Four candidates are on Tuesday’s ballot for uncontested Marshalltown Community School Board races – incumbents Sean Heitmann and Sara Faltys, and newcomers Maria Morales and Elizabeth Wise. Morales and Wise will take the places of current board members Jan McGinnis and Bonnie Lowry.

Incumbents

Heitmann has served on the board since 2015, and is the current president. Faltys has served the past four years and is the vice president.

There are several projects Heitmann and Faltys want to see completed, such as the Marshalltown High School Career and Technical Education wing and the tornado safe team room building at the stadium.

“I am excited about those projects and their potential for a positive impact on student learning and for our community,” Heitmann said.

Faltys would like to see greater community participation in the district.

“We see very few people attend our meetings and this is a great way for more to learn about what is going on in our district,” she said. “I have a huge passion for serving in our community. As I have served in various roles over the years, I really would like to see more of our community members speak up and learn about what is going on in our community.”

During their time on the board, the district opened the Welcome Center at the Orpheum Theater, and has been working hard to implement policies addressing absenteeism.

“I am hopeful those policies and the employees dedicated to working with students and families will reduce levels of absenteeism in our community,” Heitmann said. “I continue to be impressed by our dedicated staff and their commitment to developing and implementing teaching and learning strategies and curriculum to improve student learning and achievement.”

The recent Iowa Department of Education (DOE) School Performance Profile indicates the district is behind the state average in academics. Heitmann said the board can help turn the results around by engaging in a number of practices, such as supporting district initiatives, setting high expectations and holding people accountable for not meeting those, retaining and recruiting high-quality teachers and improving the school environment.

Faltys said the board can ensure everyone in the district is working toward goals.

“I will continue to work, as I have for the last four years, as an advocate for all opportunities for our students and for them to have access to top quality curriculum,” she said. “I will support our leadership in recruiting top quality teachers, and doing what we can to incentivize them to consider our district as a place of employment.”

The Miller Middle School renovation project is highly anticipated by many Marshalltown residents, and is something both incumbents look forward to. Heitmann said the project is likely to be a substantial investment of time and money. For the district to pay for the project it will require the passage of a bond referendum which will require significant community support.

“In order to obtain that support it will be essential for the district to clearly demonstrate and communicate both the need for the project as well as the opportunity and benefit to the community in supporting the project,” Heitmann said. “We will need to be open and transparent with the community about the costs and the method to meet those costs. The students and families in this community deserve the best learning experience and environment we can provide them.”

Faltys said the Miller project is in the beginning stages and will take years to complete. She agreed community support is essential.

“The district will need support and input from community members on what they see as priorities,” she said. “I encourage community members to proactively give input on what they see as an important need. Oftentimes we hear from the public after decisions are made and this is not very useful to us.”

Heitmann has two MCSD children – Millie is a tenth grader and Eliot is in sixth grade. He said his time on the board has been a tremendous honor.

“I appreciate the trust placed in me and the other members of the board, and I am looking forward to continuing to work to provide the students of Marshalltown the best education,” Heitmann said. “GO BOBCATS!”

Faltys has a son who is a junior at Marshalltown High School

Newcomers

Passionate about helping the community and youth, Morales threw her hat in the race ring. She hopes to be the second Latina elected in Marshalltown history – the first being current board member Karina Hernandez.

Wise said education has always been very important to her, and she already has a vested interest in the district. So, running for the board was something Wise has always aspired to.

With the DOE Performance Profile indicating needed improvement in academics, Morales wants to turn the results around by providing support to MCSD teachers and administrators. She also wants to support professional development and different opportunities for teachers to enrich knowledge and strategies on how to help students succeed.

“Student achievement is the goal for all,” Morales said.

Both candidates said they like the direction the school board has traveled the past few years, and the projects undertaken. One such project is the Miller Middle School renovation.

Morales knows it is certainly in high demand.

“It is important for the board to look at the priority needs and wants to make sure the project is successful and funding is put to good use,” she said. “I trust the right measures of time will be considered for students to learn in a safe environment while construction is happening.”

Morales has a child, Nayeli, who attends Fisher Elementary. She thanked Hernandez for inspiring her to run.

“If it wasn’t for our Diversity in Leadership group I wouldn’t have been able to get the push I needed to run for school board,” Morales said. “I can’t wait to be part of this great opportunity.”

Wise has four MCSD students – Nicholas is in tenth, Olivia is an eighth grader, Brandon is in fifth and Elena is in first.

“I would feel very honored to be able to serve the Marshalltown community as a school board member,” she said. “I look forward to the opportunity to help guide the vision and direction of the Marshalltown Community School District.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.