Mt. Pleasant school board discuss politics with candidates

MT. PLEASANT — Monday night, the Mt. Pleasant Community Schools Board hosted the State House candidates vying to represent the newly redistricted District 87, which now includes Mt. Pleasant.

The differences in the candidates were apparent from first glance as they sat at the head of a horseshoe configuration to speak with the board.

Republican Candidate and current District 88 representative Jeff Shipley sat erect in a navy suit with a plentiful array of notes in front of him.

Democratic Candidate Mike Heaton put forth a more relaxed state, as he sat in a flannel and jeans like a friend around the kitchen table.

Throughout the forum, Heaton maintained a casual approachable demeanor and Shipley remained kept a poised professional persona.

Superintendent John Henriksen facilitated the conversation.

“What do you see as the role at the state level in legislature? What’s the role that they ought to play in local education?” Superintendent John Henriksen asked.

Shipley took the opportunity to point out many of the problems he sees in the current manner schools are operating.

“We have young people with a sense of entitlement, or ingratitude, or a lack of direction against leadership leading to anxiety and diagnoses,” Shipley said. “We have a lot of people stuck in a perpetual state of adolescence not learning to take full responsibility for themselves. Certainly public schools play a large role in the formation of strong, independent, happy, healthy human beings that can carry on a nation and state.”

“You’ll hear this a lot from me,” Heaton said. “My role is to represent the people we represent. I trust the opinion of our school board, of our teachers, and of our parents. They provide guidance. They talk about struggles, funding issues, interventions from the state that shouldn’t be there, and when the state isn’t intervening properly.”

“I want to be that voice for the school board at the state level, to be the voice of our parents at the state level, to be the voice of our teachers at the state level,” he said.

“We have incredibly talented people that know what they’re doing and we have to start trusting that instead of putting all these restrictions and assuming that cultural war politics is the appropriate thing to place onto our kids,” Heaton said. “We need to let the teachers do their jobs and allow parents to be good parents as they watch their kids go through our schools.”

“I want to get out of the way and make sure they are properly funded,” Heaton said.

“I’ve been doing this a long time, 33 years,” Henriksen said. “Schools are dealing with a lot of things they weren’t dealing with before. Now dealing with all of the social and emotional health of children and the funding that, that takes. How do you balance that?”

“Many of those requirements come from the state level. How do we balance that with local decision making and requires of the state?” Henricksen asked.

“If we’re going to put those requirements in at state level, we have to fund them,” Heaton said. “We can’t just keep adding onto you guys’ plates and expect you to do it with the same amount or less money That is number one. If we are going to requirements in, if we’re going to put mandates in, they have to be properly funded.”

“Number two. Professional development and training. We have to support our teachers as they deal with these new tasks, these new mandates and this new science, basically,” Heaton said. “This isn’t new, these concerned existed when I was in school and you [Henriksen] were my principal.”

“There were cases that fell through the cracks, but as we learn through these new students we know what needs to be done,” Heaton continued. “We’ve learned it takes more resources. It takes more people to serve those kids. Whatever we choose to do at the state level we have to provide those resources.”

“I agree with a lot of what Mr. Heaton said,” Rep. Shipley said. “I will never support an unfunded mandate on the school district.”

Shipley then went on to speak on gender identification mandates and how the federal government then threatens to cut off funding for non-compliance.

“I don’t think mandates should be lawful,” Shipley said. “If they want to do this it should be an act of Congress where the people get to vote on the representative who decides this. This is a gigantic departure from representative government.”

Shipley admitted to the need to support the social emotional needs of students.

“How do we address these issues in the home setting?” Board President Jennifer Crull questioned.

“I don’t know exactly what that looks like,” Shipley said.

He talked about the need for the younger generation to need mental toughness.

“We need to work on overcoming the fear of failure,” Shipley said. “These children need genuine health care and loving emotional support.”

Heaton, however, thought this was a non-issue for the Mt. Pleasant community.

“We need to focus on bullying,” Heaton said. “Even when I was in school I was called names when I was in show choir and I wasn’t even gay.”

Henriksen brought the conversation back to budgets.

“Declining enrollment is the driving factor in budget cuts,” Shipley said. “I’m happy to make investments, I just need reassurance and good partnerships that we are all moving in the same direction and that the money will be invested in the way that will bring forth a positive return.”

“We need to create flexibility in the school financing formula,” Shipley said.

“My take on the formula is that it is sort of brilliant,” Heaton responded. “It ensures that our rural communities don’t get left out.”

“Our biggest problem is the rate of increase,” Heaton said. “Not just because of inflation, but because of the amount of additional work we are putting on our school districts”

In summary, Heaton referred to himself as a bit of an old school Republican.

“I don’t think we give you a lot of opportunity to partner with the state because it is highly restrictive,” he said. “If we can do it locally first, do it local. If you’re not doing it locally go up a level. If you can’t do it at county, go to state. If you can’t get it done at state, go to the federal level.”

A majority of the forum was spent discussing these additional burdens placed on local schools and the lack of funds to support them.

Both candidates agreed on many points concerning the lack of funding.

The candidates also held similar views on teacher shortages in the state.

“Teachers are leaving because they do not feel respected,” Shipley said. “It is more than retirement and more than money.”

Heaton agreed.

“They are leaving because they feel disrespected, they aren’t paid enough, they don’t receive enough training, and they’re shifted around,” Candidate Heaton said. “In Iowa, teachers don’t feel respected from the very top.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com