The last year has been a difficult time for public education. As the pandemic vastly changed the way school could be conducted, many Lawrence families and educators were often at odds on what was best for local school children.

But now that the pandemic is receding, leaders for the Lawrence school district will need to keep an eye on the ramifications of COVID-19 while also addressing other issues that have long been present in the district.

Prior to the primary election on Aug. 3 — where 12 school board candidates will be pared down to six moving on to the general election in the fall — the Journal-World asked the candidates to respond to questions regarding the pandemic, equity among students and the district’s school building populations.

Here are the candidates responses in their own words:

Melissa Clissold

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Melissa Clissold

Melissa Clissold, 46, is a paraeducator for the school district. She also served as a cheer coach for Liberty Memorial Central Middle School and Billy Mills Middle School. Clissold has children, but she said they are adults now and attended school in Franklin County. She moved to Lawrence in 2016 after they finished their education.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

We must examine how our money is being spent. Currently the district’s Title I funding only goes to our elementary schools. We have two middle schools that would greatly benefit from Title I funding. This funding can be used on resources such as hiring additional teachers to reduce class sizes, hiring more social workers so their time isn’t split between schools, increasing our paraeducator staff allowing for more one-on-one learning opportunities. If we don’t change how we use our funding then we need to face the fact that equity will only be an empty word we use in our district. We have to take action and leave some of our old ways of doing things behind even if it means making difficult unpopular decisions. We need to ensure that every student and staff member has what they need to support a successful future for our community. Refocusing how we spend our funding, is a small step in the right direction to successfully achieve our long term equity goals.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

We need to use the building resources we currently have more efficiently. We have a building behind Holcom where C-TRAN was previously housed that’s completely empty. We’re still paying utilities on this empty building and due to a lack of maintenance last winter pipes burst and the district was unaware of it. This resulted in a large unexpected water bill. Now we’re using maintenance resources to maintain a building we’re not using. In my opinion the money we are spending on an empty building would be better spent on the buildings housing students. A reliable source tells me we have the building capacity to maintain all schools at 85% utilization if we restructure and enforce boundary lines. This is another step towards the equity we so desire.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

COVID-19 opened our eyes to educational gaps our public school systems face even in times of normalcy. We found a renewed appreciation and understanding of how our public schools play a vital role in the success of our communities. We reimagined schools and adapted our curriculum to meet the diverse needs of families. Remote learning transformed our schools into a place of endless opportunity and I want us to continue building on our progress. We need to continue to use the solutions we created to expand our progress in our equity work supporting students and families with diverse needs.

Kay Emerson

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Kay Emerson

Kay Emerson, 35, works as the Americorps Kansas director for the Kansas Volunteer Commission, which is under the umbrella of the state Department of Education. She is originally from Topeka but has lived in Lawrence since she moved here to attend the University of Kansas in 2004. She served on the board’s COVID-19 advisory committee and is also chair for the board’s parents of color advisory committee. She has a son who is in middle school.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

Equity, or rather equality, starts with leaning into the awkward spaces to identify the workable progress and collaborative solutions. To achieve this, Lawrence school must increase the opportunity for voices at the table to be diversely represented and have meaningful goals to be defined with action steps to follow.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

The school district will need to categorize the resources for each site and develop community plans for utilization made public to the community to provide input. Then collectively decide as an at-large community on the next steps.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

To build back community and schools, we must refresh and revise from the lessons that we learned. To rebuild requires all Lawrence citizens to be engaged for the success of students in our city. Our community, like many others, has been through a lot this last year. We have to focus on what brings us together and what unites us to operate our public education to benefit everyone.

G.R. Gordon-Ross (incumbent)

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G.R. Gordon-Ross

Ronald “G.R.” Gordon-Ross, 46, is running for a second term on the board. He is the father of five children; two of them have graduated from Lawrence High School, and another one will graduate later this spring. His youngest two children are a freshman at LHS and a seventh grader at Billy Mills Middle School. Gordon-Ross originally moved to Lawrence as a college student in 1996, and he graduated with a pharmacy degree from the University of Kansas. He now works remotely as a health care IT professional for a hospital in Montana.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

There are several challenges that are facing the district in the coming years – both short term and long term. The biggest short term challenge is replacing Dr. Stubblefield as a district-wide equity champion. She has done more to help move us forward than any other single individual. Continuing that work at the level in which Dr. Stubblefield engaged it will take time, energy and commitment. Dr. Johnson has big shoes to fill and I believe she is up to the task. A more long term challenge is to continue the work we’ve started and build upon it as we look to bridge the achievement gap, work to help marginalized students empowered to enroll in AP and Jayhawk Blueprint classes, increase the use of restorative practices around discipline at all levels and help convince everyone our equity work is vital and important for all of our students and staff to participate in.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

As a member of the District Boundary committee, both as a committee member and as a Board representative after I was elected, this has been an important issue for me. I first got involved in district level decisions as a member of the Lawrence Elementary School Facility Vision Task Force back in 2011 when we recommended to the board to close Wakarusa Elementary and to consolidate several elementary schools. The reasons at that time were based around efficient use of space. In the coming years we will be faced with several decisions as several schools begin to reach their designed capacity. Schools at all three levels. When the 2013 bond issue was passed, the decision was made to purposefully add extra capacity to several of our “mid-town” elementary schools in the event that schools on the west side became full. So we could have the capacity to shift boundaries in an effort to even out the populations and keep the class sizes equitable. No one wants to go through a boundary shift, but to best use the space we currently have to its fullest efficiency I believe in the next year or two a full review of boundaries at all 3 levels is needed so we can continue to use all the buildings we have to their fullest potential.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

For the most part, I see public education operating much the way it did pre-pandemic. For those individuals who wish to continue to participate in as many mitigation strategies as a normal school setting will allow (mask wearing, washing hands, etc) they would be allowed to do so. The biggest changes would be based on what we learned that we can accomplish when we allow individual students to perform in environments that best suit their own learning styles. Not every student learns best sitting in a classroom for 45 minutes. Not every student learns best sitting on a 45 minute zoom call. But we learned that some students thrived while at home when they didn’t the year before when they were in the classroom. I am most excited to see the results of the Free State redesign schedule and how it impacts not only individual student performance, but also engagement, involvement and overall sense of having more control of their own learning. Going forward post-pandemic, the biggest change/shift I see coming is more movement to individualized learning plans that students have more control over so they can learn, grow, achieve and thrive in whatever environment that works best for them.

Kelly Jones (incumbent)

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Kelly Jones

Kelly Jones, 48, is running for her second term on the board. She has two children; one is currently a student at Lawrence High School, and another has already graduated from the district. She works as the field education director for the University of Kansas’ School of Social Welfare.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

Along with my board colleagues Melissa Johnson and Shannon Kimball, we lead the participatory-development process to draft and adopt a district Equity Policy. Core to my board practice is the belief that the dedicated application of that policy can sustain academic achievement and overall well-being for Students of Color; LGBTQ+ students; students from families with lower incomes; students with disabilities; and students who are bilingual learners. Under Dr. Lewis (Superintendent of Schools) and Dr. Johnson’s (Executive Director of Inclusion, Engagement, and Belonging) leadership, Lawrence will accelerate academic gains through investments in instructional and academic supports, alongside culturally specific community partnerships. Included in several projects I’m excited about, district leaders are partnering with the Midwest and Plains Equity Center to collect data as part of an equity context analysis and strategic plan (ECAP). The ECAP lays out our approach for several years into our future. Among significant barriers to realizing a school community where a student’s identities or family income level do not predict their academic success is that Kansas per-pupil funding remains stuck at 2008 levels. A sustained infusion (so not one-time money) of strategically applied resources would go a long way to lifting up all students.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

Back in the early 2010s, the LPS school board took to heart the community’s direction to use existing facilities before building new ones. As a result, the board invested during the 2013 bonds in expanding capacity in existing elementary facilities. However, the additional capacity went largely untapped. That is partly because the 2013 bond initiatives did not include boundary shifts and did not adequately account for student population growth in west Lawrence. In spring 2020, while I was board president, the board reconvened the Boundary Committee. The committee’s charge is conducting a full review of building use through a comprehensive boundary study. Discussions of boundaries need to focus on boosting existing capital resources (i.e., building space), maximizing current school funding, and making facilities use decisions that best support long-term gains in student academic achievement and social-emotional health. Because ultimately, decisions about building use should promote our district’s strategic plan goals, which Dr. Lewis and the board developed with broad community input.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

Among my second term priorities is supporting the LPS communities in pandemic-related academic and social-emotional recovery. More than ever, Lawrence students need knowledgeable board members focused on teacher-led educational initiatives, like Kansas Can School redesign and substantive social-emotional programming and approaches, like those found in responsive classrooms, restorative practices, and trauma-informed care. This moment in K-12 education history is a hard-won opportunity to realize the district’s strategic plan objectives. Today, educators are well-positioned to leverage evidence-based learning strategies through the federal CARES Act educational funding and other educational stabilization funds. These funds give Dr. Lewis and other LPS district leaders the discretion to decide how to best use the aid based on our local needs, not those prescribed by federal or state authorities. There is warranted hope that disrupting business-as-usual will ultimately narrow the Opportunity Gap for Students of Color and students from low-income households. In Lawrence schools, the 2021 signs of hope are strides made to close the digital divide; increases in allocated staff time for meaningful collaboration and professional development; a renewed focus on early childhood education; and expanded community partnerships- including Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.

Markus Logan

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Markus Logan

Markus Logan, 47, is the father of two Free State High School alumni. His daughter graduated in 2017 and his son in 2018. Logan was born in Chicago but spent most of his childhood in Lawrence. After graduating from Lawrence High School in 1991, he moved away, but then returned in 2005, he said. He owns his own entertainment business, for which he works as a DJ. He also serves on the City of Lawrence’s Human Relations Commission and is a member of the chamber of commerce’s Leadership Lawrence Advisory Board, among others.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

Ensure that teachers have the materials, resources, and training they need to model an equitable classroom environment for their students. Provide access to programs and curriculum that support the goal of equity and enable all students to succeed. We shouldn’t allow students to fail and we need them to feel they are part of the learning and growth experience so that they have the tools to be productive adults. Equity is what the board should exist to ensure.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

I think to offset the school populations we need to offer alternatives for learning. We need to invest in more online courses and teachers so that we still provide the educational resources and opportunities needed for our students to succeed while also alleviating the pressure of the teachers in the classrooms. Some of the problems that arise with students falling through the cracks and not getting the most of their educational careers are stuffed hallways and classrooms. They can’t get the one on one time or extra chances to be sure they are grasping the curriculum and assignments from the instructor. If the Budget and Program Evaluation Committee doesn’t see any way to allocate more funds for building expansions in the district, then we need to accept the other learning options that are available and already in effect.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

The pandemic shined a light on other learning alternatives that can be viable for the future. It also showed the divide between those families that have and can afford internet access and computer equipment and those that do not. The board needs to find a way to ensure that if there is a time that arises again that sends our students to home learning, all families have the resources and equipment needed to not fall behind in learning. If moving to a hybrid model of in-school and learning from home is the way of the future, all students need to have the same access to the internet and tablets or computers to keep up.

Nate Morsches

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Nate Morsches

Nate Morsches, 34, is originally from Honolulu, but has lived in Lawrence for about 15 years. He said he has four children in the school district, ranging from kindergarten to middle school, one of whom is in the district’s special needs program. Morsches said he works as a registered nurse, previously for LMH Health but now for a hospital in Johnson County. He is also the president and co-founder of RPG, a downtown restaurant with a library of board games.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

First, we need to identify with data-driven study which variables in the socio-economic statuses have caused poor outcomes in students. As I understand it, most of this work is already done on a regular basis in regard to race, but we must also include other factors. Some examples could be household income, single-parent families, foster children, adopted children, history of trauma, etc. It is these other factors that will make all the difference. As a family who has adopted two children through foster care, I know the special struggles they face, though externally, they may look like white, well-adjusted kids. Once the variables are identified, then appropriate programs must be put in place which can help both the social needs and academic success of the children who have these disadvantages. These programs can have a wide range of applications. Restorative justice instead of punitive measures. Mental health programming. Special tutoring programs. Selective recruitment of children into the arts and STEAM. Hands on learning at other organizations with partnerships with the school. There can be all kinds of ways to approach equity in the schools, but it must start with excellent identification of the disadvantaged student populations.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

In a word, creatively. As an entrepreneur in the community (I own RPG on Mass Street), I am forced to make an organization function on minimal resources, and it takes innovation and creativity. In the school district, it will take the same outside-the-box thinking. With few resources, we’ve got to figure out how to leverage what we have and use it to its full potential. Multi-use buildings are a possibility. New structures of learning are possible – I’ve heard great things about public montessori schools working well in different communities, and perhaps special funding could be found for a project like that. There might be acceptable short-term options while we do the hard work of finding the right long-term solution. Long-term, we want the school district to grow, so while we innovate and figure out how to maximize our usage of our current resources, we must be planning for expansion for the future, and the construction of new buildings. This will require a comprehensive strategic plan including annexation and rezoning, possibly even taking another look at the Adequate Public Facility regulations and impact fees.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

As a Registered Nurse who has worked the frontlines during the Pandemic in the ER and ICU, I have seen an unnerving increase in mental illness patients, particularly pediatric patients.Since around February, at my hospital, I have seen the number of mental illness patient striple what we saw prior to the Pandemic. The pediatric mental illness patient population is growing at the same rate. I believe this is a result of high stress, regular unexpected changes to routine, and social isolation. Mental health must come to the forefront this year, especially during our recovery period as a school district. This can take many forms. The WRAP program is obviously a great one, but there is even more we can do in our partnership with Bert Nash. Restorative Justice must become the norm, instead of punitive measures. The arts must be emphasized. They are both cathartic, positively self-reflective, and motivating. Creative writing has helped me personally through difficult times, and I believe strongly that these kind of intangible benefits are necessary to recover. We must make mental health a priority — I’ve seen too many children and teens attempt suicide this year.

Andrew Nussbaum

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Andrew Nussbaum

Andrew Nussbaum, 38, is a former special education teacher for the districts secondary therapeutic classroom. He said he is a foster parent of two recent graduates of the school district.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

Equity is Excellence!! There is no actual and just excellence without a constant, critical, structural, and all-levels of institutional focus on equity. We, in Lawrence, and in the district, must face, unpack, and unravel many challenges when addressing equity. Improving equity must include (1) acknowledging that the “equity journey” the district has been on over the past thirteen years has not been enough – if and when we look at data comparable to our own past, neighboring school districts and state data our equity outcomes are not excellent, let alone good. Also, we must look at (2) the systems our schools, staff, and students are nested in; the decision-making processes that govern our actions; and how, why and where power is held and by whom. Equity, as an active goal and process, needs to be structural and interpersonal/relational. Too many times our “equity journey” has been focused on the hearts and minds of individual teachers and staff; while important, this has effectively distracted our energy, time, and strategic plans away from finding systems-wide actions to systemic challenges including structural racism, poverty, lack of a living wage for classified staff, and both transphobic and anti-public education legislation in our Statehouse.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

I would first respond by asking you, the reader and potential voter, to re-read my written response to the “challenges of equity in our schools” prompt. Our school district’s process in community-wide decisions such as the top-down and painfully recent closing of Kennedy Elementary needs to actually meet the USD 497 hashtag and motto “All students one team.” Questions that must lead these school district decisions on student populations, buildings, and bonds include: What and Why is it predictable for the same students, families and Lawrence neighborhoods to be most directly and negatively affected by leaderships’ decisions around budget issues and school closures? What students will be continuously neglected and not have the same opportunities and access to play on the team?

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

As a long-time educator and more recently school board candidate, I am concerned about and already bearing witness to conservative and intentional attacks on public education and the students, families, and stakeholders. This reads like, but is not limited to: “lets just go back to normal,” “because of COVID-19 we can not…”, “teachers and staff need to…” “the budget won’t allow for that.” However, it is still possible, for public education post-pandemic, to look different and more equitable. Public education and school spaces could ensure frontline staff and essential workers earn living wages. Public education could be where restorative justice processes are facilitated and disability justice is centered instead of out-of-school suspensions, truancy programs, and apparatuses of policing; where decision-making is made collectively with those most affected having power to impact the outcomes; and where students are affirmed and watered as critical thinkers, feelers and advocates in their own journeys.

Douglas Redding

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Douglas Redding

Douglas Redding, 53, works as a bus driver. He grew up in Lawrence and has three children. One is currently a student at Liberty Memorial, and another attends Lawrence High School. Redding said his oldest previously graduated form LHS

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

There are TWO CHALLENGES. Equity needs to be secured for ALL of USD 497’s educators and support staff so that they will provide longitudinal and consistent care for our students. Each pupil requires CLEAR equity from the moment they enter our system(s). Fairness is one of the very first things a child gains awareness of, in all encounters. So, equal pay and prospects for the workers; a surety of fair treatment and practical skills for the students. That’s what we need.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

Building populations tie in with classroom size and number of students. There’s the rub. We need to rethink how we divide our kids and educators. Facilities, themselves, come second to the humans occupying them.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

We need seismic changes, ones we might have embraced these past terrible months. Instead we kept playing catch-up with a moving status quo. The pandemic is NOT over, not really. At the very least we have to consider that which would’ve been completely impractical upheaval before 2020. We see the fault lines clearly, now we must act before the next cataclysm.

Elizabeth Stephens

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Elizabeth Stephens

Elizabeth Stephens, 40, currently works as a sales executive for Allen Press. She said she previously worked for nonprofit organizations in Lawrence and the Kansas City, Mo., area. She has four children, three of whom are currently students in the district. She said her oldest recently graduated from Free State High School and her youngest was entering kindergarten.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

Equity work is a process. A process that elicits systemic change. In order to continue the work, we as a community have to be willing to sit with some discomfort and engage those whose voices might be different than what “we” are used to seeing.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

Before making decisions about how to best utilize our buildings, our board needs to clearly understand how our marginalized youth will be affected.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

The pandemic has shown us that we can adapt. No two kids learn the same and we have the tools and experience now, to give students and their families options.

Travis Tozer

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Travis Tozer

Travis Tozer, 37, is a field service engineer. He has lived in Lawrence since 2007. He has two children in the district, with one attending New York Elementary and another attending West Middle School.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

I think the biggest challenge with equity in general is how to objectively evaluate each student’s needs and provide each with the appropriate attention and tools using the resources available. Unfortunately, our school system is in the midst of a pandemic- related budget crisis, straining what resources we have available. Fortunately, last year the school board approved the Apollo Redesign Plan for Free State, Hillcrest, Broken Arrow, and Deerfield. Free State will launch this plan in the coming school year. The concept of a redesign school is built around equity. Each student is given unstructured time each day specifically to address their core needs, and teachers meet regularly to discuss what those needs are. But the district’s devotion to equity isn’t just limited to these 4 schools. I have read the Equity Policy. I have heard Dr. Johnson, Executive Director of Inclusion, Engagement, and Belonging speak. I am fully confident that this district is hard at work to make sure no students lag behind.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

It seems to me that school population is trending the other way. One of the many impacts of the Covid pandemic has been a decline in school populations that has subsequently led to a budget shortfall. Therefore I can’t see how this question can be answered without addressing the closure of Kennedy Elem. With that school out of the district, New York, Prairie Park, and Cordley will have to absorb more students. Fortunately, staff can also be brought over from Kennedy to mitigate the increase in class sizes. However, transportation remains a significant concern since many of those kids won’t be eligible for bussing due to the 2.5 mile minimum. I think it would help to see that radius reduced. Additionally, converting Kennedy to an early childhood development center will be an excellent way to utilize that building. As for utilizing the district’s other school buildings going forward, I believe this area would be the one where I would be able to contribute the most. With my background as a mechanical engineer working in the field service sphere, I am quite familiar with proposal evaluation, working with both union and non-union contractors, production oversight and quality control, and the communication skills necessary to coordinate large scale projects like the recent renovations of the high schools.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

Well for starters, my kids and I are afraid that snow days are a thing of that past! But I am excited to see kids back in classrooms. I see the future as a combination of pre-pandemic and pandemic structures. I’ll say outright that I strongly believe in the value of in-person education. That being said, the lessons learned through the evolution of virtual schooling can’t be rewound as not all kids thrive in the same environments. The previous topic of equity continues into this subject in the form of giving each student the best tools to succeed and for some that may include virtual education. I am a very pragmatic person, and I believe in listening to and absorbing all available perspectives before reaching a conclusion. I feel that the correct answer to this question will be one reached through a great deal of listening. After all, education is a science of continuous improvement.

Myranda Zarlengo

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Myranda Zarlengo

Myranda Zarlengo, 46, works for a technology-based supply chain management company in the Kansas City, Mo., area. She has a daughter in elementary school in the district. Zarlengo is originally from the Chicago area and first moved to Lawrence to attend the University of Kansas. After completing her studies at KU, she returned to the Chicago area and worked as the director of a child care center.

Equity has been a big part of school board work in recent years. What do you think is the biggest challenge addressing equity in Lawrence schools and what do you believe needs to be done to improve equity?

We are fortunate to have a school district that centers on equity. We have an opportunity to elevate the voices of the students and families that are experiencing inequities but don’t have an advocate. I hope to be an advocate for the students and families that need a voice. Let’s identify the inequities, create an action plan, and really make the changes necessary for all our students to thrive.

How do you believe the school district should address school building populations, such as those that are nearing their capacity, and utilizing its school buildings in the future?

We need to work with the community planners in Lawrence and Douglas County to better prepare for the changes in demographics within Lawrence. Closing schools because of budgetary issues have happened here recently. There will continue to be difficult decisions to make as the district prepares to manage a budget that may have 600 fewer students enrolled this year. It is crucial to have funds to support staff needs; continuing to offer extras and having funds for programs is essential for our kids to have a well-rounded education. We must take into consideration all of these factors and work to best support our students.

COVID-19 greatly changed how education is administered. How do you see public education operating post-pandemic?

I see public education (post-pandemic) operating in a way that meets the whole child’s needs. Schools should provide a safe place for kids to learn and grow. We now know more than ever the critical role public schools have in supporting our children’s physical, social, emotional, and academic lives. Greater awareness around mental health and providing services to support each student is crucial.

Leticia A. Gradington

Gradington, who will appear on the ballot, did not respond to the Journal-World’s repeated requests for comment.