School Board Candidate Profile: Sarah Eastman Says Increase School Board Accessibility, Push Forward With New Ideas

In just a few short weeks, Cedar Falls voters will be able to weigh in on three open seats on the school board.

The election will be held Sept. 10. All school board seats are at-large, meaning the entire school district will be able to vote for each seat.

Seven people - five newcomers and two current board members - are vying for the seats.

Patch is running profiles of each of the candidates. Today, meet Sarah Eastman, a newcomer who says the Cedar Falls School Board needs to increase accessibility and push forward with new ideas.

Read more candidate profiles.

Name: Sarah Eastman  age: 42

Background? (Job, credentials, experience, etc.) 

I have a professional history in IT and Quality Control and have been blessed to be able to be home with both of our girls. This also allowed me the time to become involved in the community and various volunteer opportunities. I am currently a troop leader for the Girl Scouts, a mentor mom for a local chapter of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers,) a member of the leadership team for a new chapter of MOMSNext, (a group for mothers of elementary-aged children,) and Vice Chair for the board of the Ross A. Nielsen Foundation/AFPLS.  I am also a founding member of UNIfy for Education, a grassroots, volunteer organization advocating for education issues on a statewide basis.

Why did you decide to run for the school board? 

The world we are preparing our students for is much different than even 15-20 years ago, yet in many instances, changes in education have not kept pace. I would like to see Cedar Falls push forward with some new ideas for education and encourage innovation to ensure that our schools are truly meeting the needs of all students. There is also a strong feeling in the community that not everyone's voices are being heard. I'd like to change that and create a more open and accessible school board.

What do you see as key issues the Cedar Falls School District needs to address? How should we start? 

Certainly the most visible issue right now is the enrollment growth and crowding issues that come along with it. Nearly all of the buildings are either close to/at capacity or will be within the next few years. Honest evaluation of the situation and the development of a ten-year plan is a good place to start. The board must improve communication with the public and all stakeholder groups and seek input throughout that process. I think we also need to move forward on integrating technology in the classrooms and embrace and support changes in what education looks like. Another issue that I feel should be a key issue is world language instruction starting at the early elementary level. The research shows numerous benefits to student's learning skills and abilities, beyond just learning another language. Cedar Falls should be leading the way in these types of initiatives. 

What is your feeling on the facilities issue the district is facing, especially regarding the high school? 

There is no doubt that the current high school building cannot meet our needs as is. I also think that slowing down to re-evaluate what our true needs are was a wise move on the part of the current board. Whether we remodel or build new, we are talking about a substantial amount of money. We very much need to get this right the first time. We need to have a clear picture of how we will utilize each space to know what those needs are so we don't end up facing these same issues in another 10 or 15 years. At the same time we'll want a design that has flexibility built in so that we ensure long-term viability, even for educational methods and ideas of the future that we cannot fathom right now. It is a tough task, that is for sure, and with a potential 3-5 year construction schedule the most important thing right now will be to make sure the process keeps moving forward. 

And… questions from our readers:

From Jill: If you had been on the board last year, would you have voted in favor of renewing Mike Wells contract?

I realize that the board had additional information that we in the public will probably never know, and without that full knowledge, I can't say how I might have voted. I will say, that if I had to vote based only on what has been made publicly available, I would have voted to keep Mike on as Superintendent. I was excited about some of the new ideas that Mike brought with him and the direction he wanted to take the district. I hope we will be able to continue some of those initiatives. I am equally excited by the potential I see for this district under the leadership of Dr. Pattee. I was impressed by him during the selection process, an impression that has been confirmed in each of our meetings since he began here in Cedar Falls.

From AJ: Do you believe that student representatives should continue serving as a non-voting member to give points of view on the issues?

Absolutely! I think it is not only a valuable learning experience for the students, but they provide insight on decisions the board is making that the board otherwise might not have. In this last year they were able to provide opinions and clarification on issues such as the switch to an eight period day, engineering and other newer elective courses, the Leader in Me program, and benefits to early world language education, just to name a few. I believe their contribution helped board members better understand issues being voted on. I also think it benefits board members to hear the updates from students on what is happening in the schools. Sports scores, service projects, music and theater events, etc. are all important reminders that school is about much more than just test scores and budget numbers.