Nine candidates will compete for seats for Derby’s Board of Education during elections on Tuesday.
Those candidates are Andrew Trapp, LuAnn Pickens Schaaf, Tanya Jacobucci, Tara Parker, Cathy Boote, Mark Boline, Melanie Turner, Boyd Rawlins and David Sowden. All candidates were contacted via email and asked to respond to a variety of questions regarding their campaign.
Responses were not received from Rawlins, Sowden and Boote.
Responses were edited only to adhere to AP style regarding spelling, etc.
How many children have you had that have gone through/are in the school district?
Jacobucci: “I have three kids currently in the district. Their activities range from robotics, band, sports and drama.”
Trapp: “I have two children who are currently attending Derby schools – a son in seventh grade at Derby Middle and a daughter in 10th at DHS.”
Turner: “My four children attended all of their school years in the Derby School District. My daughter Katrina graduated from DHS in 2022 and attends Kansas State University. My daughter Danielle is a senior at DHS. My twin boys Asher and Nathan are in the eighth grade at DMS.”
Schaaf: “My husband and I are Derby graduates (1979, 1980). Our daughter, in 2007 and our son, in 2009,”
Parker: “All three of my children have attended Derby schools since kindergarten. My sons graduated in 2019 and 2021. My daughter is an eighth grader at Derby North Middle School. She will, also, graduate from DHS when her time comes.”
Boline: “Three. Two graduates and a sophomore.”
How would you like to see education changed?
Jacobucci: “I would love to see the students’ curiosity and eagerness to learn return.”
“I want kids to be excited to come to school. We are at a crossroads in education where the memorization of facts and information needs to balance with the information available at our fingertips within seconds. We have to learn how to be independent thinkers, to be able to take information and analyze it from a number of reliable sources. This would mean a complete overhaul of how school has always been done. But it would help create a society that is able and ready to not just take what has been told or handed to them, but to dig in and find out for themselves.”
Trapp: “I would like to see an adjustment which would lead students to a better balance between artistic classes, theoretical classes and practical classes,”
“Many people devalue the arts, but I feel that learning to perform music, or create art of any kind is wonderful in expanding a person’s point of view and confidence. Theoretical classes, such as science and advanced math, challenge people to expand their thinking and increase their overall capabilities. Practical classes are important as well in that they prepare students for some of the realities which are waiting. Understanding how to cook and manage finances, for example, can make a big difference when a young adult is getting started.”
Turner: “I envision a community environment of respect and trust between various groups and individuals such as school board members, school board members and administration, administration and teachers, teachers and parents, parents and students, etc.,”
“As our teachers begin to sense this respect and realize their efforts are appreciated, the result will be greater retention of teachers.”
Schaaf: “I want to see Derby continue to prepare students for life after high school through critical thinking, problem solving, real-world applications of knowledge, and emphasizing more than just the state assessments as a measure of student success,”
Parker: “That is a question I would ask of our teachers and our students. While I have some ideas, I am not on the ‘front lines’ of education every day like the teachers and students are. They are the ones with the information to identify the changes that are needed along with the support,”
Boline: “I taught elementary school for seven years back in the 1990s, including first grade for five years,”
“Ever since that time I’ve advocated for a different way to teach reading. I advocate enough to teach a free class for parents to teach their children to read this way. I would say this is how I would like to see education changed because reading is the very foundation of a great
Education. After meeting with Dr. Putnam-Jackson recently, I discovered that our district is implementing reading instruction based on the same concepts. Let’s trust our professionals to make the changes.”
What do you feel your role is as a school board member?
Jacobucci: “A BOE member helps to hire/evaluate the superintendent, set school policies and approve the annual budget. The BOE should listen to all stakeholders and base all of their decisions on what is best for students. They should support the students, staff, parents and community.”
Trapp: “I feel that the school board should give overall direction to the schools, and perhaps bring a focus to points which are deserving of attention. Board members should work with the administration and parents to facilitate an environment which is beneficial to the students and staff. The board’s responsibility for the budget should align with those goals.”
Turner: “I will prepare in advance for school board meetings by studying and understanding the issues that will be addressed at the meeting. Next, I will listen to other opinions and facts, then make a decision that will lead to positive results for students, teachers and staff. The day-to-day operations of the school district are not one of my roles as a board member.”
Schaaf: “I will foster an inclusive environment and advocate for EVERY student to receive the best possible education. This will involve active listening and trusting the valuable insights of our experts, empowering principals to run their schools and teachers to run their classrooms, and ensuring effective communication between community members and our schools.”
Parker: “The role of any school board member is to be the bridge between the community and the district. Board members should be able to explain the ‘why’ of the district. Board members should be able to compartmentalize their personal values and beliefs to look at the goals of the schools. By using their own unique talents and strengths, the board should be effective collaborators and communicators that support the relationship between the community and the schools.”
Boline: “The role of a board member is to support the district and work with the superintendent while also providing oversight. That will be my role as a Board member.”
If you are elected, what will you do to help our school community?
Jacobucci: “I will ensure there is a partnership between families and schools. I want every USD 260 building to be THE place where students, staff and parents want to be. I would be in the buildings and connecting to students and staff as much as I could so I can better understand the decisions I would be making. I would listen intently so I could truly grasp the weight of those decision.”
Trapp: “I will focus on the mission of the schools. Personal politics should be set aside and the focus must be put on the mission of the school. In my mind, that is preparing students to chase their dreams and contribute to society.”
Turner: “I look forward to strengthening community-school partnerships in Derby. I will actively listen to our stakeholders to understand their visions for the school district. I plan to visit the schools in our district and get acquainted with teachers, staff, and students, and will listen to and put into action their best ideas whenever possible. Strong parents, caring teachers and school board members who are united with the purpose of strengthening Derby’s educational system can lead to an educational program of which all will be proud.”
Schaaf: “I commit to restore stability and professionalism to the school board.”
Parker: “Show up and speak up. As I have been touring the schools within the district, I have heard a common desire and that is for the board and the community to show up everywhere students are. I will do what I can to encourage our community and fellow BOE members to show up to our schools and speak up about what they hear from our teachers and students.”
Boline: “I have shared on my campaign website (bolineforboe.com) the following ways I would like to help our community.”
“First, I want parents to understand they are the first and most important teachers. This begins from the time of their child’s birth and continues forever. We must ensure parents know that what they do with their children before they ever enter school has a life-long effect. We also must ensure that they are just as instrumental during the school years. I commit to working with the schools to make this happen.
“I’ve spent much time since my first-grade teacher years preaching about the importance of reading. Kids reading, parents reading, and parents learning how to teach their children to read have been my focus. I would love to continue to voice that as a School Board member where I have a larger audience.
“As a School Board member, I believe I can be effective as an ambassador sharing with the Derby community the many positive things going on in our district. There are so many things happening that don’t get as much visibility as they deserve.”
What is your top priority to better schools for students?
Jacobucci: “My top priority is restoring the connection between the board and the school staff, parents and community. Once that relationship is strong, our teachers, staff and admin can be better supported to provide the best instruction for students. Then we can come together and accomplish all of the goals that the stakeholders find the most important to improve schools for students.”
Trapp: “There is too much focus on things which have nothing to do with the education and growth of the students. We have extreme focus being put on topics which are in the news while we have classes which do not have textbooks available. If given the chance, I will strive to bring the focus back to the classroom, where the teachers and students need our support.”
Turner: “I will strive for a safe and supportive learning environment where students feel physically and emotionally safe as well as respected and valued. A safe environment will lead to academic and social growth of the students so that they reach their highest potential as they begin to contribute in positive ways to society. Teachers play a critical role as they build relationships with their students and promote the positive behavior of their students.”
Schaaf: “Restore Strategic Plan language for Diversity and Inclusion. We cannot expect students to thrive if we do not foster a learning environment of inclusivity where every student is set up for success.”
Parker: “Listening to the teachers and staff. Since becoming a candidate, I’ve learned there is a problem with staff and faculty feeling enabled to speak up about their experience in the schools. The staff and faculty are extremely important to students and the district. Students connect with their teachers but when teachers leave for another district, the student suffers the most. Teachers are memorable persons in a student’s life – I know what they mean to me to this day. I can’t reach all the students, but I can aid them by supporting the teachers they love and look to for support.”
Boline: “My top priority is to help ensure that teachers and administrators have the tools necessary to provide a quality education for our students. Our staff is made up of professionals. We need to trust them to make the right decisions. The Board needs to support those decisions.”
Do you believe the school board should be politically affiliated?
Jacobucci: “No! In fact, a mix of all parties and backgrounds make the best committees because their voices represent more of the community. Ultimately, different viewpoints help create a stronger solution. Political parties bring a bias that is hard to overcome, especially when the majority of the board shares the same political views.”
Trapp: “I do not. That is one of the primary reasons that I decided to run for school board. It is a non-partisan position and should be treated as such.”
Turner: “Definitely not! The school board should be nonpartisan and not based on politics.”
Schaaf: “Absolutely not! There is no room for politics or religion on the school board. Our focus should be on education and student well-being. Again, this comes back to diversity and inclusion.”
Parker: “No. The school board represents the community. The school board should reflect the variances of the community as a means of connecting with the staff, faculty and students.”
Boline: “I do not believe politics should be a part of the school board. Politics is decidedly creeping into school boards around the country, and I want to serve on the Board to help keep it from happening in Derby.”
Last year, the Board stalled passing the district’s strategic plan, largely because of language surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion. What would you have said to your fellow board members during these discussions? And how would you have voted?
Jacobucci: “I was on that strategic plan steering committee and was sorely disappointed that the BOE did not bring open minds to the table. EVERY student should feel welcome and safe at school. I would have approved it- the students, staff, parents and community came together to build it. It represented their voices. It was a very disrespectful move to micromanage and change the wording so that it no longer represented what the committee envisioned.”
Trapp: “That was concerning to me. The Board should be representative of the community. In that situation, it appeared that they disregarding the input of the community. I believe that removing the language, particularly around diversity and inclusion was dismissive of the reality our students are living in. Not all of us come from the same place and we aren’t working towards the same goals and dreams. The schools need to do their best to account for that, and our strategic plan should reflect it. That is how I would have voted.”
Turner: “Recognizing the time and effort by all members of the Strategic Plan committees/task forces, I would have respected the plan as presented. I would have told my fellow board members that I approved of the language used in the plan and voted to approve the Strategic Plan as written.”
Schaaf: “I would have voted YES on the original Strategic Plan proposal. I would have listened to the recommendations of the more than 40 teachers, students, parents, and community members who worked hard to land on that specific wording.”
Parker: “I would have suggested that definitions be added to the strategic plan to support clarity and understanding. With that, I would have voted to approve the strategic plan. Hundreds of people and thousands of hours were invested in the strategic plan to improve upon what is there and move the district forward. Trendy words should not have the impact they were given during that process and definitions could have circumvented the problem from the start.”
Boline: “I can share with you exactly what I said to the Board about this because I spoke before the board as a patron about this topic,”
“It is too long to include here in full so you can read it at my campaign website, which can easily be found via a Google search. In this talk I emphasized how employers in Wichita, including some current board members’ employers, value diversity, equity, and inclusion. Those employers include the Air Force, Textron, Spirit, Intrust Bank, Koch Industries, and the Wichita Chamber of Commerce which speaks for many smaller employers. All find DEI extremely important. While writing this I Googled as many companies as I could think of and every one of them had a robust DEI statement. If the employers where our graduates may work someday find DEI of great value, so should our district. I would have voted to include the language suggested by the committee.”
A board member last year said that mental health does not belong in school – that it’s for medical professionals and families to deal with. How would you respond to that?
Jacobucci: “Mental health resources should be available to everyone. Some students have needs well beyond what they can cope with on their own. For elementary, more and more kids don’t know how to ask for help so it comes across through their behaviors. Trauma is real and some kids face gigantic obstacles. Unregulated kids cannot learn. This does not mean diagnosing or treating students… it means providing resources to students that they need to mentally prepare for learning.”
Trapp: “I think that we need more professionals available to help students through difficult times. We need to remove the stigma around mental health by having counselors around, and interacting with students regularly so that when students, who don’t have the support they need elsewhere, come to the counselor, it is not viewed negatively by their peers.”
Turner: “Not all families are equipped to handle the mental health problems of their children. Community health professional services are often limited and costly. It is extremely difficult for teachers to teach if the students’ mental health is not addressed. Mental health problems can hinder the academic success of students.”
Schaaf: “Undiagnosed, untreated or inadequately treated mental illnesses and anxiety can interfere with a student’s ability to learn, grow, and develop. I do agree that the burden of mental health treatment should not fall on teachers alone. I commit to ensuring that the budget supports an adequate ratio of medical professionals to match with student needs.”
Parker: “While resilient, kids are not equipped with emotional switches. To expect a student to walk into school and simply shut off their emotions in favor of learning is unrealistic particularly since most organizations, including those many of the board members work for, offer mental health services. If adults are given access by their employers to mental health resources, why is it any different for our students? If our district is going to honor Every Student, Every Day, Preparing for the Future then we have to take mental health into consideration.”
Boline: “I only taught for seven years, but that was plenty of time to witness how difficult it is for children to learn when they have issues with mental health. In an ideal world that Board member would be correct. But that is the value of having been in a classroom and witnessing those struggles. It isn’t an ideal world and teachers must also teach the students who are struggling. The school district MUST help those students if we expect to teach them effectively.”
How do you reconcile some people who say we are all the same and should focus on “unity” with the fact that there are students in our school who say they face racism every day?
Jacobucci: “As Americans, we are all different. We are the melting pot of the world and it’s beautiful. Students and staff who learn about those differences are more willing to accept, respect and empathize with someone else. We should not be scared of being different, or ignore it. Our reality in the world outside the school walls exposes us to all kinds of people. Derby is fortunate to be a community with so many different voices, and I appreciate that my kids get to surround themselves with peers that do not all look, think or act the same. There is no reason for any of our students to face racism. Ever.”
Trapp: “We do need to be unified, and I credit those in our community who truly live by those words. However, I believe it is naïve to think that everyone is living by those words. If you are not racist, then you need to show it by standing beside the people who need the support so that they feel that you are with them. Let the people who would mistreat the marginalized members of our community know that it (is) not OK to treat people poorly.”
Turner: “The term ‘unity’ implies that students are all the same. Certainly, there are some basic similarities among all students, but differences, often referred to as ‘diversity,’ are obviously in innumerable areas such as race, socioeconomic class, or even hair color. Students of all ages should be taught to embrace this diversity and reach out to accept and respect those who feel unaccepted or even shunned.”
Schaaf: “We are not all the same, and that’s a beautiful thing!”
“Choosing to focus on what makes us the same instead of celebrating what makes us different comes from a place of privilege & denial… many of us do not have the privilege of being able to ignore what makes us different because we’re reminded of it every day through overt actions, unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, etc… EVERY student deserves to feel safe, supported, and included at school. EVERY student deserves to be set up for success. Worrying about discrimination of any kind is a mental load that impacts a student’s ability to succeed and thrive in the classroom and I am committed to walking the walk once elected to the Board of Education to make sure that every vote I cast is in support of ALL students. Hold me accountable!”
Parker: “I would challenge that statement by asking to know what ‘unity’ means if we are all the same. If we were all the same, that seems to suggest the unity occurs by default. Unity gains value when the differences are real, when they are skin-deep, and when they go beneath the surface. Unity doesn’t mean celebrating differences but accepting them and then determining how to use those differences to leverage strength and drive change. That strength is needed to overcome the obstacles that make us uncomfortable but support development and growth. So, no, we are not all the same. By saying we are all the same is to shrug off the value we each have being different and the important roles we all play to move forward together.”
Boline: “It is irreconcilable and it shows an utter lack of understanding of our world,”
“I refer you to my website once again for a blog post about racism. In this post I have made seven pledges, listed below. The blog post goes into depth about each pledge.
- Promote Diversity and Inclusion
- Curriculum Enhancement
- Professional Development
- Enforcement of Derby’s Zero-Tolerance Policy.”
