WATERLOO — A former educator is driven by issues with Waterloo Community Schools’ teaching and learning environment in her bid to serve on the Board of Education.
Janelle Ewing was a high school band director in Houston, Texas, for seven years before pursuing a law degree. The 44-year-old, who grew up in Waterloo, is now an attorney and partner with the Sayer Law Group.
She and challenger Martie Heath-Sinclair are vying for an at-large seat on the board in the Nov. 2 election. Both would be new to the position currently held by Shanlee McNally, who is not running for another term. Voters across the district can cast ballots in the race.
“I’m passionate about what teachers do in the classroom and I believe teachers really want to teach,” said Ewing, and that students want to learn. She “would like to help facilitate” that process as a member of the board.
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“Students learn best when there are fewer distractions,” she noted, which also impact educators’ ability to teach. Her focus on the board would be removing those distractions, often by pushing for facility improvements. When classrooms are too warm because portions of a school don’t have air conditioning and equipment is broken or falling apart, she believes those issues detract from learning.
“I really think that the key to driving student success is quality teaching and the ability of students to pay attention, and removing distractions from the classroom,” said Ewing. She would like Waterloo Schools to attract more master teachers to the district in an effort to continue improving that quality. She described such teachers at longtime members of the profession who have the ability to inspire and engage students when they get the needed support from their schools.
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Ewing had no concerns with how the district has dealt with it. That included an effort beginning in recent weeks to require masks in elementary schools based on a certain level of county spread for the virus and the absentee rate at an individual building.
“I think the school district has walked the middle line quite well, paying attention to the health of everyone,” she said. “I don’t hear a lot within the community in protest (of) how things have been handled.”
In terms of uses for remaining federal COVID-19 relief dollars the district has received, “I think the district would be wise to take a lot of teacher input in terms of how those funds should be spent.” She said reducing class sizes would be a good way to help teachers and reduce the possibility of the virus spreading.
She noted that a new state law which banned the use of a voluntary diversity plan for the district and loosened up its open enrollment restrictions is not something “that I can change at the local level.” The district can take steps, though, that would attract students who otherwise might leave. “We need to make sure that Waterloo Schools is a place that students want to stay and teachers want to teach,” said Ewing.
She is also thinking about the board’s need to hire a new superintendent as Jane Lindaman, the district’s current leader, prepares to retire.
“I would like to see a candidate with experience in our size (district) and socio-economic demographic,” said Ewing. She would favor “a progressive person” who would make sure that teachers have the planning time they need and that “our buildings and facilities are adequate.”
Ewing earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Iowa and a law degree from the University of Akron. She spent 1-1/2 years working for the law firm of C. Kevin McCrindle before moving to the Sayer Law Group about eight years ago.