by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington School Board race for District 1, Position 4 involves two candidates: Maria Cornejo and Carol Hadorn.

All registered voters from the USD 353 school district can vote in this particular race in the city/school elections to be held Tuesday, April 2. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. People can also advance vote at the Sumner County Clerk’s office.

The following is a list of questions submitted to Cornejo and Hadorn. 

1. Tell us a little about yourself. 

Cornejo: I am a 1988 Wellington High School graduate and received a B.A. in business communications in 1992 from Fort Hays State University.

I worked for the city of Wellington from 1992 to 1996; Koch Industries from 1996 to 2001; and Cass information Systems from 2000 to the present.

I was born and raised in Wellington. I returned to Wellington to settle down. I am married with two high school students and one elementary student in the district.

I am involved in: Washington PTA, Kennedy PTA treasurer, Project Prom treasurer, Library Board, and Board of Education.

Hadorn: The following is a list of my accomplishments:

I have a bachelor of science in Elementary Education from Kansas State University, a Masters of Education Supervision and Administration from Wichita State University, and the WSU District Leadership Program in 2002.

I served as a Title 1 math teacher at Lincoln Memorial Elementary at Caney Valley in 1974-75; a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Whittier Elementary in Winfield in 1976-78, first grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary from 1978-1982, and fifth grade teacher at Lincoln 1982-1998. I currently am a Children with Special Needs Teacher at Sedgwick County Area Educations Services Interlocal #618 at Clearwater Elementary West.

As an administrator I was an elementary principal at Washington and Eisenhower Elementary schools in Wellington from 1999 to 2007.

2. What is the main reason why you are running for Wellington School Board?

Cornejo: I am running for school board for a second term because I feel that I am now more informed than ever before about the expectations, issues, and community concerns.  Many told me that my first term would be spent learning and that I wouldn’t really start to feel comfortable in the role until a second term.

I have  found these words to be true. I am a far better candidate now than I was the first time I ran for this position.

Hadorn: I am running for the Wellington School Board because I feel a responsibility to serve USD 353 and the community of Wellington.

3. Wellington State Assessment scores have been a huge concern for USD 353. Why do you think the scores have been so low and how should we change the situation?

Cornejo: There are probably many factors that have affected our test scores. There is no single culprit. Some factors that could have contributed were NCLB itself, administrator or teacher strategies, limited resources, lack of direction or alignment of the curriculum.

All are factors and I’m sure there are more.  I know that there are many hard working individuals addressing these issues and great strides are being made.   However, it’s not an overnight process.  I’m reminded of the analogy that this is a large ship that needs to change directions, not a speed boat. Although we’d all like faster results it does take time.

Hadorn: State Assessment scores have been a concern for many districts.  A number of factors are the reason for these concerns, one of them being the raising of the percentage necessary to receive adequate progress.

Testing will be changing within the next year, or so due to the adoption of the Core Curriculum and the waiver Kansas has received from the Federal Government. However, it is important that not only the educators strive to improve the scores, but every family take responsibility and interest in their student’s achievement.

4. Staying on the testing question. Do you feel that USD 353 is falling into a trap of ‘teaching toward the test?’ Is there a happy medium?

Cornejo: NCLB (No Child Left Behind) was a commendable theory on paper but its demand for unrealistic goals and harsh penalties for missing those targets forced schools to “play the game”.  It was an unintended consequence of the program.

So I’m sure some played the game while others made no real movement towards making the standards a priority.  Yes, there is a happy medium that avoids just teaching kids the answers and creates opportunities of teaching them how to find the answers and think beyond.  However, the first goal will be to try to successfully navigate ourselves through the implementation of Common Core and its accreditation process before anything else.  My hope is that we learned from the pitfalls of NCLB and can find great success in Common Core with its new standards.

Hadorn: Teaching to the test determining student achievement has always been a concern, whether it was standardized test (Iowa Test of Basic Skills) or the State Assessments.

What I have observed as a principal and in my volunteer work in the last few years, is that there is so much pressure on making sure that all of the information on the test is covered that the joy of teaching and learning is sometimes neglected.

5. What is your opinion of Sam Brownback’s proposal to eventually eliminate state income tax and how it will affect the school district? 

Cornejo: I hope it works for everyone’s sake.  If it works, he’s a genius.  If it doesn’t, every resident and entity of the state will pay the price, including school districts, due to the loss of state revenue.   I think we all know that another budget cut would undoubtedly cause setbacks to our district.  If our community wants to continue to have a school system in Wellington, we will just have to figure out how to make it work.   It won’t be easy and hard decisions will need to be made but we can do it.

Hadorn: Governor Brownback’s proposal will cause individual districts a grave disservice.  USD 353 will be dependent upon the local property taxes.  That burden will cause a great hardship upon the community.

Constitutionally the State of Kansas is responsible for the equal education of its children.  Where the funding will come from equitably from district to district seems to be a mystery if there is no longer revenue generated from state income taxes.

6. There is some concern about eliminating the retirement plan and longevity pay. What is your position on the issue?

Cornejo: ERP (Early Retirement Program) and longevity are two different concepts in the negotiated agreement. Just as an FYI, there are house bills in the legislature that suggest making those unilateral items rather than negotiated items. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, if that happens.

In the meantime, I am for whatever is in the best interest of our students and our school district as a whole, while considering the impact on students, teachers, staff and community.  I personally think that both ERP and longevity pay can be a mutual benefit to both teachers and school districts if done correctly and only when it’s in the best interest of our students.

Hadorn: The starting salary in Wellington is comparatively low.  In order to recruit teachers to the district the salary schedule with longevity pay and retirement plan were shown as a benefit for a salary starting lower than competitive districts.

If the elimination hurts the current employees and causes difficulty in hiring the best new teachers, I question the short and long term benefits to the district.

7. Technology in Wellington seems to be deficient. What does the school board need to do to bring the school district up to today’s standards?

Cornejo: Technology has been the number one item mentioned in the listening tours throughout the year.  The BOE needs to make this a priority.

There is a lot of research being done now to come up with a plan. Since technology changes so rapidly, it’s been a bit of a moving target.  There are many things to consider. We need to look at devices, infrastructure, BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), testing requirements, security, and overall effectiveness to name a few. Knowing it’s a significant cost to start up, maintain and continually upgrade, the decisions should not be too hasty. I believe there is a commitment to get our technology back up to par.

Hadorn: Technology is expensive, and it is here to stay.  The district should have a long term plan, budget for it, and embrace the powerful impact it has on education and society as a whole.

8. Wellington High School has been built for about 10 years now. However, it seems to have some construction issues concerning the roof, the promotional board in front, high utilities, etc. What do you think the best solution is for the school district? What are some other facilities needs the school district will need to address in the near future?

Cornejo: The high school does continue to have some construction issues but as with a lot of contractual situations, it’s not been easy to hold the right entities accountable. So that is a continual battle. The items that are out of warranty are things that we have to deal with as the budget allows. The front signage may be addressed soon with some help from local businesses.  Please remember, it is still a great facility of which our community can be proud.

Any other facility issues will have to be dealt with on a priority basis and as the budget allows.

Hadorn: School buildings are like any business or house; adjustments have to be made in order to keep them in good repair.  Listing those concerns, prioritizing the list, and budgeting accordingly is logical.  Possibly, the city would work with the district on the high school utilities. It is always important to brainstorm with other board members and community members.

9. What do you think will be the most important issue for the Wellington school district in the next four years?

Cornejo: Without question, the most important consideration is the education of our students. The most important areas of focus for the next four years will be: the successful implementation of Common Core standards for accreditation, the implementation of an effective technology plan, and the efficient management of whatever budget is allocated by the state.

Hadorn: The next four years will be critical financially for the school district.  Unless there is a change in policy in Topeka, the district will face more of a budget crunch than it is now.  Adoption of the Core Curriculum Standards will require additional training for teachers and materials.  Buildings, grounds, and equipment need to be maintained.

10. Ultimately, it comes down to educating our children. Do you think the school district is adequately preparing its students for college and the working world? Elaborate. 

Cornejo: We should certainly be doing better.  I think there have been times when some of our students have experienced a disservice.  That is something that must not happen.  We cannot operate with the philosophy that some students won’t get what they need. I want every one of our students to gain all the knowledge they need to succeed in college and the working world.

I believe  in promoting board of regents academics with a road map to accomplish it, encouraging project based learning for hands on knowledge and creating varied avenues for students to find success. I’m not looking to just graduate students but rather to have graduates who know what their next step is and are prepared for it.   With the combined effort of parents, community and USD 353, we should be  producing happy, healthy, productive members of society.

After four years on the BOE, my personal opinion of things I’d like to ultimately see are:

•renewed focus on individual academic counseling

•commitment to effective teacher evaluations

•elimination of any budget waste

•increased communication from the BOE

•curriculum alignment throughout the schools.

Hadorn:  Are students adequately prepared for college and the working world?  Yes.  Students can leave WHS and find employment and/or continue their education successfully.  Can the district improve the preparation?  Definitely.

We must communicate and work with higher education institutions, and community members and businesses to prepare students to meet expected requirements.