Meet the Candidates: Central School Board

A combined city/school election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 2, giving voters within the Central School District an opportunity to select representatives to the school board. Five individuals are running for four open seats: Josh Embretson, Jered Finley, Jared Funk, Willis Patenaude and Courtney Scherf. The candidates recently shared their thoughts on key issues with Times-Register editor Audrey Posten.

Josh Embretson

Josh Embretson and his wife Stacey are class of 1999 Central graduates. He graduated from St. Ambrose University in 2003 with a BA in criminal justice and has spent the last 18 years working at the Duane Arnold Energy Center nuclear plant in Palo. Josh’s family moved back to Elkader in 2013 and his three children, Eva, Layla and Zane, are currently enrolled at Central.  He and his wife have both volunteered to help with youth sports during the past few years. This summer, Josh was appointed to the Central school board, and he looks to continue in the that role.

“It takes a community effort to support and grow a school district that recruits top talent and keeps them. It was this school district and community that helped my family make the decision to move back to Elkader from Cedar Rapids, and I look forward to the continual growth,” he said.

Why are you running for school board?

Honest and straight forward, it would be the 2020/2021 school year. I have given credit and praise to our district and the hard work and decisions they have had to make during that school year. They found a way to make it work. Did everyone agree with everything? No. Did I understand the reasons? Yes. Our district made sure that our future, the kids, had the best possible year for the situation. The return to learn plan worked and it did not stray from the core values of the strategic plan. I am interested in continuing my role as a member of the Central School Board because I care about our school and our community. I believe public education is very important and look forward to putting in time and effort to do what is right for our children and our district. If it was easy, everyone would do it. 

What do you view as the district’s biggest strength(s)? Why?

The district’s biggest strength is the people. From the students to the staff to the community and everyone working together for a common goal. The district teaches and lives the growth mindset model which encourages critical thinking. Critical thinking requires a questioning attitude which is cultivated by a creative mind. We often tell our kids we are not raising you to be good kids, we are raising you to be good humans. This is in line with the instruction and curriculum at Central and I look forward to growing this trait.  

What is an area(s) you feel Central could work to improve and why? What changes would you suggest?

In a rural area, everyone knows enrollment and financial stability could always be on the verge of being a major issue, and there is always room for improvement on that. That’s the easy answer. So, let’s focus on communication and people. The nuclear industry is one of the most regulated in the world and it has taught me that “the business” of teaching/training and supervising is about people. Our CNO once told us, “Take care of the people, and they will take care of the plant.” This begins with active listening, analyzing the facts, avoiding group think and making or supporting a decision that is in line with your policies/procedures and strategic plan. If you combine humility with the district’s core values and they are followed with the mission and vision in mind, the decisions you make take care of the people (students/staff). Continuous improvement through communication grows the district and community.      

What additional opportunities would you like to see Central offer or explore?

The district has made strides in the recent years with providing opportunities for kids to succeed after their time is complete at Central. From partnering with community colleges to local business, the district is providing students the tools and vision to pursue future employment. I believe that we can always continue to improve our position and opportunities for those students that wish to enroll in a trade school.

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Jered Finley

Jered Finley has been married to his wife Tina for 20 years, and they have two children: Brayden, a senior at Central, and Peyton, a sophomore at Central. He works for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service as an area resource conservationist and covers 28 counties in northeast Iowa.  Jered attended and graduated from Rockwell City-Lytton High School in 1993, then attended Iowa State University, graduating with a BS degree in 1997.  He has volunteered in many aspects of the community and at Central since moving to the area in 2009.

Why are you running for school board?

I am rerunning for school board and have been on the board for the last eight years. I want to continue to work with and be part of the Central team. We have more work to do to build Central to its full potential. I want to continue to be part of that. My hopes are that we continue that momentum to build things to our full potential. This would include finding more offerings in academics and increase participation in extracurricular activities. Additionally, continue to be fiscally responsible, maintain a good budget and pay off the debt we accumulated during the bond.

What do you view as the district’s biggest strength(s)? Why?

Our greatest strength are the people and our entire team: students, parents/families, communities, staff and administration. It truly takes us all. Without one, we struggle in many aspects. Everywhere we go, we hear how great Central students are, how kind, well mannered and how good are kids are. With that, I feel we have great parents and families that are raising good kids. One thing that sticks out to me in the 12 years we have lived here are the families that move back to the Central District. We have great communities that foster this and provides opportunities for students, parents and families. We have businesses in our community that continue to stay open and support Central. We have a staff that is outstanding; they work hard and provide education to our students. We have administration that is willing to support and provide opportunities for the staff and students. Overall, the great strength is all of us working together. There will always be work to be done. With that being said, we all continue to work together to get the work done! It takes us all!

What is an area(s) you feel Central could work to improve and why? What changes would you suggest?

This is an ongoing question for me. There is always room for improvement, no matter what we do. We need to continue to work on improving academics. Continue to always find new ways to keep students interested and engaged in school. I want to make sure this is not taken out of context; our staff strives to keep our kids engaged and they all work hard to find ways to do this. This is always a work in progress. Additionally, find innovative ways to provide more offerings that could set Central apart. Are there ways that we can work with neighboring districts to provide and offer classes through technology? Understanding that we have done some of these things, can we continue to grow in this area? 

Communication is another aspect that needs constant attention. This is a topic that comes up several times a year. We continue to work on this and, in some cases, succeed and, other times, we find we need to continually work on things. 

Thirdly, build on our participation and being successful in our extracurricular program. Some of these programs are successful, some have sustained, some have been built and grown, while others are struggling. Having a solid academic and extracurricular program is needed to have a well-rounded Central experience for our students, families and communities. I also feel this is a marketing tool that can potentially attract more families to the Central District, which is good for all communities within the district. 

What additional opportunities would you like to see Central offer or explore?

Anything and everything that will prepare our Central students for what their future holds. If a student decides that college is not for them and want to go into a trade, can we find ways to engage learning for the student and to assist them to be trade ready. For example, can we cut down on the time it takes for a welding certificate or even develop a welding certificate before they graduate high school. Are there ways we can complete this for other trades as well. 

Secondly, are there ways that we can start teaching a foreign language in early elementary so students can graduate bilingual. As I mentioned earlier, build partnerships with other schools to assist us with this as well as business. Start working closer with businesses to see how we can better our students for the trade or prepare them for college.  

Lastly, we need to continue to maintain and improve our infrastructure. This is always a balance to maintain fiscal responsibility while continuing to maintain and improve on our infrastructure.

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Jared Funk

Jared Funk and his wife Ariell live just outside Elkader and have two children. Daisy is in first grade and Dahlia is in 3-year-old preschool. He is a vice president for Fidelity Bank and Trust and works out of the Postville branch, primarily working with agricultural and commercial loans. Jared has been in the banking industry for roughly 17 years and also owns Northeast Iowa Coin & Currency, which deals in antique coins and currency. He went to high school at MFL MarMac and then graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a double major in finance and real estate.

Why are you running for school board?

With two young daughters, I am interested in helping do my part to continue to make Central what it is today, while looking at new opportunities in the future to give every child the education and opportunities they deserve.

What do you view as the district’s biggest strengths? Why?

Some may see this as a weakness, and it very well could be, but the size of the school. Central has much to offer. Since we are a small school, each student has a very good opportunity to participate in everything and have an active role. This is something that is not see in larger schools. 

What is an area you feel Central could work to improve and why?

At this time, I am unaware of areas to improve. As I become more involved, more improvement opportunities will arise, and I look forward to addressing them then.

What additional opportunities would you like to see Central offer?

I would like to see Central continue to offer new technology, as it is ever changing. I would also like to see them continue to offer classes toward specific trades. 

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Willis Patenaude

Willis Patenaude is an Iowa State University graduate with a master’s degree in political science, and is currently the reporter for the Times-Register newspaper. He has two sons, Brady (7) and Bennett (16 months), and his wife Alison is the high school English teacher at Central. 

Why are you running for school board?

I am running for a few reasons. First, because there doesn’t seem to be anyone willing to hold the current administration accountable for its decisions and actions, and people in the community seem unwilling to challenge some of those decisions publicly, though they will do so privately. This is a problem, emblematic of an administration that does not respond well to criticism or alternative suggestions and feedback from either members of the community, staff, and certainly not from the press. I have talked to members of the community who openly refused and were afraid of the backlash if they were to go on the record with criticism of the Return to Learn plan. 

This is a problem, which leads into the second reason: transparency, especially as it relates to sharing information with the public. Current members of the school board seem wholly disinclined to talk to the media, instead preferring to go into full Tony Soprano mode. Active engagement with the public on school matters should not just be reserved to the very small numbers that attend school board meetings and the very brief school board minutes that don’t fully encapsulate what was said or what occurred. They should welcome discussing their decisions, their actions, their words and what motivated them. 

Lastly, I have spoken to community members who want change and members with different last names, different ideas and a new perspective, and I offer those things. 

What do you view as the district’s biggest strength(s)? Why?

Central has many strengths and is well-rounded, especially as it relates to the teaching staff. One of their strengths would be the recent modernization of the building that has happened in the last five years, which created a safer, student friendly environment for all staff and students. It created learning spaces that are ideal for students and staff. The staff also makes efforts to get the students involved in community projects in real world situations, working on a variety of projects to help further the community and to learn different skills. The art department has also been very active with some of the projects they do around the school. 

What is an area(s) you feel Central could work to improve and why? What changes would you suggest?

There are also areas for improvements. One of these areas is transparency with the community. Oftentimes, things happen at the school, and the community does not always know the “why.” They do hold board meetings, but the reality is that this isn’t going to be an event a lot of community members come to, so they could make a better effort at dispersing information to the public. 

Holding their students accountable is also an area for improvement. Students need to be leaving the school ready to hit the workforce, college, the military or whatever choice they make for themselves. Some of the current practices at the school don’t always prepare students for that future, such as retakes and no repercussions for missing deadlines that come with the SBG method. 

I would also add, while they do include staff members in some of the decision making process, they need to also listen to some of the suggestions. There could be more polling done of the community, and maybe even for the staff at the building, and then making sure that input is actually being taken into consideration.

What additional opportunities would you like to see Central offer or explore?

I think any opportunities they can embrace to help their students become prepared for what comes after high school are worth exploring. I know there have been some community partnerships through certain courses and there are job shadows for students, but having more opportunities for students to explore different interests would be great. There are a lot of college offerings, but do these exist for kids who want to get into the technology industry? Are there other programs the school could be participating in to help further ALL interests and not just interests that are geared toward manufacturing or ag-related fields? Obviously, those fields hold great importance here, but it begs the question, are there other programs Central could participate in to meet the needs of ALL students and their future choices? 

Secondly, I would argue that the school needs to take a lengthy look at its sports programs and weigh the pros and cons of continuing with some of them, especially given the amount of sports related injuries occurring in sports where the school is simply not competitive, and the funding required could potentially be used elsewhere in a more productive way.

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Courtney Scherf

Courtney Scherf is a proud northeast Iowan, who was born and raised in Elkader. She is a 2000 Central Community School graduate, and served as class president. After high school, Courtney attended NICC in Peosta, graduating from the radiologic technology program. She continued on to the University of Iowa, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in radiation science/sonography. After spending the first 12 years of her career working at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, she now works full-time as a sonographer for a contract company, traveling all over northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. Courtney is married to her high school sweetheart, Jason (Central class of 1998), and they have three children who are current Central students: Katelyn (16), Jack (14) and Greta (9).

“In 2014, Jason and I made the decision to move back to Elkader. The number one reason we moved back to our home town was for our kids and the opportunities they would have in a school district like Central. They were getting ‘lost’ in the large and growing school district we were in, and we wanted them to have the same opportunities we had growing up,” said Courtney. “At Central, they can explore and participate in multiple activities and get one-on-one attention when needed. Moving back to Elkader also meant we would be closer to family, which was very important to us (and let’s be honest, having family close makes life just a little bit easier, it seems).”

Within months of being back in Elkader, Courtney found herself volunteering and giving back to the community. That started with serving on the committee that worked to pass the Central Community School “Vote YES” bond, allowing for important updates to be made to the school in order to set facilities (and children) up for success for years to come. She continued on to volunteer on the Sweet Corn Days Committee, Main Street Promotions Committee and organizing the St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Thanksgiving meal each year—a tradition her family loves to participate in. As a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, she has also taught religious education.

Why are you running for school board?

First and foremost, I love being part of the Central School District. I love that my kids attend Central, that they are involved in various activities through Central, and that they will graduate as Central Warriors, just as I did. 

Secondly, I enjoy being an active member of our community, helping to ensure we maintain our high quality of life for our children and generations to come, including the excellent educational and extracurricular opportunities provided by Central Community School. I believe that, by making our children’s education a priority, it not only sets them up for success, but also shapes our community, state and nation for future success as well. My hope is to prioritize our children’s education while respecting personal beliefs and freedoms that each family has when choosing to send their children to a certain school district.

What do you view as the district’s biggest strength(s)? Why?

Our biggest strength at Central Community School has to be our teachers. Central has passionate teachers who care about each and every student. They check in with students and parents to ensure all students are staying on track. After moving back to the Central School District seven years ago, my husband and I were called into a parent meeting within a week to address a delay in learning for one of our children. This was never caught in the larger district we had just moved away from. Central Community School caught the delay, had a plan for getting things back on track and executed the plan over time. As a parent, this is what you want to see from educators. It took time, but the Central teachers and staff gave support and walked us through the process. This is something you just don’t see happening in a larger school district. 

What is an area(s) you feel Central could work to improve and why? What changes would you suggest?

One thing I would like to see is some type of volunteer requirements for our JH/HS students for graduation. Strong Communities = Strong Schools. We have a lot of kids that volunteer in many ways through organizations, but I would like to see a set number of volunteer hours per year be a requirement for graduation from ALL students. Our communities do a lot to support our school. It is a way to give back and give thanks. Volunteering teaches our children to be good community stewards and continue to give back for years to come.

What additional opportunities would you like to see Central offer or explore?

My hope is that Central can continue to build and continually evaluate partnerships in our community and surrounding areas that help improve and promote education and post high school career paths for our students, whether that be a trade school, the workforce, a four-year college or the military.