Meet the Candidates for the Lindbergh Board of Education

Patch sent all local candidates for office identical questionnaires in order to compile candidate profiles prior to the April election. Each candidate who returned the survey will be featured on the site.

Vic Lenz

Occupation: Retired-Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum & Instruction, Lindbergh Schools. Current-Usher, St. Louis Cardinals

Education: B.A. in Political Science from Central Methodist University (1964), M.S. in Guidance from Southern Illinois University—Edwardsville (1968), Ph.D. in Administration from St. Louis University (1978)

Family: Wife, Sharyn; sons Troy, Ty and David all attended Lindbergh Schools

Years lived in the Lindbergh District:  64-I have been a resident of Lindbergh since 1949

Provide a brief summary of your background: Employed by Lindbergh Schools for 37 years as a teacher, counselor, principal, and assistant superintendent.  Served 9 years on Lindbergh Board of Education.  Member of St. Lucas United Church of Christ, Crestwood-Sunset Hills Rotary Club.  Served 8 years on Board of the Missouri School Boards Association, and President of Missouri School Boards Association during 2011-2012.

Please provide a brief summary of your reasons for running: I received a good education at Lindbergh; I had a great career at Lindbergh; and I have lived in the community for 64 years.  I feel that I have an in-depth understanding of the school district and the community and would like to give back to the schools and community and use my knowledge and skills for the good of the schools.

What do you currently see as the biggest issue facing the Lindbergh Schools? 

The biggest issue facing the Lindbergh Schools is twofold and interconnected, that being increased enrollment and financing the district.  Lindbergh is in need of additional classrooms to meet the needs of increasing enrollment as well as additional staffing to work with students.  All of this must be accomplished within the current budget, which means trimming programs outside the classroom while not enlarging class size and maintaining strong instructional programming for students.  This will take a lot of work on the part of the Board of Education, Administration, and staff along with input from the community

How would you address the continuing uncertainty over state funding for schools?

Lindbergh is 91% self funded with most of our budget coming from the local taxpayer through property taxes.  The underfunding at the state level does affect Lindbergh in that, as a Hold Harmless District, we were told when the current state funding formula was put in place that our very low state funding would never be lowered. When the funding formula was adjusted last year, however, our Hold Harmless funding was lowered in order not to cut funding for outstates schools more than it was cut.  Although we get a comparatively small amount of funding from the state, every dollar that is cut takes more money out of the local budget which means more program cuts or asking the community to make up those shortfalls.  We must work very hard to keep the current state funding level for the district as well as taking a long look at our budget to insure that we can continue to fund critical instructional programs for our students.

In what area does the Lindbergh Schools need to improve?  Are you satisfied with the way the district has been operating?

The district needs to continue to plan ahead for the increased enrollment that we are expecting over the next several years.  In addition to the enrollment increases we must find a way to pay for the costs of educating the additional students without, if possible, going to the voters for additional funds. Yes, I am satisfied with the way that the district has been operating; being the number one academic school district in Missouri for three years in a row is quite a positive accomplishment.

Assume you win the election.  What single thing do you want to accomplish during your three years on the board?  

I would want to maintain the academic excellence that we now have while serving the additional students that we are expecting without going to the taxpayers for additional funds.

Adam McBride

Occupation: Legislative and Governmental Affairs Professional

Education: B.A. History and Political Science from Webster University, St. Louis, MO

Family: Wife, Mindy McBride, K/1 Loop Teacher - Maplewood Richmond Heights (MRH); son, Matthew McBride, Second Grade Student at Sappington Elementary School; daughter, Gabrielle, Kindergarten student at MRH ECC.

Years in the Lindbergh School District: 2

Background Highlighting Community:

• Coach Lindbergh Athletic Association (LAA) Baseball
• Coach Lindbergh Flag Football (fall and spring)
• Coach Affton AA Summer Baseball
• Asst Coach LAA Basketball
• Member: St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Parish
• Member: Knights of Columbus 

Reasons for Running:  I want to be part of maintaining the districts excellent educational experience for our students, putting the professional relationships I have developed and my understanding of policy to work for the district.  One thing coaching here has taught me is that Lindbergh is a special place, which is why so many young families are moving here.  I believe a good school board should be representative of the community.  That's a void I would like to fill as a family that moved here because of the schools, understanding some of the challenges our new families face.

What do you see as the biggest issue facing the Lindbergh School District?

#1 Maintain our top educational experience while thoughtfully incorporating the growth of our schools.  (The district is projecting well over 100 new students per year for the next four years)  This means renovating the Dressel school property as a sixth elementary school as soon as possible to relieve swelling elementary school class sizes, which studies show can have a direct impact on individual student achievement.  A typical elementary school in enrollment is 500 students, and the conservatively projected growth exceeds that number.

#2 Lindbergh needs to offer free full day kindergarten.  It's the year 2013 and we are having the wrong conversation about giving our children the head start in leaning they deserve.  Free full day kindergarten should already be here, the conversation we should be having is how we thoughtfully incorporate more early childhood services.

#3 Recognize that the districts continued success means as much to families without children attending as it does to the ones that do!  The Lindbergh school system is the backbone of our communities, stabilizing home values as well as supporting our local businesses.  I will work hard to make sure board policies help support that. 

How would you address continuing uncertainty over state funding?

Lindbergh self funds it's schools to the tune of 91 percent local with the other 9 percent coming from the school foundation formula.  We are considered a "hold harmless" school district because of our self funding.  We do this as a school district because those at the state capitol do not invest enough money into the school foundation formula.  I would like to use the relationships I have built in my professional career with area elected officials to help the Missouri School Board Association in their efforts to get the formula funded at a higher level.  Particularly a larger modifier to adjust for cost of living differences between rural Missouri and the metropolitan areas rewarding schools like ours that  have decided to put a local investment in their students education, because it's the right thing to do.

What improvements can be made? What are you satisfied with?

Lindbergh needs to improve on class sizes by reducing many of them to get to a more manageable number.  It also needs to offer free full day kindergarten to give the kids the head start in life they deserve.

I have been satisfied with the way the district has operated, by refinancing bonds to help save taxpayers roughly $500 million in taxes they will no longer take in.  Those are the types of policies I hope to continue as a board member while being forward thinking.  I feel strongly that our newer families who are moving here to be part of this wonderful school system deserve a voice on the board, and that's what I hope to bring.

Assume you win the election. What single thing do you want to accomplish during your time on the board?

Free full day Kindergarten! Kindergarten these days are not your grandmothers kindergarten, truthfully it's not even my kindergarten.  There is a lot of first grade material being taught in the kindergarten classroom.  Math, reading, writing, punctuation and so on, and with the new common core curriculum standards being adopted, more advanced material is being placed at earlier grade levels.  It is absolutely amazing what these children are receiving from a kindergarten education.  It needs to be offered full day, especially for those families that struggle financially from week to week.  Those children that can't afford the $400 per month are being flat out denied the opportunity.

Cindy McDaniel, 53, 513 Oakwood Drive (Fenton)

Occupation: Professional Staffing of St. Louis, LLC, Independent Owner/Operator

Education: With 34 years of business and management experience, I’m confident I would be an effective member of the Board and would make contributions to the continued success of the District. I graduated from Southwest High School in 1978. From 1981-1985, I served in the US Army Reserves and was assigned to the 10th PSYOPS Battalion in St. Louis, MO after completing basic training. Lastly, I was elected to and served as a Trustee of two Homeowners Association’s from 1998 to 2002 and from 2004 to 2007.

Family: My husband is Doug McDaniel, we’ve been married for 25 years and we have three children. Michael is 23, graduated from LHS in May 2008, obtained a BA in Mass Communications from Webster University in May 2012, and is now working full-time. Mark is 16, is a Junior at LHS, and works part-time at a local café. He loves music, plays guitar and ukulele, and is teaching himself to play keyboard and violin. Melissa is 14, is a straight A student, and is in the 8th grade at Truman Middle School. She loves sports, and plays soccer, basketball, volleyball and softball.

Years lived in the Lindbergh District: We have lived in the Lindbergh School District for 26 years.

Please provide a brief summary of your background, highlighting community involvement: 

Overall, I have 34 years of professional work experience. For the past 10 years, I’ve been the owner/operator of Professional Staffing of St. Louis, providing recruiting services for companies across the US, with expertise in retirement plan services, financial services, finance and accounting, employee benefits, and legal services industries. I previously spent 24 years working in the retirement plan services industry. As an Executive Director for General American’s Retirement Plans Division, I managed personnel and million dollar budgets, ensured legislative compliance for pension and profit sharing plans, and led strategic initiatives such as product development, infrastructure consolidations, and operational reengineering.

Please provide a brief summary of your reasons for running: 

The time is right for me to give back to the community. I’m willing and able to commit a significant amount of my time and would be honored to serve on the Board. There are many volunteer and public service opportunities to choose from but serving on a school board is one of the most important responsibilities a citizen can have. I’m committed to keeping the best interest of the District in focus, and I’m passionate about meeting the needs of every teacher and every student.

What do you currently see as the biggest issue facing the Lindbergh School District?

The biggest challenge will be evaluating the fiscal outlook and addressing the funding requirements – while maintaining and continuously improving academic performance, ensuring job satisfaction for teachers and ensuring teachers have the tools and resources necessary to meet the needs of every student, and planning for the continued growth in the student population by making it possible to maintain appropriate class sizes and teacher-to-student ratios.

How would you address the continuing uncertainty over state funding for schools?

The funding for public education should be shared by federal, state and local governments and should be done in a manner that provides stability and consistency in the revenue stream. Variations in funding formulas creates instability in the revenue streams, especially during an economic downturn. Funding formulas should be based on a per-student cost that is determined necessary and reasonable to operate an effective education system. To some extent, local funding may continue to be subject to the economic conditions of the geographical area. But where local funding revenues are tied to real estate taxes, we should have an appropriate property assessment practice that minimizes (or eliminates) fluctuations in the revenue stream when significant increases or decreases occur in property values. This would provide some stability for the District’s revenue stream and would help to stabilize the annual cost to tax payers. Such stabilization in funding formulas and funding systems would result in long-term solutions, and would avoid short-term issues that can be created when revenues are tied to tax revenues that fluctuate significantly with the ups and downs in economy. In any event, local school boards and superintendents should continue to be responsible for the financial activities of the district and held accountable as stewards of the funds.

In what area does the Lindbergh School District need to improve? Are you satisfied with the way the district has been operating?

Lindbergh Schools have consistently ranked high in academics and have received numerous local, state and national awards. Based on the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) test scores, Lindbergh Schools have rated as the #1 K-12 District in the State of Missouri for the past three consecutive years. Additionally, the current tax rate for Lindbergh Schools is the 4th lowest rate (out of 22 districts in the St. Louis metropolitan area), and our per student cost of approximately $9,500 is significantly lower than the per student cost of some other districts which are as high as approximately $18,000. Over the years, the Board members and the Administration have been prudent in managing their fiscal responsibilities, while simultaneously achieving excellence in academic performance.

As a new Board member, I would visualize what the future will bring, as financial constraints and economic conditions will make it increasingly difficult to build on past successes. For example, addressing the growth in the student population and ensuring the ability to continue to attract and retain quality teachers will present some fiscal challenges over the next several years. Within the scope of the Board’s governance, I would thoroughly assess all matters and would ensure all options are fully explored. Where change is deemed necessary, I would execute such changes in a positive and forward thinking manner. An increase in communications and interactions among parents, teachers, the board, the administration, and the community will be a critical success factor.

Assume you win the election. What single thing do you want to accomplish during your three years on the board?

On a personal level, I want to accomplish being an active and effective member of the Board, and to make significant contributions to the ongoing success of the Lindbergh School District. From the perspective of the District, (again) the funding requirements will need to be met if we are to successfully address the growth in the student population and continue to attract and retain quality teachers. The District clearly has the ability to meet all future challenges, provided that the funding requirements are met.

Overall, my goals would be to address funding requirements, maintain achievements in academic performance, address the growth in the student population and maintain appropriate class sizes, attract and retain quality teachers, ensure resources and services are available to meet the needs of every student including gifted students and students with learning challenges, advocate advancements in technology usage on a standardized and cost-effective basis, and ensure campus security including drug and alcohol education and enforcement of student conduct standards.

Editor's Note: Candidate Kara Gotsch did not return the Patch qustionnaire.