If children could vote, Dale Vestal would be sitting pretty in the Lawrence school board election.
"I've coached just about every kind of youth sports team you can imagine," he said. "I enjoy it, working with children."
Dale Vestal, candidate for the Lawrence school board, says Centennial, Cordley, Kennedy, Prairie Park and East Heights schools need more of a voice.
Vestal, former site council president at Centennial School, where his two children attend, said he'd like to give a stronger voice to these children going to school on the east side of the city.
"I think a lot of times people from Centennial, Cordley, Kennedy, Prairie Park and East Heights need more of a voice," he said.
He said it is some of these older, east-side schools where student enrollment is dwindling and people have tried to close elementary schools.
Vestal said that if elected to one of the three open seats in the April 3 election, he would give voice to families who want to maintain neighborhood schools. It would be better financially and socially to adjust school boundaries to bolster enrollments at east-side schools than it would be to close some and build others at a more convenient location.
"I want to preserve neighborhood schools," he said. "When I think about neighborhood schools, I think about kids going there to play basketball and fly kites. It's more than a school."
Vestal, 39, and his wife of 16 years, Amy, grew up in Kansas City, Kan. Both graduated from Wyandotte High School. Amy Vestal is a nurse with Lawrence Orthopaedic Surgery.
"My wife and I have known each other since seventh grade," he notes.
In 1984, Vestal earned a general studies degree at Kansas University. He was the first member of his family to go to college.
Vestal worked for Maupintour Inc., a Lawrence travel agency, until 1996. He then became vice president of Agenda Kansas City. The Lenexa destination management company coordinates transportation, dining and entertainment for organizations conducting conventions in the metropolitan area.
In June, Vestal left the business because the commute made it difficult to stay involved with his family, including Abby, a sixth-grader, and Coulter, a third-grader.
For much of the next six months, Vestal remained unemployed by choice.
"It gave me a ton of time to spend with my kids," he said.
He started a new job in January as regional sales manager of Hasty Awards, an Ottawa trophy company. His office is above Buffalo Bob's Smokehouse in downtown Lawrence. With the scent of barbecue in the air, Vestal discussed more of his vision for Lawrence school.
"Many things in this district are good," he said, "but there are others that are cause for concern."
A primary objective is to address inequities among district schools. If children can't attend classes in proper facilities, he said, it's difficult for teachers to deliver the curriculum. Problems are most apparent in elementary schools, but South Junior High School is in need of upgrading.
"We need, as a district and community, to decide what the baseline is for schools and make sure each school has these things."
On other issues, he would:
l Scrutinize the district's $80 million budget to make certain expenditures are justified.
l Analyze special education to determine if the district forces students into regular classrooms when it's not in the best interests.
l Make certain each classroom has modern computers accessible to students.
And, in a tip of the hat to people opposed to paperwork, he would like to cut down on the number of forms and reports teachers fill out.
"They didn't become teachers to file forms. They became educators to see the light shine in the eyes of kids."
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.