Ord Talk>School Board Forum: Steffan Baker

1. Why are you running for the school board?

I decided to run for the school board for a number of reasons, the first of which was the way the current board and administration treated my daughter and the daughter of one of my friends. They attended Ord High School in order to take a chorus class. Both girls are Homeschooled and according to Nebraska State Law are allowed to take up to 20 hours of non-core classes (core classes are math, science, English, etc.). The first year went just fine, it was the next year that a problem developed and the board decided that it did not want the girls to participate in local music programs, i.e.: Musicalia, the Christmas concert, Spring concert, etc. Their reasoning was that the NCAA did not allow homeschoolers to participate in sports activities unless they took a MINIMUM of 20 hours of public school instruction. This law ONLY comes into effect if the homeschooled child wants to take part in district or state competitions, not LOCAL Events. Despite the fact that Nebraska Law allows this, despite the fact that I pay taxes to help support the school, despite the fact the School System COULD NOT EVEN COME UP WITH 20 HOURS OF CURRICULUM THAT THE GIRLS COULD TAKE IF THEY DID DECIDE TO, the School Board passed a new rule BANNING THEM FROM PARTICIPATING IN LOCAL MUSIC PROGRAMS. That a Board of Education would TARGET two teenage girls and write a new rule just for them emphasizes how favoritism and nepotism have ingrained themselves in our schools. I do not want to see other children put through the same thing my daughter was. ALL of the students at Ord High should be treated in a fair manner regardless of what their name is or who their parents are.

2. What is your vision for the Ord Public School System over the next five years? What are your specific plans to get there?

I would like to see Ord Public Schools recognized for its excellence in Academics and innovative educational practices. Specifically I would focus on curriculum and the emphasis put on non-core classes over required classes. I would like to see safety issues addressed in a timely manner, instead of insisting that we need to build a new school and gymnasium to fix these defects. Hoping for a new school in the future and neglecting the current problems is not something I would make a practice of as a school board member. Problems need to be addressed as they come up, not relegated to the back burner in the forlorn hope that something better will come up. “If you build it, they will come” does not work in real life, “If you fix it, they can keep coming” is more realistic.

3. In your opinion, what can be done to better utilize and improve the technology and how we use it in our schools?

Ords current school board missed the boat when they purchased the land east of the High School. The money spent on that purchase alone would have been enough to provide most of the students at Ord High with an up to date laptop computer. Ord is lagging behind schools such as St. Paul and Sargent when it comes to state of the art tech and it’s a matter of not practicing what you preach. The current school board can laude Ord Highs technology from the rooftops, but that doesn’t make it happen. How many decades has it been since the Chemistry room was updated? There are bottles and cabinets in there that pre-date the Nixon administration.

4. How do you see the balance between core academics and extra curricular activities?

In my opinion there is an imbalance between the two. When students are having to come to school at very early hours of the morning and leaving sometimes as late and 11:00 pm they cannot be expected to perform their best in class. Extra curricular activities are a wonderful thing, but for the majority of students it will not be what they do for their life’s work. (ie; football, wrestling, drama, debate). A sound foundation in math, science, english or history will better serve them to excel in whatever vocation they may choose to pursue.

5. What should be done with the remote learning centers?

The remote learning centers (Elyria, Valleyside and Vinton) should be turned back over to their respective school boards. I spoke to Secretary of State John Gail who informed me that there are no laws on the books prohibiting Class One schools. The current administration and school board have blocked students from optioning out to one of the rural learning centers. In the past these schools have served as a safety net for students who were falling through the cracks in the Ord Public School system. The current school board and superintendent have removed that net and condemned these students to a second class education where they may not get the type of help they need to succeed in life. In addition it is costing the Ord Public School system an additional $30,000.00 per school to run the rural learning centers! Why is it that the former school boards could run these schools for approximately $60,000.00 dollars per year and IT IS COSTING THE ORD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT IN EXCESS OF $90,000.00 TO RUN THE SAME SCHOOL?

6. How do you plan to pay for building improvements?

The same way the current school board paid for the vacant lot to the east of the High school. Only this time we will actually see something beneficial come of all the money spent.

7. What are your thoughts on a possible future bond issue?

Considering the present state of the economy I do not see the possibility of a bond issue passing anytime in the near future. Short of a catastrophic event we are going to have to get along with what we have and make changes as we can afford them.

8. Are the academic standards now in place sufficient to prepare our students for the future?

No. The world is moving past us. 33% of high school graduates have to take remedial classes when they enter college. Why? Our public school systems are not doing the job they were meant to do. Our focus has shifted away from the academic to the esoteric. We don’t teach students what they need to know when they get to college. I would try to change that if elected to the District 5 School Board.

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I just want to know one thing. Steffan, how do you feel you are qualified to downgrade the school and the kids who come out of it if you refuse to send your own kids there? Where is your experience in the current state of public schools?

Personally, I think you are just running to get revenge because the school board didn't form the rules to fit your special situation.

P.S. - It is the NSAA that forms rules about participation, not the NCAA or even the school board. Look it up.

I came onto this site hoping to get more information about the candidates so I could hopefully make an educated decision. Now I see that the only two that have participated so far want to win on making the current board look bad instead of winning on their own credentials. Oh, and just a personal preference, putting things in all capital letters just makes your arguments look less substantial-just some advice.

I guess I will go question by question and address the comments here that way.

1. If there are many reasons why you are running for school board, list them! The answer posted here gives nothing but a view of revenge on a school board that you believe targeted your children. Having dealt with a similar situation in Lincoln public schools, by NSAA rules, not the school board's, your children would have never been allowed to participate in the first place, not even in the local programs. Know who is creating the rules before you try to get revenge.

2. Although I agree with the frugality of trying to fix things as we can, the Lincoln school system also ran into this problem. The levy on what a school can save is small enough that it doesn't allow a facility to undergo large renovations. As I understand it, the school's boiler system and coming up to fire code and ADA compliance would be major projects that wouldn't be possible along with yearly facility management. Lincoln decided to renovate their old buildings to make them more current, which I believe is what the school board is getting estimates for now. For the comment of, "'If you build it, they will come” does not work in real life, 'If you fix it, they can keep coming' is more realistic" this is not 100% true. Teachers do go to the better schools where they have better tools to utilize, not to schools that are on the mend. Families and students also like the newer schools (remodeled or brand new). Look up Northstar High School in Lincoln. Brand new school built on the edge of the city, but having to turn away students trying to option in.

3. Buying laptops for every student sounds good in theory, but in practice, it is not all it's cracked up to be. Confiscations, broken equipment replacement, hardware and software updates, and accountability are things that after even 5 years of laptops being given to students, will eat up the schools budget and put the school in an even worse position. On average, computers need to be heavily updated if not replaced every 18 months. This means not just one year of new computers, and that's it. It means constant investment in technology that quickly goes out-of-date.

4. I agree that there are instances of extra-curricular activities getting too much attention. However, studies have shown that kids in these activities on average have a higher GPA than those not in them. In this school, I think the problem is trying to offer so many things that take up the same space. With the benefits of extra-curricular activities, I find it hard to fight against getting the space needed for them. However, I do think that we need to find the most cost-effective way of doing this. As far as that strong foundation, that is what the required classes are, and I believe you contradicted yourself by saying, "Specifically I would focus on curriculum and the emphasis put on non-core classes over required classes." Maybe I mistook what you said, so let me know if you can.

5. By state law, District 5 had it dictated to them that they had to take on the Class One schools. This includes funding them in a manner that is already set forth for the rest of the public schools. As far as the figures on the principal's salary, I know for a fact that this isn't right, because I asked. Don't use facts if don't know how valid they are. If I were in the position to, I would gladly give these schools back to their respective school boards, however, the only way to get them off the District's finances now is to close them, and that isn't a good solution.

6. See earlier comment about the levy. The lot next to the school, as I've seen and heard, is a drop in the bucket compared to the improvements needed on the school, and as for being "beneficial," even if nothing is built there, the school has had parking issues for years, just ask the residents' whose houses constantly have cars jammed in front of them. This lot could be used in a variety of ways along with getting rid of some extremely decrepit old houses.

7. This is a great comment. No disagreeing with the economy issue.

8. I graduated from this high school and I never felt that I was behind in the when I went to college. Also, our school focuses heavily on the core areas, which is why our SAT and ACT scores are higher than a great majority of the nation.

These are just some points that I think could be looked at further so that there is more factual evidence to back up the emotional arguments made. As one of my English professors in college said, "The difference between a scholar and a radical is the same as the difference between logic and emotion." If you believe you are the best choice for school board, act like it by using your own credentials to win.

Nero says:
October 30th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I guess I will go question by question and address the comments here that way.

Ok, I will do my best.
1. It was a local decision to keep my daughter and her friend out of the local music performances. I called 30 other schools from Kearney to schools the size of Ords and of the 30 only 3 had a policy this restrictive in place. The schools in Lincoln that I called all allowed students to participate in local programs, they were just not allowed to participate in competitions. 1/2 of the grade in Ord is the performance. As a homeschooled student we are required to put list the grades of our children regardless of what classes they take or where they take them. This is the equivalent of a student only going to class half the time if they are not allowed to perform. Revenge, No. A fair playing field for all students instead of singling out two of them, Yes. The bond issue (moot point now, but active at the time I decided to run) was a concern. Safety issues and the condition of the building along with classroom space were a couple of the other things that I felt weren't being addressed by the current board.
2. We would all love a new house, car, business building, you name it, sometimes its just not affordable. The 28 building is a classic, its built like the proverbiale brick outhouse and in the past has housed 3 times as many students as it does now. If you ever get a chance to go through Norfolks highschool you should. The kept the original art deco thearter, the marble hallways, wrought iron bannisters and stair wells. It is all up to current code and is now on the list of national historic sites. Too late for Ord to go that route, but we should keep the building in my opinion. If you build it they will come...there are a couple of brand new "consolidated schools in Nebraska now that are standing empty in the middle of a field. They built it, nobody came. These were part of the Class Ones United rallying cry when that organization was trying to save the rural schools from consolidation. Nothing is ever 100%...
3. I agree. In the case of the laptops just as in the case of text books, you break it you buy it. Check out the Kindle on Amazon. I think this would be a great way to go to a paperless system. Text books can be downloaded and as far as the technology is concerned it does not have to be upgraded every year other than to download the next years textbook. No change is ever as smooth as it should be and nothing ever goes quite as planned, but we have to start somewhere.
4. I think there is too much emphasis put on certain non-core classes that pertain to extra-curricular activities. Block scheduling while being a wonderful thing for some classes has decimated the fine arts programs at Ord High. Scheduling for the gym could be simplified if we didn't have the gradeschool coming over to use the facility. There is a small gym in the grade school and while it may be slightly inconvenient (back to that new house, car, shop argument), the highschool activities should take first priority over the wants of the grade school or the adults that use the gym now.
5. The class ones were already funded by Ord Public Schools because they were affiliated. They just had their own school board and were able to do things in a more frugal matter than Ord can. If a lightbulb went out, the teacher changed it. Now a janitor drives 8 miles, changes the lightbulb and drives back. Thanks Ron Raikes and the State of Nebraska Legislature. On the pricipals salary, go to the minutes of the board meeting I believe in Aug. or Sept. and the breakdown requested by Tom Kruml detailing the cost of running the class ones shows the salary increase to Mr. Dennis is in the $3000.00 to $4000.00 dollar range...per School. I will try to find that study and see if they will post it here.
6. Oh look! We agree! Some of those improvements could have been made with the money spent on the now vacant, non-taxpaying lot. However, now that we have it what do we do with it. Its fairly obvious that a bond issue is not going to pass in this financial climate. It failed once in a boom economy, I can't see it doing any better now. One of the most constructive comments I heard was from Dave Scott. The question of having more room for classes came up and also the safety issue of fumes from the Ag. Dept. He suggested we build an Ag. Shop and classes on the vacant lot and convert the current shop to classrooms, an aux. small gym or whatever was needed most. Since this is an Agricultural based community and FFA is at one of its highest levels ever, its something I think should be looked into.
7. Well...
8. We're in the midwest, we're supposed to be smarter! This doesn't change the fact that 33% of all highschool students in Nebraska have to take at least one remedial course when they go to an upper level college (not a tech school or a community college) and that the state of Nebraska is considering charging back the school that student graduated from for the cost of the remedial class. Found that little gem on a Google search under Nebraska schools remedial. Scary if true, it could cost school systems statewide a bunch if that passes.
Not sure where you are going with your last comment, I stand on my own credentials and ask no quarter from anyone.

Sorry, reading the last comment, I realize it didn't sound like I intended, that should have been a separate comment on a different thread. Anyway, I have been doing my research as well, and I looked up the $10,000 in salary that was commented on for the principle. There was no raise in salary, the board was asked to do a cost analysis by number of students. Compared to the number of students in the grade school, the Class One schools had enough kids that if his salary was split apart for each school, that would be what he received for the attendance centers and he would have received less at Ord Elementary to spread it evenly across all students.

Skipping around a bit, I also looked into why the bond was proposed in the first place and the only consistent answers I got from people who were involved in the original bond was that safety and space were a concern, so I guess I don't know who to believe. I guess I also don't like (but don't disagree with the "wow" factor) the comment about this school housing three times as many students, because back then, you didn't have as many required classes that kids had to be in and you didn't have to make as much space for Special Education classrooms and there were no computer labs (which would still be required if you bought laptops because they would still need printers, scanners, and other equipment, just maybe not as much room). Also, I'm worried about the prospect of books on a computer screen. Studies have shown that staring at a computer screen for too long will hurt your eyesight, so I don't know that books on CD would be the best decision until more is known about its effects.

I do like what you have to say about the vocational classes. I actually never took them because I had other interests, but I have always seen the good that they do. I am really starting to like this because I am getting to have a back in forth with you without having to try and make an appointment to meet in person. Thanks for commenting back!

Rather than "the board was asked to do a cost analysis" I suspect what really happened is that "the board asked for a cost analysis". This is the method bean counters use to spread real costs over a broader head count, which in this case serves only to inflate the cost per student at class ones. Did Nero ask if the superintendent or principal received a salary increase? No. Nero did not ask. Why would Nero want to know facts on how the Ord school board throws around taxpayer money? Perhaps Nero can try his hand at poking holes in the previously circulated graph which reveals that the Ord talking heads rake in more cash than their counterparts at most if not all similarly sized schools. If Nero had any sense, he would not repeat nonsense dictated to him by the talking heads about required classes contributing to a space shortage.

How do you feel you will be able to make educated decisions when you don't even have a kid in the high school or any good connections to the high school. I feel that you make comments without doing the actual research and make accusations without knowing the entire story. It may seem easy to be on the school board but I am sure that there are a lot of details that go into it that you have no idea about.

How have Marty Petska, Sue Blaha, Paul Markowski and Bill Ziegler managed to get along for all these years without having children in high school? The majority of the taxpaying public do not have children in the school system and deserve some representation on the board since they are footing the bill for our children's education. The school board handles all of the schools from the elementary to the former class ones. If you want to do a head count from that standpoint, I have two children in the Ord Public School system and Dr. Julie Stevens has three. Do the math, do those children matter less than the ones in the High School? I have attended these board meetings for the last 2 1/2 years and missed one or two. Thats as good of a record as most of the elected board members have.
Let me know what comments I made without doing the actual research and what accusations you think I made and I will do my best to answer your concerns. I might add that this is a lot more than candidates Petska, Blaha and Radil have been willing to do. I will at least answer your questions and not hide behind the fear that someone may ask one of the "tough questions" that actually requires some thought over and above the "vote in lockstep line". Thanks for your question outsider and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Steffan Baker

I am currently attending college and have been very successful in college with an education at Ord High School I feel that I was well prepared. Ord High School has some of the best teachers in the state and opting to take your kids out of that environment is a very unwise decision. Also you stated that having a name in this town gets you far...what about the good name you got from your father. I understand that when you were in high school you got special privileges that others didn't get because of their name. Just remember when you point your finger at someone you have three fingers pointing back at you.

Hello outsider,
So, when you move back and raise your children here and have them graduate from Ord High School, don't you want them to have the best eductation possible, or do you just want them to be work-a-day drones that do nothing but earn a living, take up space and never accomplish anything that might make a difference in the world? Perhaps they can be sports heroes and win the big state champinonship (fill in blank as to type). I understand that particular honor and $5.00 will buy you a cup of coffee at any Starbucks! Impressive! Or do you want your children to go on to be someone like Eric Knapp, who conducts at Carnegie Hall? I want to see every student that takes classes at Ord High School educated to the best of their individual abilities. I'm terribly sorry your parents didn't care enough about you to see that you got the best education possible, WHY do you think I homeschool my two oldest children? It takes time out of my whole day, morning, noon and night. Ord High has its strong points, unfortunately at this time it doesn't offer classes that have the degree of difficulty that my children need to prepare them for the careers they wish to pursue. Please don't try to play grownup and pretend you know what is best for other peoples children until you actually have some of your own.
Oh, and by the way, this is the second time I have asked you for specifics

"I feel that you make comments without doing the actual research and make accusations without knowing the entire story."

and now

"I understand that when you were in high school you got special privileges that others didn’t get because of their name."

The sound of Crickets Chirping in the background is almost deafening...

Mr. Baker,
I'm not sure you could be any more derogatory in your comments about the Ord school system. I am quite surprised by your unfounded implication that OHS graduates are only able to become "work-a-day drones that do nothing but earn a living, take up space and never accomplish anything that might make a difference in the world." I graduated from OHS about ten years ago. Many of my former teachers are still at the high school. Upon entering college, I felt very well-prepared. I went on to graduate with high distinction and am now a high school teacher. I could have easily chosen another profession (I certainly have the ability level and drive, as my grades prove), but chose teaching because of the difference that I can directly make in students' lives on a daily basis. After teaching for 4.5 years, I can certainly say that this is one of the most challenging professions to do well. I am certainly not a "work-a-day drone"; I get paid little; and I make a difference every single day. I also know other teachers, doctors, physical therapists, etc. who have been products of the Ord Public School system and its excellent teachers. The thing about getting a good education is that it is up to the student to USE it.

Perhaps if you gave your children a chance to experience the quality education available at Ord High School, you would be able to get a firsthand look at how valuable it can be.

OHS Grad-
Thank you so much I couldn't agree with you more. Mr. Baker -The elections are done now and the numbers have proven how people feel about your feelings of the school system. Thank you for sharing your view but now you can quit bashing our school system.

Outsider,
You just don't get it. It is not about how I feel about the school system, its the changes that need to be made for the students safety and for better education. I hope you mature enough in the next few years to understand that. Enjoy your new President (I'm sure you voted for him) and keep a very close eye on your old alma mater. My guess is that four years from now they will still be trying to fix the boiler and pass a bond so we can have a new gym.

What do you care about student safety and better education in a school that your children don't even attend? That is like someone in Ord caring about St. Paul's or O'Neill's school system and school building.

The same as I care about flood victims in Texas and Louisiana, the same as I care about the neighbor down the road that loses an arm or a leg in an agricultural accident and the same as I care about any tragedy. Let the school catch fire and lives be lost and see if you are still as selfish.

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