My Five Reasons for Running for Dubuque School Board
Posted by cbeytien on July 10, 2008
My Five Reasons for Running for Dubuque School Board
Running for an elective office is certainly new to me but it is not new to me to be asked what motivates me to action. So in anticipation of the question being asked, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on what influences me to run.
Reason to Run #1 – Perhaps it seems quaint to admit that simply being of service to the community in which one lives is a fairly strong motivation. I think anyone who achieves some degree of success in life (however they choose to define that success) has a responsibility to share of their time and talents for the greater good. I see this as an opportunity to share my business and life experience in support of the institutions that benefit our community.
Reasons to Run #2 – I believe school board membership needs to embody the diversity of perspectives reflective of the community it serves. Having representation from many stakeholder groups in the community is important to ensure many voices are heard and all options are considered in making administrative decisions. My experience as a parent of students gives me a perspective on the needs and concerns of parents, teachers, and others and those who seek to serve them.
Reasons to Run #3 – I have an earnest desire to encourage a more transparent decision making process. Context is everything. The most effective manner to make decisions is to provide a clear context through absolute disclosure of the factors influencing the decision. This is particularly true in a public forum of a school district. We must have complete transparency in process and decision making. I have experience bringing parties together to get underneath the baseline assumptions and biases. Focus groups, ad-hoc committees, special panels, expert presentations should all play a role in informing and involving the community in the process.
Reasons to Run #4 – I would like to see a stronger tie between the Board and our local schools of higher education. We have two well respected teaching institutions in Dubuque who represent not only a renewable source of teachers, but have resources to generate “best practices research” from across the country.
Reasons to Run #5 – More than anything else, I want to be conduit for the concerns and interests of teachers and parents to the administration. I see this as the main purpose of the Board, to represent the interests of these parties in how we fund and support learning and preparing our kids for their future.
