Four of the five candidates vying for the three seats on the Joplin R-8 Board of Education were part of a forum sponsored by the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce and led by Judy Stiles, Missouri Southern State University's KGCS-TV general manager and host of "Newsmakers." The fifth candidate Randy Steele, who is well-known for his contributions to the success of the Joplin High School Band, agreed to attend but said he had to back out due to illness. The event that was televised took place at the Joplin City Hall council chambers, March 24, 2008.

After allowing the candidates to introduce themselves, Stiles presented each candidate in random order about half of the questions they previously had been given. The event concluded with a chance to summarize why voters on April 8 should choose each of them to serve on the board.

JEFF FLOWERS

Jeff Flowers, executive director of the Independent Living Center, cited his human resources background and role as a concerned parent (one child in Stapleton Elementary and one at Memorial Middle School) as reasons for serving on the board. He said he was "very passionate" about educating students. Flowers holds a B.S. degree from Missouri Southern in economics and finance and a master's degree from Pittsburg State University. His wife is a physical education teacher in the R-8 system.

On the relationship of the school board and the school administration Flowers likens the former to a board of directors of a private company...His take on drop-out prevention, he said, should start out in the home and with the need for parents, teachers and the community to act in unison...In stating his feelings about standardized testing he sees the need for the board to develop policy guidelines for the best way to carry out what is mandated. He loves the R-8 motto, It's all about the A" and suggested that R-8 puts out a well-rounded student...Regarding the role of the school board in selecting curriculum materials, Flowers thinks that it's up to the teachers and the administration to select materials to meet their goals...On the aspect of community involvement that is open to all he believes that a passion needs to be created to get people interested. He also stressed the importance of PTO membership and complimented Steele on his band involvement...On economic development it all starts with the schools, and he said that passage of a bond issue is related to the creation of new jobs in Joplin. The exodus of people leaving the R-8 district has been reversed, he said, crediting the departing Superintendent of Schools Jim Simpson with the turn-around...Regarding challenges to Joplin as being land-locked, Flowers said that the new Middle Schools will cause growth around them...Flowers didn't believe that the old Middle Schools fostered education and that at some point the condition of the elementary schools needs to be addressed. He cited Cecil Floyd built in the 1980s as the newest elementary school and reminded everyone that the others were 50-60 years old, although he congratulated their maintenance crews...In retaining qualified teachers he said that increased pay as well as an improved environment would go a long way to attracting teachers with better qualifications. He said that merit-based pay had its plus and minus sides.

MARK JONES

Mark Jones, retired navy, with a master's degree in business administration and now an assistant professor in the engineering technology department at Pittsburg State University, said he was a regular at school board meetings and that he provided citizen input in the expansion of Cecil Floyd attended by one of his children (the other was at Memorial Middle School). In wanting to "bring R-8 forward," he carries a folder containing documents which he said were readily available to taxpayers. [After the forum he shared some documents that show undesignated funds of $6,243,810 from the bond proceeds of $61,549,496 while only $500,000 was budgeted for Memorial Middle School's special education and the pre-K programs. This concerns him.]

While Jones does not think that the board should be involved in day to day issues, he sees it as a "conduit for the community to know what's going on from day to day."...Citing the demand to meet federal guidelines for the No Child Left Behind Act, he suggested an urgency for the community to establish a common goal in solving the drop-out problem. He called attention to a program already established dealing with this issue and encouraged everyone to attend the next meeting on March 31 at the high school...He sees possible benefits to MAP testing but that the results should be used to help teachers become more efficient and successful in their approach. He said that the concept of Lifelong Learning should be fostered and that curriculum materials should be selected that encourage a continuing spark for learning lasting through one's high school years and beyond...Jones sees community involvement in education as a "fundamental part of democracy" and complimented the grass roots-led effort in the passage of the recent bond issue. He said that it was "incredibly important" for the board "to learn the concerns of the community, not necessarily to have an answer" but just to make it "comfortable" for individual community interaction. He said it was unfortunate to see parents leave right after escorting their children for special presentations...Four years of accreditation with distinction, he said, should make Joplin schools proud and called it a "tremendous achievement" along with the current capital improvement projects...He said that attracting families to Joplin requires continuing to increase the prestige of the district, specifically its "centers of excellence" like the special ed project at Cecil Floyd...In order for the facilities to meet future needs Jones believes that a trust must be maintained with taxpayers...He said he doesn't know the "correct metric" in retention of quality teachers and that there are intangibles like maintaining an open environment for the encouragement of new ideas and in fostering support for them by parents, etc.

JIM MEADOWS

Jim Meadows, an attorney with a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Chicago (law degree from the University of San Diego), is completing a one year appointment made last April 2007 to fill an unexpired term. A member of the facilities committee, Meadows is involved in the speech/debate team and graduation committee at Joplin High School where his child is a sophomore.

With board experience Meadows sees the role of the board as goal-setting with day to day planning up to the administration....In discussing the problem of drop-outs he suggested more parental involvement and that the new Middle School facilities would "provide a more conducive environment" for remaining in school. He agreed with the importance of Vo-Tech training and would like to see that program extended...Regarding standardized testing, he said that it is needed "to make sure progress is on track with state standards" but that teachers shouldn't teach to the test. He said that sports and music were needed to enrich the curriculum. He sees no involvement for the board in selecting curriculum materials and that it should be "left to the experts." What subjects are taught, however, is a different matter [Is he suggesting the possibility that the community would come together, for example, to complain about the teaching of evolution without Biblical reference or censoring of a book like Steinbeck's The Red Pony?]... Meadows called attention to the current accessibility of the board and that phone numbers are posted on the R-8 board website....He said that R-8 was "making steady improvement," that it had a "vibrant Vo-Tech program," and that the "overall picture" was "very bright."...He countered an argument that "growth didn't exist," saying that growth on the southern and western ends led to overcrowding of the elementary schools while districts were consolidated elsewhere...While progress certainly was being made with the Middle Schools, he said he couldn't put a time line on improvement of the other aged facilities. He did see the need for incorporating SMART Technologies and further use of updated laptops...In retaining good teachers, Meadows suggested the possibility of helping to pay off student loans although he saw that as something to be addressed at the state level. He said that teachers should be rewarded for getting advanced degrees.

PHIL WILLCOXON

Phil Willcoxon, chief executive officer at Freeman Neosho Hospital, has a B.S. in marketing/administration from Kansas State University and a M.S. in hospital administration from the University of Missouri Graduate School of Health. A lifelong resident in the R-8 district with two children--one in the Middle School, one in high school--Willcoxon currently holds the position of secretary of the R-8 Foundation Board. He said he understands how to meet goals yet be fiscally responsible and continue the goals set by the retiring superintendent.

In describing the strategic policy of the board, Willcoxon said that it should be in line with the vested interests of the community and town...An early detection program should be in place for at risk students, he said, getting a bead on what motivates them. He is in agreement for a strong Vo-Tech program...He fosters "a whole gamut of learning," and that it's "wrong to teach just to MAP testing."...He believes that the curriculum should reflect what's out there in the marketplace and that students should be trained accordingly...Community involvement includes, he said, reaching out to business leaders (as in the certificates for achievement program); he also would like the superintendent to maintain "a visible presence" in the community...Using skills acquired as hospital director of physician recruitment, Willcoxon hopes to bring doctors to town with the acknowledgment that "we have excellent schools."...While citing what he called a stagnant population growth of 45,000, (countered by Meadows), he didn't offer any solution to the challenge that might be faced...He called for a "10-year plan" to look at maintenance costs of the pre-existing buildings and said that was a "strategic role of the board."... In retaining quality teachers he agreed that merit based pay was "only nice in theory."...He made an analogy between schools and hospitals, teachers versus nurses, and said one must "look outside of the box."

Joplin R-8 Board of Education meetings are held at the Timothy T. Reynolds Multimedia Center located on the campus of Joplin High School, 2104 Indiana. Meetings may be viewed on Cable One's JET-14 TV. The next scheduled meeting is April 14.

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