Ames School Board Candidate Profiles

 have filed to run for five seats on the . AmesPatch asked each candidate to answer the same questions and their answers will be posted on AmesPatch each day leading up to the Sept. 13 election.

Incumbents, Mary Jurenka, Francis Todey and Dan Woodin and newcomers Rodney Briggs, Lucas Deardorff and Teresa Simpson filed to run for the district's four, four-year terms.

Name: Mary Jurenka

Age: 48

Family: Husband, Russ, and four children, Alex and Ben graduated from Ames High School, Kate, is a junior at Ames High and Patrick is a seventh-grader at Ames Middle School.

Occupation: Stay at home mother. Previous occupations have included substitute teaching and research in biology labs.

Education: B.S. In Biology from State University of New York at Fredonia and a Minor Secondary Education.

Previous elected experience: Elected to the board in 2007. Current board president.

Why are you running?

 I am very proud of the Ames School District and would like to continue to serve the kids. The accomplishments of our students are well known. Their triumphs in academics, music and athletics, are a great source of pride for this community. Our students take part in many service projects such as feeding the homeless, working to combat hunger, annual trips to Uganda to build schools, fundraisers to help classmates who are ill and many more. Through the generations, Ames teachers, parents, and community have created this culture of high-achieving students and the environment where kids are taught the importance of helping others.

Some of the triumphs that occur in our schools are less known but are profound in their impact on students’ lives. Many children who have entered the Ames Schools with profoundly low reading abilities have made remarkable growth. Through the hard work of our teachers and volunteers from the community students have caught up with their peers and will have great opportunities in their future.

Despite the hard work of our teachers some students continue to struggle. The future for those who cannot read proficiently is very limited. Ames provides a high quality preschool program, good teachers and a viable curriculum, yet some children are not reading by the third grade. We all know that meeting a child’s socio-emotional needs is a crucial component for academic success. Due to home circumstances, some of our children do not have the support systems that are so crucial to learning.

Are we providing a school climate where relationships that promote a sense of security and confidence can occur? Are we providing a school climate where parental involvement is encouraged? I believe that effort is being spent on school climate, but for all kids to succeed these efforts need to be intensified.

Our school administrators have provided the board with a wealth of information about the challenges faced by many of our families. Last year, school administrators and board members attended a workshop that addressed the issues faced by at-risk students in Ames and Story County. Many agencies participated in discussions, which led us to the realization that more coordination between agencies could eliminate gaps in services and promote a better community-wide awareness of how people can help. These talks will continue and I am encouraged that our students will benefit.

I will continue to ask tough questions, and I will continue to demand answers about the student success and well being of students of all levels, and I will continue to support funding when it is known to improve outcomes.

It has been said that the cost of construction inflation has not been accounted for in the current $65 million bond project for six elementary schools. If it's approved, how will you ensure that all projects are completed and that buildings are built to last?

If the bond is approved by voters, all renovation and new construction will be completed. Based on a financial package provided by Piper-Jaffray and Ames School District CFO, there was board consensus to use some SILO (sales tax) revenue to offset the property tax levy rate.

The state sales tax revenues will be available for our district in 2013, which is when payment will be complete for the new middle school. The sales tax will yield around 4 million dollars annually depending on retail and student numbers.

As you know the $65,000,000 amount reflects current construction costs and does not take into account overages due to inflation, change orders, or unforeseen circumstances. When this was discussed, there was board agreement to use one million per year of sales tax revenues to lower the property tax rate. This will reduce the property tax levy rate and provide a contingency for construction overages, inflation and unforeseen circumstances. Since, this plan uses $1 million annually, we will have $3 million remaining per year, which gives ample cushioning for construction costs and money left to contribute to future district projects. The two-year schedule for issuance of debt will allow adjustments to be made in the amount of sales tax revenue that is used and will provide stability in the property tax levy rate. Under this payment schedule the bond will be paid off in 20 years. Under this plan, a property assessed at $100,000 will increase property taxes by $70.86 per year.

Future boards can choose to increase or decrease the amount of sales tax revenues used for this project.

Our facilities director will oversee the construction progress and let the board know if additional help is needed. Once design details are complete, the sealed bidding process will begin with the district sending out request for proposals (RFPs) to notify construction companies. The sealed bidding requires the acceptance of the lowest bid. In order to make sure that we are getting a company known for its excellent work and has the references to show it, we need to specify our requirements before the bids come in. We can do this by including qualifiers in our request for proposals. These qualifiers can include experience in various construction techniques and materials, references, and detailed examples of past work. RFPs, with board input, will be created by staff and brought to the board for approval. As is the current practice PPEL funds will be used to maintain the buildings on a revolving schedule.

How much of SILO (School Infrastructure Local Option Sales Tax) funds are you willing to contribute to the current elementary school project before the voters?

I am willing to use more than $1 million per year to offset the property tax rate as long as we have a plan for our future needs and any contingencies. Because the sales tax expires in 2029, we have to treat it as a finite amount of money and spend it wisely.

If voters do not approve the bond issue what will you do to address the needs of school facilities?

If the bond doesn’t pass, we will need to regroup and decide whether or not to get a plan ready for a public vote in six months, which is the soonest that we are allowed. We will also need to discuss what to do about the facilities. What is the most urgent need? We know that all of the safety needs are being met with the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy Fund (PPEL), but are there other issues that need to be addressed soon? These are the questions that we would need answered before we proceed. I would not be in favor of doing piecemeal construction unless the situation is urgent. Construction is expensive and any piecemeal work that is done now, may be undone in a major renovation.

SEE MORE ON JURENKA ON PATCH

SEE MORE ON JURENKA ON THE WEB

• Ames Tribune
• Jurenka's Website