Which School Board Candidate Should You Vote For?

District residents have a decision to make next month, and candidates seeking a spot on the Ankeny school board recently had their say in why they deserve your vote.

The topic was one of several discussed at an Aug. 21 candidate forum hosted by the Ankeny Parents Association and the Elementary Parent Teacher Organizations.

Each day last week, Ankeny Patch published a question asked of candidates, as well as excerpts from their responses. This is the final installment.

Incumbents Aaron Johnson, Andrew Martin, Trent Murphy and Leslie Petersen faced off against challengers Dustin Graber, Brad Huss and Mike Rooney. A fourth challenger, Stephanie Jorgenson, was unable to attend the forum.

The candidates are vying for four seats on the Sept. 13 ballot.

Q: Explain the one thing that sets you apart from the other candidates.

Petersen: I don’t know if this sets me apart, but I do what I say I’m going to do.  I’m not here for politics, to make friends or the great pay. I have a passion for doing what’s right for the community. If you have a passion for this district, I think you should support me.

Huss: I have a strong desire to seek out what the community desires as far as a direction. Not only do I plan to seek it out, but also to adhere to the direction presented to me.

Johnson: I am committed to education. Everything I have done, including raising the taxes and other issues, is because I am committed to academic excellence and student achievement.

Rooney: I want to be a sounding board for the community and teachers and bring that voice to the board in a clear manner that is not biased by any outside thoughts. I want to be clear, I am a very independent person in my thought process.

Martin: When I ran for the board, some teachers that taught my kids turned to me once and said, “Andy, you will always do what’s right,” and I’ve always remembered that. After designing a controversial 10-year plan, a person who worked for the district said to me, “Andy, this is why you were elected to the board.” I believe that. I have been unemployed since last November and I will not change one vote because it’s what was right. I’ve turned down job offers, but I won’t leave this community. That’s what you’ll get from me on the board.

Graber: I want to take the politics out of the decision-making and get back to what’s best for the kids and the community. I’ve continued to run my campaign above attacking, yet I’ve had other incumbents call businesses demanding to tear my signs down or they will boycott the business. I’ve never done anything like that. I want to focus on attacking the issues, listening to you and working together to make sure our future is even brighter.

Murphy: What sets me apart is a record of ten years. I’m an open book and have sat on multiple committees. I was a certified teacher with a master’s in education. I spend a lot of time in our community on a daily basis, and I think I’ve spent my entire career working on behalf of public education.

Q: Why do you believe you deserve support in the Sept. 13 election?

Johnson: I am committed to the excellent plan we have, making the improvements we can and to the community. I’ve grown to love the community. I look at what we’ve done the last three years — we’ve worked hard to transition to two high schools. It’s been hard work but we have two more years to go and I am wholly committed to keeping student achievement up as we split our high school to two.

Rooney: If you look at my points, I want to focus on teachers and classroom size and do it in a fiscally responsible way. I’ve never been in politics, but the biggest thing I’ve learned is each of us are responsible for the decisions we make. I encourage everyone to go online, get educated and don’t listen to the rumors.

Martin: When you consider who to vote for, ask yourself these questions. If academic results are outstanding and getting stronger, why do we need to change leadership and the plans implemented? If the tax rate is going down and we have all the amenities, what is the problem? If we’ve addressed class size by adding 5,000 seats of capacity, why are we even considering a change? You don’t hear those answers up here. The challengers say leadership needs to change. I’ve asked why, and I still haven’t heard it.

Graber: To sum it up, I will refocus on the five reasons I’m running. I’m not running because I want to find something to do with my extra time. I’m running because I’m concerned with the direction of the district. I want to ensure a good future for my girls, as well as the people in this district that don’t have children.

Murphy: I want to apologize for the first five years (I was on the board). For the first five, we didn’t have a plan and I was part of that. We didn’t keep the tax rate down and build cash reserves, which put us in a bad situation. We thought it was important money went back into taxpayers’ pockets, and I think that was bad planning. We are community members and parents and that’s what we do. Of all things, I just want to say thank you and ask your vote to fulfill the commitment I made ten years ago.

Petersen: Our school system is a key driver to what brings people to Ankeny. Does that indicate there’s a need for change? Our ACT scores continue to improve. Does that indicate a need for change? We’ve seen three straight years of increased ITBS and ITED scores. Does that indicate a need for change? It’s easy to sit in the cheap seats and throw darts. I promise to keep the momentum going and have a passion to ensure success for all kids.

Huss: I am excited about the opportunity to get a seat on the board and the opportunity to gather direction from the community as a whole and from that voice, act on it in a way that a majority of the community would desire.

Here are the topics Ankeny Patch will highlight this week:

• Monday —  
• Tuesday —
• Wednesday —
• Thursday —
• Friday —
• Saturday —
  
• Sunday — What makes the candidates unique and why you should vote for them