Jun 05, 2008 - 04:07:15 CDT
At least one challenger has a shot at a seat on the Mandan School Board.There are three seats open, and only two incumbents are seeking re-election. Board member Steve Nardello is not seeking re-election, while board members Donna Fishbeck and LouAnn Nider are up for re-election.
Also seeking election are Robert "Bob" Christensen, Lee Fleischer and Jill Goetz. Successful candidates will serve three-year terms.
The candidates responded to three questions on issues the district could deal with in the future. They include a look at whether the district should bus all sixth-graders to the new Great Plains Sixth Grade Academy, which is in the old junior High at 406 Fourth St. NW.; if teacher pay should be tied to performance and whether the board should ask voters to increase the building fund mill levy to the maximum mills allowed by law.
Here's a look at the candidates and their responses to the questions.
Robert "Bob" Christensen
Christensen, 52, is a bus driver for Bismarck Public Schools and a member of the Eagles. He is a former Mandan city commissioner and former Morton County commissioner. He ran for the school board in the last election and was the lowest vote-getter. He is running for the school board again because he wants to get involved.
"My experience of working with the city and county commission ... would be an assess to the board." Christensen said. "I love serving the public."
All the district's sixth-graders will need to be bused to one location next school year. Christensen would like students to be bused to the sixth-grade center for safety, he said.
When the teachers' contract is up for negotiation in 2009, salary negotiations will begin. Teachers are paid on a salary schedule that gives them additional pay for years of experience and educational attainment. Another possibility, although not currently considered, is to tie pay to performance.
"I believe it should be tied to the performance because what good is an evaluation if you don't have a (repercussion)?" Christensen said.
As for whether the building fund mill levy, which is used for building maintenance and construction projects, should be raised, he said it is up to the people.
Donna Fishbeck
Fishbeck, 42, has served on the board since 2005. She is the dean of student development at Bismarck State College. Her husband is Kevin and they have three children, Hannah, 13; Jonathon, 12; and Ben, 8.
She is a member of the Missouri River Educational Cooperative Governing Board; Building Up Schools for Youth Executive Committee; Fort Lincoln PTO and a Girl Scout leader. Fishbeck has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Minnesota State University Moorhead; a master's degree in college counseling and student personnel work from State University of New York at Buffalo; and a doctorate in educational leadership from University of North Dakota.
She is seeking a second term to continue serving the community and see some district projects through to completion.
The district should use a policy similar to the one it has for busing students to the junior high to get them to the Great Plains Sixth Grade Academy, Fishbeck said. The board will consider any changes to the district transportation plan at its meeting in June, she said.
While school districts in other states have moved toward merit pay, she doesn't think it's for Mandan, she said.
"There are many questions on the fairness of merit pay as there are many factors that weigh into student achievement," Fishbeck said.
She doesn't see the board asking voters to increase the building fund mill levy to 20 mills. The board will discuss in July if it should maintain the building fund at 16.25 mills or increase it to the maximum of 18 mills, she said.
"The board wanted to revisit the building fund levy situation in July during the budgeting process to determine if the budgeting situation changed due to other factors not present in January's budget proposals and at that time to determine if an adjustment would need to be made," Fishbeck said.
Lee Fleischer
Fleischer, 62, is an associate with Horace Mann Companies. He is a member of the district's finance committee and strategic planning committee. He also is a member of BUSY, Mandan Band Boosters, Roosevelt PTO, Mandan AAU Track, Mandan Parking Board Authority, the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce and the Mandan Progress Organization. His wife is Linda and they have three grown children, Suzette, Nancy and Jonathan.
He served on the school board from 1993 to 1996. He is running for the board again because he feels it is a civic duty to serve, he said, and he has a background that can be useful to the board.
He graduated from New Salem High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Dickinson State University, a master's degree from Montana State University and the chartered life underwriter credential from The American College.
All-day kindergarten and the new middle school need to be taken into consideration along with the sixth-grade center when considering busing, Fleischer said. Also, students who live close to the school do not need to be bused, he said.
"Also, the increase in the cost of fuel will have to be taken into consideration," Fleischer said.
Although merit pay sounds good, he hasn't seen a formula that would adequately compensate the teachers for what they do.
"I feel teacher pay is less than it should be for the great performance that our teachers and other school employees are currently doing," Fleischer said.
The board should stay within its building fund limits, he said. He would support a move up to 18 mills, but doesn't support asking voters for an increase.
"This will help the district with the upkeep of our buildings," Fleischer said.
Jill Goetz
Goetz, 37, is an account executive for Midcontinent Business Solutions. She has two children, Courtney and Connor. She is a member of BUSY, adviser for the extracurricular activities committee and president of Mandan Kiwanis. She has a travel business management degree.
She wants to be on the school board "to give back to the community," she said.
With the current transportation policy and the plan being worked on by the transportation director, the busing needs of the sixth-graders should be met, Goetz said.
She does not support a merit pay system for teachers. This is because a merit pay system for teachers would duplicate what is already available, she said.
"Our teachers work hard to ensure our children are getting a strong education; there is already an evaluation system in place when it comes to negotiation," Goetz said.
As for the building fund, she would like to keep the building fund mill levy at its current rate, she said.
"The board has asked for a project list over time that will keep the mills at 16½, which I know is an important issue in Mandan," she said. "The board is currently working to maintain the mills, not increase them at this time."
LouAnn Nider:
Nider, 52, has served on the board since 2005. She is the program administrator for vocational rehabilitation with the State Department of Human Services. Her husband is Michael and they have two children, Alexis Rasset and Anthony.
She has a bachelor's degree in education from North Dakota State University and a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from Utah State University.
Nider wants another term on the board to continue her contributions on two board committees and contribute to the Mandan community.
She would like the district to use its existing busing policy, which is to bus outside a five- to six-block area of the school, to include the Great Plains Sixth Grade Academy, she said.
As for teacher pay, she would like a method other than merit pay to attract and retain teachers.
"Pay for performance or merit pay was developed in England almost 300 years ago with poor results," Nider said. "Teachers learned drill and repetition produced the best results - squelching creativity."
She does not see the board increasing the building fund mill levy.
"The facilities committee developed a long-range plan that will provide maintenance and upgrades to our facilities over the next three to five years," Nider said.
(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)
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