The Journal-World sent a seven-question survey to each school board candidate running for the lone two-year term. Four people filed for that seat. The March 3 primary election will whittle the field of candidates down to two for the April 7 general election.

Candidate profile: Kelly Spurgeon

• 57-year-old program consultant at the Kansas State Department of Education, where he has analyzed policy and school accountability for the last 15 years. For the previous 10, he worked at Ottawa University and Neosho County Community College. He has been a resident of Lawrence for over 10 years.

• Full profiles and other questionnaires

What makes you the right candidate for the school board?

For the past 15 years I have worked at the Kansas State Department of Education serving every school district in the state. From this experience I have learned some important lessons about education policy, accountability, assessments, politics, school improvement, and the overriding importance of keeping student learning first and foremost in our considerations about schools. I have a Ph.D. in education. I’m pragmatic ,not an ideologue. I look to research and data to inform decisions. I approach the role as one of service and leadership.

What issues should the school board focus on in the coming years?

Are the initiatives and programs being undertaken aligned to and with the mission of excellence, equity and engagement? With the limited resources we have, how are we ensuring the greatest potential for student learning? I’m interested in the fidelity of individual plans of study. Also, fully operationalizing the College and Career Center and learning how to integrate the scope of college and career readiness across the curriculum will be exciting. Advancing and supporting the great strides that are being made in the blended learning classrooms seems like an obvious area of focus.

How should the board address the budget issues it faces because of state cuts?

The district administration, faculty, and school board have processes in place wherein the budget and district finances are examined. I would think that the role of, and input from, the district school Finance Advisory Council will be crucial. Ultimately, budgets become documents about competing values. How the community formulates and expresses the education values that are to be prioritized over others is/will be part of what defines the next several years of education in Lawrence.

Are Lawrence students shortchanged in any aspect of their education?

Shortchanged… to give less than something due. It begs the question of what then is due, doesn’t it? I can’t help but think that there are instances of underserved students, be it through accommodations, course offerings, or dispute resolutions. Systemically, the district may need to examine how effective is student learning in math when analyzed in the light of how many students need remedial math courses at the college level. I would add that Lawrence students, all Kansas students, have been underserved by our elected state officials and the less than educationally supportive decisions coming from the state capitol.

Do you support Common Core standards? Why or why not?

We have never given a state-wide assessment that is aligned to these standards so we have no real feedback on how well curriculum is aligned, instruction is delivered, and students are performing. I could be a whole lot more supportive of the standards if we would make the educationally sound, if not morally responsible, decision to suspend all assessment derived accountability for the next five to six years. Let’s look at the standards in practice. Make adjustments where needed. Also, what standards, and at what cost, should replace these?

Should teachers have tenure rights? Is it “too hard” to fire teachers with tenure?

Tenure? Yes. Too hard to fire teachers with tenure? No. Not if the school administration has been fair and accurate in the teacher evaluation process along the way. If we are trying to convince ourselves that it should be easy to fire someone, or that we have arrived at this current state of turmoil in our nations’ schools because of tenure, then we are obviously not talking about improving instruction or conducting professional development or creating healthy work environments. Effective schools need strong experienced teachers.

Do you support moving school board elections to November in even numbered years and/or making the elections partisan?

Other than codifying a near complete conservative control of most, if not all, school boards across the state, I can see no reason for wanting to move school board elections to November. Furthermore, the more we politicize the undertaking of educating our children the more we will subject our children and our schools to the whims and folly of our political system. In other words, no.