Well rounded students are the result of a well rounded curriculum, and it starts with the basics:  reading, writing, and arithmetic.  Reports that we are moving away from topics such as writing, spelling, and basic math concepts are troubling to me.  Changes to our grading system are also of concern.  Instead of lowering the bar on educational standards, we should focus on solutions that lift the students.

Student achievement in our district has been overpromised and under-delivered for quite some time.  The Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) tests measure how well students retain knowledge and skills.  Students performing at the BASIC level demonstrate a partial or uneven command of the skills and processes identified in the Missouri Learning Standards.

As of the 2020-2021 school year 67.2% of all grades combined score at the basic level or below in math, 57.5% in English, and 67.5% in science according to DESE.

The Wright City School District will be asking for a no tax increase bond issue on the very same ballot which my name will appear as a candidate.  This bond will be used to finance the construction of a new high school as well as some modifications to current buildings, at a now reduced estimated cost of $37,000,000.00.  Although I am in favor of expansion, some of the proposed expansion seems excessive in both scope and cost to the taxpayers.  Construction costs are rising and labor shortages are real.  Other area districts have encountered large budget overruns on similar projects.  I believe we should take an in depth look at this project to ensure we are being responsible with the tax dollars we receive from our community,

Our teachers are great and we need more just like them!

Wages, location, and employee morale are the primary factors impacting our ability to attract and retain educators.  Current board members have campaigned on this issue for decades, and yet the problem continues to persist.

Every avenue to address these concerns should be explored, including every failed method implemented in the past.

I oppose any book, magazine, audio, video, or other material which contains depictions of graphic sex acts or similar obscenities being present within our schools.  The primary purpose of a school’s library is to curate material pertinent to the curriculum of the school.

I am not suggesting that any of these items be banned. To the contrary, access to this information should remain available from public libraries, retailers, and other appropriate sources.

Bullying is a common complaint I hear about our schools.  Perhaps worse than the bullying problem itself are accusations that our district fails to adequately intervene in these situations.  I believe in the strongest possible responses to these situations, and doing so in a timely manner.  We fail both the victims and the bullies themselves when these efforts fall short.

As a board member I will investigate how existing policies can be implemented more effectively, or modified to achieve a better result.

I believe that children are the responsibility of their parents, and that parents should be fully in charge of their health and well being.  It is my opinion that the schools have greatly overstepped their authority and likely made a bad situation worse by ignoring the will of the overwhelming majority of parents within the Wright City School District.  Parents should have full control over whether their children wear masks, attend school in person, or receive any form of medical intervention.   Absent physical symptoms of an illness, our schools had no business excluding students or otherwise discriminating against them.  The return to normalcy was long overdue.

I vehemently oppose any mask or vaccination mandates for both students and staff.

I fully oppose critical race theory and any associated aspects being taught in our schools. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously said:  “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”  I believe that any judgment based on the color of one’s skin is racism, that any person of any race can be racist, and that none of this behavior should be condoned within our school system.

An environment that fosters acceptance, respect, and the appreciation of differences is paramount.

“Challengers Zykan and Dean, meanwhile, were asked about policy positions that they’ve outlined on campaign websites.”

“Zykan, meanwhile, discussed a list of concerns related to financing a new Wright City High School, declining educational outcomes during COVID, and the same conservative cultural issues addressed by Dean. When asked how he would address any of those issues, Zykan broadly said that he would get parents more involved in solutions..”

“Five people came out to file for two available positions on the Wright City R-II School Board, a highly active start for positions that sometimes don’t get much attention.

Both incumbent board members, Austin Jones and Mary Groeper, came to the school district office to sign up for re-election. Competing with them on the ballot so far are three newcomers: Elizabeth (Beth) Dean, Frank Zykan and Isaac Ovchinikov.”