New school board swears in, passes financial literacy requirement

WASHINGTON — Four members of the Washington Community School District Board of Education took oaths of office on Wednesday night, three of them for the first time, before unanimously voting to approve a policy that requires students to graduate with a financial literacy course under their belt.

The meeting was preceded by the departure of previous school board members Sonia Leyva (district 4,) Kelly Smith (district 1,) and Eric Turner (at-large.) None of the three sought re-election in November, thus concluding their terms on the body which lasted a combined 30 years.

“I’d like to take a second to thank Eric, Sonia, Kelly, for your service,” said Board Member Troy Suchan, who won an uncontested re-election bid last month and was reappointed as the body’s president Wednesday night. “We appreciate your time. In the future, we fully expect you to answer the call when we need committee members and whatnot.”

Suchan presented all three with lifetime passes to all school-sponsored activities before they left the room. Each outgoing board member said their time on the decision-making body was humbling.

“I just hope I’ve served it as well as it served me,” Turner said.

  Buy Photo

With new school board members Brendan DeLong, Kara Williams and Diana Rich sworn in shortly afterward, the group addressed a number of annual upkeep issues before turning to a graduation requirement policy discussed for the last several months: financial literacy.

The policy responds to Senate File 391, a state bill that passed last legislative session which allows schools to remove financial literacy class from their required high school curriculum, as long as they bake the content into other courses.

School board members in Washington balked at the suggestion. Wednesday night’s meeting saw the course requirement maintained for the district, after the policy’s second reading passed unanimously and its third reading was waived, despite a change of half the group’s voting members.

“We’re going against what the recommendation is, but we’re doing it because we think it’s right for our kids,” Superintendent Willie Stone said before the final vote. “It’s kind of awkward, as I’m sitting here thinking about it, for (new board members,) because you’re voting on something that you didn’t get to ask questions about, but you have the chance to ask questions tonight.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com