Teachers and curriculum experts (who are usually former teachers) are the ones that should be making decisions about how to teach US history. The School Board is a policy-making, planning, and appraisal body with a big-picture vision that sets the course for the entire school district. We did not see huge numbers of students or their families sick during the worse parts of the pandemic. Adjacent community school districts have not initiated mask mandates*. I also have almost 16 years of experience as a parent/head of household. #DavenportCommunitySchools News July 21, 2023 December 5 Committee of the Whole Potts said declining enrollment was one of the biggest issues for the district. Give teachers adequate planning periods, and trust them to know best what their students and classrooms need to function successfully, and back off of fluffy, time-consuming requirements. Ideally, Id like the opportunity to NOT make budget cuts. The candidates discussed these and other issues with the Quad-City Times editorial board in individual interviews. It feels, at the building level, that so many decisions are made based on budget and staffing instead of the education of children, and its imperative that we turn that trend around. DAVENPORT, Iowa Bruce Potts, Allison Beck and Karen Gordon won the three director positions up for grabs Tuesday, Nov. 2 on the Davenport Community School Board. These families tend to be majority white and wealthier. The six range in age from 46 to 26. Part of the reason the state got involved in district operations was to ensure we stopped disproportionately disciplining students of color. Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content you may access. April 10 at 7pm Among other improvements related to the citations is the school board developing a better understanding of where the districts money is going and where it is at in the budget process, Potts said. I only felt that I was comfortable after about two years when I had enough confidence to stand up to a board president who was an obstructionist and I began to really understand the nuances of school finance, special education, and student achievement. Im running for school board because every child deserves a high-quality education, regardless of zip code, socioeconomic factors, and special needs. . The forum will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and will be focused on questions regarding how the school boards decisions impact marginalized students. The Iowa Board of Education has returned control of the Davenport Community School District to its school board after three years of state oversight. Davenport School Board approves demolition of 2 elementary schools - KWQC It is so important to be heard. This will also help improve our engagement and connection with students and families, as well as help reduce disproportionality. Davenport School Board approves demolition of 2 elementary schools. We can only grow as a society, a community, and as individuals when we face the mistakes weve made in the past and put in work to do better. I understand that students with special needs need to be provided a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) but Im not sure I agree with the way Davenport interprets that. What are your thoughts on this? If they dont have stake in the game, then theres no incentive for them to do the best thing for the students and to do things that are going to bring more students in.. He was highly regarded," said Steve. November 27 Regular/Annual/Organizational Meeting, *When Monday is a Holiday the Board Meetings are on Tuesday of the same week. I am raising two children who have also been educated in the Davenport schools, at Wilson, Williams, Sudlow, and Central so far. Elementary 918-377-2279 High School 918-377-2278. We are on the right track, and have made great strides toward a more cohesive, well-functioning district, but we have much work to do. I trust the experts in public health and infectious diseases to make the decisions that are based on the most accurate, current scientifically-tested evidence. Thomas Beck. Previous elected office: Potts is a sitting member of the school board and has served since 2017. 2023 Board Meeting Dates. Davenport School Complex 609-645-3550 x1309 Bargaintown Preschool 609-732-8173 x103 Eagle Academy 609-926-1235 Early Childhood Program 609-927-8222 x1201 April 10 Regular Meeting It was clear that all of our children have suffered academically in the pandemic, but it has been much worse for some demographics than others. School Board meetings, including discussions and actions, are conducted in open session. Each district is different, and local school boards, along with local public health officials should be the ones to make decisions about the safety and needs of our districts children. Board Approved 2023-2024 Next School Year Calendar. November 13 at 7pm Log In. Ultimately, we all want what is best for our kids. DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - The Davenport School Board held a meeting Monday night to discuss several action items on the school board's agenda, including . There is also a region of northern Davenport whose students are districted into Bettendorf schools, despite their families having Davenport addresses and receiving city services, Gordon said. FCC Applications. In addition, receiving districts can deny open enrollment requests because they lack sufficient special education staff or programming, again, leaving the home district with a greater concentration of higher need students. my.davenport.edu | My Davenport University beckt@eht.k12.nj.us. Family: He is married with four children and also raised two grandsons. TV6 to moderate board forums. The 50th Installment of RAGBRAI officially concludes with bicycle tires dipped in the Mississippi Ri. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Building staff has faced so many changes the last several years, at breakneck pace, and when asked, building admin shrug and say Its coming down from the top, thats all I know. So who is making these decisions? The forum, hosted by the Davenport Community School District, will be held in the Jim Hester Board Room on the second floor of the Davenport Schools Achievement Service Center, 1702 N. Main St. TV6s Morgan Ottier and Talya Faggart will moderate. DCSD Board member Daniel Gosa Elected: 2015 Re-elected: 2019 Term expires: 2023 Address: 1702 N. Main Street, Davenport, IA 52803 Email: gosada@davenportschools.org Ask Us a Question Leave this field blank First Name Last Name Email Phone Your Question Follow Along With Us! Impressive campaign behind write-in candidates for Davenport School Board Research shows that Black children who have had a Black teacher earlier in their academic lives are more successful going forward in school. Celebrating nurses: Q&A with Davenport nursing alumni, College of Health Professions Accreditation. What course of action would you propose to help close the gap? TV6 does not endorse any candidates. W. Kent Barnds File "I believe in the power of education; I've committed my life to higher education," Barnds said Monday night. August 28 Regular Meeting, September 11 Regular Meeting Do you agree or disagree with the new restrictions and why? This law bans concepts including the idea that one race or sex is superior to another. Copyright 2023 KWQC. For the Davenport School Board, only the challengers Farrah Powell and two write in candidates Hannah Doyle and James Quinn responded. Iowa has a new law restricting what teachers can teach in schools, particularly when it comes to sexism and racism (issues sometimes lumped together in the catchall term critical race theory). June 15, 2023 DCSD Board Of Directors Announces Process To Fill Vacant Board Seat School Board Seat To Be Filled Following Resignation Of Director Karen Gordon Continue Reading June 1, 2023 Superintendent TJ Schneckloth End of the Year Message Superintendent Schneckloth Looks Back On The School Year, And Looks Ahead To Next Year Continue Reading She suggested early relationship building between teachers and students fifth-grade teachers meeting fourth-grade students for example. . Davenport Elementary School is 1 of 4 Washington Schools that has received the ESEA Distinguished School Award in 2022-2023 Contact Us Davenport High School Secretary: Autumn Abbott Principal: Noelle Carstens Phone: (509) 725-4021 Fax: (833) 434-1435 Davenport Middle School Secretary: Sadra Danekas Phone: (509) 725-0766 Fax: (833) 434-1435 Home - Egg Harbor Township School District Every child can achieve if given the opportunity with a safe, welcoming environment that nurtures their academic curiosity, social and emotional health, and values their unique contributions to the world. Schools throughout Iowa are experiencing achievement gaps, especially among students of color and those from low-income families. The Davenport Community Schools are governed by a School Board that consists of seven district residents elected at-large to four-year terms. Accreditation. Gordon: Supports following the recommendations of the CDC and other public health agencies. Do you have any safety or other concerns, and what changes, if any, would you advocate? Minutes from the following types of meetings are accessible here: Annual Meeting (AM) Anticipatory Warrant Closed Session (CS) Introducing Onyx, Davenports new therapy dog. I can certainly understand the anger, frustration, and fear of parents who feel like they dont have control over the decisions that affect their kids, regardless of whether I agree with their stance on masks. February 13 Regular Meeting In my time working for the schools, I held positions that allowed me to be truly observant of almost all the working parts. How have you contributed to or supported education in your community before now? What I would change about the current budget is that instead of first looking for places to cut costs, I would first and foremost look to fully fund the hiring and retention of every single teacher, para, counselor, nurse, and librarian our schools need in order to ensure best educational outcomes for all students. Davenport voters will choose three of four candidates for school board. What do you see as the major issues facing your school district? That being said, expressing your thoughts does not give you license to yell during meetings, interrupt proceedings, make up history, spout false information, leave threatening voicemails, and intimidate people who are elected to make decisions. December 12 Regular Meeting (Only one Regular Meeting in December), 2023 Davenport school board race: Allison Beck, incumbent Classroom generic (WRDW) By KWQC Staff Published: Oct. 26, 2021 at 3:05 PM PDT (KWQC) - Note: TV6 reached out to local school board. Six candidates vying for three North Scott school board seats. Willie Barney, one of Davenport Community School District's new cabinet members, was introduced Monday, July 26, 2021, during a district school board meeting. School Board Meetings Times: 5:30PM 1st Monday - COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE 5:30PM 2nd and 4th Mondays - REGULAR BOARD MEETING Location: Jim Hester Board Room, 2nd Floor, Achievement Service Center 1702 N. Main Street, Davenport 2022 December 5 Committee of the Whole December 12 Regular Meeting (Only one Regular Meeting in December) 2023 Attendees who cause any disruptions during the forum will be asked to leave. As a board member, however, it is part of my job to make sure that the public understands the nuances of these decisions, particularly when they involve difficult decisions. I have already served on the Davenport school board for four years. All content 2023 Davenport University - Grand Rapids, Michigan, Faculty, staff, and current student resources. Rebuilding trust when those kinds of things happen takes time, Beck said. How would you critique your school districts overall handling of student and staff safety during the COVID pandemic? Public education is for everyone. I was able to see up close the ways the district administrative decisions impacted everyone in the buildings. Targeted small-group time with teachers allows those teachers to give more time to each student, allowing those students to make greater strides in learning. Their questionnaires for the DEA can be found on the unions website. March 27 Regular Meeting, April 3 Committee of the Whole I am happy that students are back in-person full-time, although I was not happy about how it was determined by the state, and not local communities. Second, declining enrollment. Will we have made enough of the right kind of progress to regain full accreditation? Absolutely not. School Board Agendas ALL BOARD AGENDAS WILL BE EXCLUSIVELY ON BOARDDOCS AT THE FOLLOWING LINK: http://www.boarddocs.com/ia/dcs/Board.nsf/Public Follow Along With Us! Bond Transparancy Act Information. The state currently has a huge budget surplus and the legislature could easily propose an increase in state supplemental aid that is more in line with the needs of public schools (5% rather than 2%, for example) and actually keeps up with inflation. I attended Davenport schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade, at Garfield, Eisenhower, Sudlow, and North. Another concern is systemic racism. All rights reserved. Candidates can meet with the public at 1:30 p.m. The candidates running for the board in the Nov. 2 election are: No political signs or attire will be allowed inside the building. 8 /10. June 12 at 7pm I would not mind as much if the same state legislature that calls for parent choice would allow for greater growth in state public education funding. Otherwise, I think we need to make sure that we spend our Covid money wisely and as close to our students as possible, to ensure that we are doing the best we can to make up for lost learning. Beck: supports following the guidance of public health agencies, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, I am an educator (I teach college) and I have the perspective of being in the classroom, pivoting to online learning, and experiencing the hardships of the pandemic on teachers, staff, and students. Daniel Gosa, President | Davenport Community Schools Board members also serve on a variety of district committees and attend many school activities. Voters elect 3 members for Davenport Community School Board Davenport Public Schools. We just have different ideas of what that looks like. You do great work and it does not go unnoticed. In addition, we have law enforcement at every meeting, and I trust that they are keeping us safe at meetings and keeping their eyes and ears open to potential issues. Do I enjoy being called a child abuser, domestic terrorist, coward, and worse? What experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member? To access School Board Agendas and materials from meetings follow this link:School Board Agendas. Polk County's Exceptional Student Education Department serves more than 18,000 students from preschool through 22 years of age. If a child and teacher are continuously in conflict, that needs to be explored to see how that relationship can be improved, Powell said. As a board member, where would you look to make budget cuts? Now that would help districts serve all of their students and really give parents a choice they can love. I first moved to the area to take a position teaching at Augustana College, and now, as a community college faculty member at Black Hawk, I am in the classroom with students ranging from right-out-of high school to second and third careers. Davenport school board candidate forum to be held Tuesday, KWQC-TV6 to air Davenport, Bettendorf school board candidate forums, Bettendorf school board candidates talk priorities, health and safety during forum Thursday, What are local school boards responsibilities? But Nick Hansel says . Finally, I am a parent of kids in the Davenport Schools. DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) - The Davenport School Board held a meeting Monday night to discuss several action items on the school board's agenda, including the superintendent's contract, the. Thats the energy I bring to the table. Click HERE for the 23-24 School Calendar. Ultimately, when there are a number of districts in close proximity to one another, diversity plans help prevent pockets of high poverty, high-need schools. But many people dont know about them, or they have lost trust in our district due to egregious violations in Special Education and disproportionality in discipline (e.g., Keystone Academy). September 25 Regular Meeting, October 2 Committee of the Whole At Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. Another priority is student-focused financial decisions. No we do not. I trust that experience will transition well to budget discussions. Education: bachelor's degree in business from St. Ambrose University. Students who are reading at grade level by the end of 3rdgrade are more likely to graduate on time, less likely to drop out, have behavior issues, and fall behind in other subjects. Meetings | Davenport Community Schools It was a challenging and emotional fight, but we won. We have been under conditional accreditation for 2.5 years already, and the staff and community are left in the dark about the progress and the plan. Second, and this has been very hard to do in the past, we need to hire a more diverse teacher and staff body. Watch Now: RAGBRAI cyclists dip their tires in the Mississippi River to signify the end of the ride. Student removed from Mercer County High School for allegedly making a threat. State oversight ends next month. North Scott school board members approved these changes at the July 17 meeting. All four of my children have attended DCSD. Due to various controversial issues, such as mask-wearing, school board meetings have become more heated in recent months with protests and sometimes unruly behavior. This is evidence that our masks, sanitation, distancing, handwashing, and other practices have been working. I think its necessary to teach uncomfortable truths because history is built upon them. Schools throughout Iowa are experiencing achievement gaps, especially among students of color and those from low-income families. And finally, staff support. Ill just say that data can be manipulated, and we still have a lot of work to do. Children who see themselves reflected in their world are more secure, and feel more confident, and are more likely to take on academic challenges. I trust the work of people such as the CDC and our local public health officials to know what is best for our children, based on current local conditions. All rights reserved. We have made a number of improvements in this area, particularly as we begin a major long-range facilities plan program, and have worked to deal with the crisis of gun violence in Davenport that has affected many of our students and families.