Mark Porter seeks another four years on Fairfield school board

Mark Porter is running for reelection on the Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors. School board terms are four years.

The Southeast Iowa Union reached out to Porter to ask him questions about his candidacy, his skills, and where the school district can improve. Here are his answers:

Q: Why are you running for re-election on the school board?

When I first ran for the board 4 years ago, I ran for a couple of reasons. I wanted to help be part of the solution to some of the immediate issues we were experiencing as a district. I also wanted to have the opportunity to give back to the community that I've called home for almost 40 years.

After serving on the board for four years, I've realized how much I enjoy volunteering for so many people in the community. While it has certainly been a bumpy ride, I'm really proud of the work that we have completed and the strides that we have made towards improving the district.

Q: What skills and attributes do you possess that make you a good school board member?

I think the largest addition that I can continue to make for the district and the community is my ability to see all that Fairfield has to offer into the future. Being a local farmer and small business owner, I have a vested interest in seeing this community thrive. I will continue to work towards improving Fairfield Schools for as long as I am given the opportunity, and at this point, I feel serving on the school board is one of the best ways I can do that.

Q: What are your main accomplishments in life?

I am a 2005 graduate of Fairfield High School, and a 2008 graduate of Western Illinois University. After accomplishing these milestones, I returned to Fairfield to help build my family farm and start the process of building my own small business. Along with running my family farm with my two brothers, I've also helped run a crop insurance agency for over 18 years. Within that business, I serve as a crop insurance agent and risk management advisor to various family farms throughout southeast Iowa. 

This has given me a large sense of responsibility in seeing family farming businesses sustain themselves for the long-term. This is a skillset I have that I believe is beneficial on the board in helping Fairfield Schools survive well into the future.

I've been married to my wife, Melinda, for 13 years and we are the proud parents of three young children who attend the Fairfield Community School District. My son, Carson, attends 5th grade at the Middle School. Clare and Elyse, my twin daughters, attend 2nd grade at Pence. I am proud to have them attend Fairfield and I've seen firsthand how great the various teachers and administrators have been toward helping my young children thrive. Fairfield has a great educational system, and I want to make sure we can see this district survive for the long-term.

Q: What are the areas where the school district needs the most improvement, and how will you as a board member help make progress in those areas?

Where I believe we need the most improvement is that we need to curb declining enrollment. As a district our funding is tied directly to certified enrollment. In my four years on the board, 2025 is the first year that we have seen a projected increase in our enrollment.

Certified enrollment totals over the past five years are:

2021: 1,607.40

2022: 1,568.26 -39.14 students from the year prior

2023: 1,525.81 -42.45 students from the year prior

2024: 1,479.66 -46.15 students from the year prior

Projected 2025: 1,483.01. +3.35 students

As you can see, this is an issue that needs our immediate attention. In order to accomplish this, it takes a lot of various things working together. There are 3 major areas as a community that have to work together to attract families.

We need to make certain we have employment opportunities. There also needs to be affordable living options. And lastly, we have to have a school district that families want to move to Fairfield to attend. As a community, if we can make sure all 3 of these things work together in tandem, I think we can help drive our enrollment upwards.

Q: Are you in favor of the district's $39.5 million general obligation bond referendum to build a new middle school? Why or why not?

Being involved in the Ag community, I feel my largest responsibility on this school board is to make certain that the district is being good stewards of the community's tax dollars. When I first started researching running for the school board 4 years ago, I was initially not supportive of building the new school. This was primarily because I was concerned about increasing property taxes on the community.

One of my responsibilities on the board in the last four years is that I've served as the chair for the Facilities committee. While doing that, I've seen firsthand how quickly and costly repairs can add up in this district and specifically how quickly they will add up at the Middle School if we fail to pass the upcoming bond. I know that if this bond passes it will initially cost me more money as a taxpayer. 

But long term, I truly believe it will be the best utilization of my tax dollars. While I have been more quiet on this topic than many of my fellow board members, I did support taking the bond to another vote and I do support approving the $39.5 million general obligation bond referendum to build a new middle school.

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