrations coming up for Springfield Public Schools in 2023

If elected, Rollins said the first thing he wants to do is "look at the core curriculum and really focus on education because that is why the kids are in school."

Makoski asked Rollins if he wanted to comment on the new strategic plan, the $220 bond issue on the April 4 ballot or "SPS New Year's Resolutions."

Rollins said all are important but chose the latter, saying the district's top resolution ought to be getting back to the "fundamentals of education."

"I'm a good critical thinker. I'm good at coming into a room and listening to all the different views," he said.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS board member Steve Makoski interviews April candidates on KWTO