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USD 259 Wichita school board, District 5

Candidates for Wichita school board
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    Peter Grant

    Senior Engineering Instrumentation Technician
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    Lanora Nolan

     
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  • Jutta Steil-Epperly

     
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  1. Biographical Information
  2. The Legislature may cut millions in education funding in the next two years to address state budget shortfalls. How should the Wichita district scale back spending?
  3. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all students are expected to meet proficiency standards by 2014. How would you ensure student achievement in your district?
  4. With the end of the district’s busing for integration policy this school year, what steps should schools take to ensure cultural diversity? What do you consider equity among schools, and how would you work to achieve it?
  5. Legislators have eyed cutting state aid to bond projects as a way to help balance the budget. How should the district proceed with the $370 million bond plan if the state doesn’t come through with its 25 percent?
  6. How should the district spend the $10 million in bond money designated for a new technical education high school magnet program?
  7. If elected to the board of education, what would be your top priority?
Peter Grant: The Wichita School District should put students first. If there are cuts in spending I would not cut teachers or after school programs such as sports or NAL or Band. I would look at cutting some support staff and some upper administration where needed and where it can be cut. Students are first and foremost a priority
Peter Grant: Talk to every teacher and tell them that every child can achieve greatness and that failure is not an option. That means that whatever the school testing scores are when the last testing was done then the next tests have to go upso you see achievement going up. This means that the parents of the students need to be involved. You cannot rely on the schools alone. If a parent reads at home the child will read at home. Student achievement starts in the home and then spreads to the school.
Peter Grant: With the end of busing for integration you can see cultural diversity in all schools. Why? Because there is a lot more cultural diversity in neighborhoods across Wichita than there was when busing for integration started in the 1970's. I feel there is equity among the schools and everyone has school choices they can make and they have the opportunity to go to a magnet school or to try out for the Pre-IB program at Robinson Middle School or the IB program at East High.
Peter Grant: I feel that the state needs to keep its promise of the 25%. The bond issue passed with that 25% in mind. If the 25% does not come through then the district will have to look at cutting out parts of the bond issue and it can affect the building of new schools, sports and fine arts. I just hope that it does not come to losing the 25%.
Peter Grant: The district needs to build the school with an emphasis on "HIGH" technology which would include computers, robotics, software development, CISCO LAB, electronics, aviation. Anything that is considered high tech. The world is very computerized and we need to train our students accordingly. To compete in the world you have to be technically minded and for the United States to stay #1 means to have technology mixed in with all of your general subjects of Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.
Peter Grant: My top priority would be to find ways to keep funding up to hire more teachers. This would help to keep academic achievement up because you with more teachers you have smaller classrooms and teaching is more personal. I would also want to work with the new superintendent and work closely with the new bond issue.
Age: 52
Education/Degrees: MBA from Southwestern College BS in Elementary Education From Kansas Newman College BS in Business from Marymount College In Kansas
Occupation: Senior Engineering Instrumentation Technician at Cessna Aircraft
Children in school: Max is a Senior at Northwest High School and graduates this year Zak is a 7th grader in the Pre-IB program at Robinson Middle School
Political experience: I have run for the USD259 School Board in the past
How long lived in district: 23 years
Campaign Phone: 316-209-4552
E-mail: pgrant1313@prodigy.net
Social media (list any pages on Facebook, MySpace, etc.): I am on MySpace, Facebook and Classmates.com
Lanora Nolan: The district should use the same transparent, community involved, budget process that we have been using, successfully, for years. The process should begin, with any possible cuts, as far from the classroom as possible. The cuts must be made strategically and must not reflect an even percentage cut across the board. Increased student achievement is the number one goal of the district and the budget should reflect that through protecting any and all educational resources to ensure student success.
Lanora Nolan: The School Board’s focus is for all students in USD259 to meet proficiency standards, and not just the students in a specific district. Since the NCLB Law was passed, the Board has adopted many reform measures from elementary through high school in an effort to ensure that all students achieve at their fullest potential. The district continues to monitor student achievement through short-term and long-term data collection. This data provides a clear understanding of what is working and what is not working, adjustments are made to support the student and then re-monitored to ensure success. I support continuing this model as it has reflected in increased student achievement across the district as well as increased graduation rates.
Lanora Nolan: The district must continually monitor the diversity ratios at each school as it relates to students and personnel, specifically certified teachers. When these ratios are not satisfactory with the district’s goals for diversity, support measures must be in place to assist those schools to make every effort to correct the imbalance. Neighborhood school populations will reflect those who live in the neighborhood. If that is not the desire of the community, the Board must listen to their needs and then make the necessary adjustments to provide a satisfactory remedy. This is a very complex issue that continues to be a top priority to ensure that all students receive a diverse and globally competitive education. (b) Equitable distribution of resources is a reflection of need and not a reflection of equal supply, in an effort to compensate for multiple risk factors. I was a strong supporter of the new position of Director of Equity and Accountability. Through this office the district has a laser focus on equity throughout the district, writing and editing policies to ensure that every school offers every child a fair opportunity to achieve to his/her fullest potential.
Lanora Nolan: I would support the district going back to the CARE committee who brought the district’s needs to the Board. They will need to re-evaluate and prioritize those needs based on the shortfalls to the budget due to unfulfilled promises by the Kansas Legislators. This began as a community effort and should continue as a community effort.
Lanora Nolan: The Bond money is committed to building a facility to house a magnet program, however it is not committed as to what it will look like inside or out. This is another wonderful opportunity for our parents, concerned citizens and business community to collaborate with the district and the Board to create a vision for Secondary Technical Education in Wichita. Although there are currently many opportunities for technical education in every high school in the district, we do not have a high school magnet focused specifically in this area. We have an opportunity to provide a national model, weaving highly rigorous academics with a highly skilled technical education, working in unison with the needs of the local and state-wide businesses.

Lanora Nolan: My priority is to empower all students with the 21st century skills and knowledge necessary for success by providing a coherent, rigorous, safe and nurturing, culturally responsive and inclusive learning community. Through this work we will continue to increase student achievement, eliminate the achievement gap, increase graduation rates and provide the students of USD259 with a globally competitive education.
Age: 46
Education/Degrees: Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas - BA: Mass Communications; Wichita State University - currently studying in the Criminal Justice Masters Program
Community Involvement: Girl Scout leader for 10 years, Sunday School Teacher for five years, PTA member for 20 years, PTA President for two years, Site Council member for four years, Member of the Pachyderm Club, Member of the NAACP, Active member of Central Community Church
Children in school: 4 Children: Jarrod - 2003 Northwest High School graduate; Elizabeth - 2004 Northwest High School graduate; Rachel - 2008 Metro-Meridian graduate; and Sarah is a Junior at Northwest High School
Political experience: 8 years of service on the USD259 Board of Education, District 5
How long lived in district: I have lived in Wichita (USD259) 24 years and in the 5th district for 20 years.
Campaign Phone: (316) 722-1127
E-mail: BOE5@LanoraNolan.com
Social media (list any pages on Facebook, MySpace, etc.): Facebook
Jutta Steil-Epperly: Candidate response is not yet available.
Jutta Steil-Epperly: Candidate response is not yet available.
Jutta Steil-Epperly: Candidate response is not yet available.
Jutta Steil-Epperly: Candidate response is not yet available.
Jutta Steil-Epperly: Candidate response is not yet available.
Jutta Steil-Epperly: Candidate response is not yet available.
 

The Wichita Eagle invited candidates in some contested races in Sedgwick, Butler and Sumner counties to respond to questions about key issues. You can compare the candidates and their responses side by side, and create your own printable or e-mailable ballot. The responses are largely unedited and presented as the candidates sent them to us.