Ida seeks election to USD-234 board one more time

USD 234 Board of Education President Matt Ida's third term on the board will probably be his last, the Extrusions, Inc. president said on Tuesday.

Ida, who is running unopposed for re-election during the April 3 general election, said after serving what will be 12 years on the board, it will be time for someone else to have the same opportunity to serve as he did.

"There needs to be turnover on these boards from the standpoint that somebody with different ideas needs to sit on them," Ida said. "There's got to be somebody out there with a fresh perspective, because maybe they have kids in school at the time. Maybe they're coming from a different place with different ideas. The last thing I want to do is sit on the school board and be a stale and a non-contributing member."

That's not to say, however, that Ida is preparing to become a "stale and non-contributing member," during his third term. Ida said he remains dedicated to helping the district do what is best for the students in the district as well as the community that supports the school district. That includes having an understanding of school finance, which many in the education business say is the major issue facing most public schools. Ida said while the school finance has seen improvement over past couple of years, he believes USD 234 still needs to keep an eye on the future when it comes to funding.

"With the nature of politics being what it is today, nothing is guaranteed," Ida said. "We need to be really vigilant stewards of the taxpayers of the district's money. I will continue to be conservative in my approach, making sure that we have the ability to take care of ourselves in the event that the state does not come through."

Along with school finance, President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act is also on the minds of anyone associated with the education world. Ida said, as has the other two current board members running for re-election this year, that while parts of NCLB are good for the district, changes need to be made.

"I think that the goals...don't seem realistic to me in terms of what they are expecting public schools to do," Ida said of NCLB.

While USD 234 students have performed well on the federally mandated state assessment tests, Ida said the school district must continue to strive to prepare students for the tests.

"The school district has obviously had some success with state assessments," he said, "but that is a never-ending task. You don't just have success this year and reach the standard of reading in the fourth grade and say, 'Okay, well we got that accomplished,' because that can fall to pieces the very next time the kids are tested.

"So, you have to continue to push based on the parameters of No Child Left Behind, and you have to continue to upgrade your curriculum in order to repeatedly accomplish the goals that this district has set out."

When Ida first decided to run for an open school board seat eight years ago, he said it was because he had some concern with how things were being handled within the district. He added, however, that some of the things he thought to be true about the school board and district proved to be false.

"You have preconceived notion of the issues and what goes on on this board," he said. "In my case, my preconceptions were generally wrong. Once I got on the school board, I felt like I was on a very steep learning curve. I realized at the time that I had a whole lot to learn to really be a contributor on the school board."

Ida has served as the board's president for the past "five to six years," he said. When he took over, he added, he changed the role of the president when it comes to the board and its meetings.

"When I became president, I asked if I could moderate the meetings," he said. "Prior to that, the superintendent controlled the meetings."

As the moderator of the meeting, Ida said, he tries to make sure the meetings are conducted in a manner that is best for everyone involved, as well as members of the public who attend the meetings.

"First off, I try to help the board make sure that they have all the facts in an organized manner so that the board itself, including me, understands the issues that are in front of us," he said. "I try to moderate the discussions so that we can get something done.

"The other role I have is to run a meeting like a business meeting. I feel like not only the board and the administration, but also the other people who attend these meetings, have lives outside of this function and the job is to do the business of the board efficiently and completely in a reasonable amount of time."

A Fort Scott High School graduate himself, Ida has raised his children in this community, where they have also received their education in the USD 234 school system.