Springfield readers weigh in on SPS board race, offer endorsements ahead of April 2 vote

Past SPS board members endorse Kincaid, Provance and Crise

Collectively, as past Springfield Public School board members, we are UNITED in our support of Danielle Kincaid, Susan Provance and Scott Crise. While our terms of service varied and we served during the leadership of different superintendents, our unwavering commitment remains the same to our community — to always do what’s best for our students, teachers, parents and citizens. We have diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We have varied professional experience ranging from education, medicine, law, and management, to finances, public service, and private business. Some of us are parents and grandparents of SPS students, some former SPS teachers.

Here is why we are steadfast in support of Kincaid, Provance, and Crise:

1. We are confident these individuals have the best interest of the students and teachers of our school district as their number one priority;

2. These three candidates are focused on school safety;

3. These three candidates believe the goal of board service is to work collectively to improve student attendance, student engagement and student achievement;

4. We believe these individuals will listen to teachers’ input, as teachers have experience in managing a classroom so that it is a safe environment for learning;

5. We believe Kincaid, Provance and Crise understand the role of an SPS board member is to stay focused on the goal of governing the district, rather than on promoting self-interest;

6. These three candidates are supported by local citizens, who have joined together to advocate for the ideals listed above, rather than candidates who have received money from national and political interest groups that promote agendas and are not focused on SPS or our students;

7. We support Kincaid, Provance and Crise because they are each committed to ethical leadership and honest and respectful discourse with other board members, staff and citizens about the issues that come before the board.

As former SPS board members, we all believe a strong public education system is the backbone of a society — of OUR society in Springfield, Missouri. We are proud to have served on the SPS board with others who focused on supporting the district so students are safe, can learn and thrive. Please join us in voting for Kincaid, Provance and Crise on Tuesday, April 2.

Annie Busch, Dr. Denise Fredrick, Gerry Lee, Dr. Alina Lehnert, Jill Patterson, Dr. Tom Prater, Bruce Renner, Dr. Charles Taylor and Jean Twitty are former members of the Springfield Board of Education.

Crise brings professionalism, ethics to school board

I am pleased to endorse Scott Crise for the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education. I have known Scott for more than 30 years, and I can attest to his professionalism, ethics, financial acumen, and experience in project management.

In his first term on the school board, Scott was a fair-minded, thoughtful member who often served as the swing vote in important decisions. He served on the Community Task Force for Facilities, and his work helped the 2023 tax levy pass with strong 77% approval. Scott’s expertise with engineering and construction management has proven crucial with building and maintaining facilities. He is a careful steward of taxpayers’ dollars.

Scott has a gift for bringing people together. He values relationships and knows that each member of the board has something different to offer. We need a school board made up of a wide range of people with varying experience and beliefs, but we also need a school board that can work together and overcome divisiveness. I believe Scott will continue to work to bring the board together even if individual members do not always agree. Healthy discourse is vital, but so is someone who recognizes the need to collaborate.

Scott cares about students, parents, teachers, staff, and the Springfield community. He is always willing to listen. Like me, his wife and daughters are proud SPS graduates, and Scott takes his responsibility to all of us seriously.

Please join me in voting for Scott Crise on April 2.

Richard Ollis, Springfield

Crise understands public schools are foundation of community

It is my honor to endorse Scott Crise for a second term on the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education.  As a friend for over 25 years, I can attest to Scott’s character, work ethic, business acumen and desire to make our community a better place. As a senior manager for one of the largest and most respected electrical cooperatives in the United States, Scott knows how to work in large organizations and the importance of working together to achieve a mission.

During Scott’s first term on the school board, he served on the Community’s Task Force for Facilities. His work helped the 2023 tax levy pass with a remarkable 77% approval. Scott’s background in engineering and expertise in project management and construction make him a valuable resource for our school board. With one term under his belt, Scott clearly understands and supports the mission, vision and strategic plan of the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education.

Scott Crise remains steadfast in serving the best interests of students, parents, teachers and the community at large.  Scott understands that our public schools are the foundation of Springfield’s workforce development and economic prosperity. He brings people together, values relationships and respects that each member of the board has something different to offer.

Scott’s wife, Martha, as well as his two daughters are proud graduates of Springfield Public Schools. Please join me in voting for Scott Crise on April 2.

Bob Hammerschmidt, Springfield

Kincaid, Crise and Sherman-Wilkins bring experience to SPS

As a Vietnam veteran, I experienced firsthand the importance of being on a team that has experience and knowledge in completing a successful mission. The April 2 school board election will be a very important decision for citizens of Springfield as it will have a major impact on the lives of our children and grandchildren.

I plan on voting for those candidates that have the knowledge and experience to work with the teams that are in charge of the education of our students. Scott Crise, Danielle Kincaid and Kyler Sherman-Wilkins present the best qualifications for working as a team to fulfill the mission of educating our students to be successful adults. They have no hidden agenda, no powerful political force behind them that will affect their decisions, and they have the welfare and education of our kids at heart.

Please consider supporting these three candidates on April 2.

David Buhr, Springfield

Crise has been a caring, dependable board member

I am writing to endorse Scott Crise for re-election to the Springfield Public Schools Board of Education. I first met Scott when our daughters attended Sequiota Elementary School together. I was impressed by his involvement at Sequiota. Scott volunteered at every event he could, from Family Night to PTA meetings to Field Day. He continued to be invested in his daughters’ educations and the school communities at Pershing Middle School and Glendale High School.

What stands out to me is Scott’s kind and friendly nature. He truly cares about people and works hard to get to know them and their stories. Scott is someone to be counted on. His work ethic and honesty are two of his greatest attributes. I think he has proven this during his past three years on the School Board. Scott has strong working relationships with every board member as well as the administrators of SPS. Even if they don’t agree, Scott values the differing opinions and perspectives offered by every board member.

Scott chose to run for the school board in 2021 for what I consider to be the right reasons. He truly loves the Springfield community and understands that our students are our most important resource. A strong public school system is a huge indicator for the strength of the community. Scott also values parents, teachers, and staff. Scott is someone who unites people and brings them together. I feel this quality is especially needed at this time.

I am a lifelong Springfield resident and graduate of Springfield Public Schools. I chose to raise my daughters in Springfield and am pleased to say they are also SPS graduates. I care about the future of SPS, and I know that Scott does, too. He has my vote on April 2, and I hope he has yours.

Heather Alexander Robbins, Springfield

Critical need for an effective Springfield school board

With over 45 years serving in both public and private education, I believe that the foundation of our communities rests to a great extent on the quality of our educational systems. The challenges facing educators have never been greater. Missouri State Teachers Association reported in its recent survey of its 2,300 members that 70% of the respondents reported that they have seriously considered leaving the profession. The top reasons given were stress, student behavior, and pay.

Based on the public data reported by the MO Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Springfield is the most complex and largest of the Missouri public school districts with our 23,653 students, 51.6% of whom are eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program. While our graduation rates are comparable to our surrounding and much smaller districts, the percentage of our students testing at the proficient and advanced levels in Mathematics, English Language Arts, and Science range between 36.5% and 44.9% compared to our surrounding districts that range between 45.2% and 70%.

It is essential that we have an effective school board to navigate and lead through the myriad of complex challenges facing public education today. The National School Board Association (NSBA) has published a summary of research on effective K-12 school boards and identified eight characteristics of the most effective boards that have resulted in high achieving districts.

Effective school boards:

1. Commit to a vision of high expectations for student achievement and quality instruction and define clear goals toward that vision;

2. Have strong shared beliefs and values about what is possible for students and their ability to learn, and of the system and its ability to teach all children at high levels;

3. Are accountability driven, spending less time on operational issues and more time focused on policies to improve student achievement;

4. Have a collaborative relationship with staff and the community and establish a strong communications structure to inform and engage both internal and external stakeholders in setting and achieving district goals;

5. Are data savvy; they embrace and monitor data, even when the information is negative, and use it to drive continuous improvement;

6. Align and sustain resources, such as professional development, to meet district goals;

7. Lead as a united team with the superintendent, each from their respective roles, with strong collaboration and mutual trust; and

8. Take part in team development and training, sometimes with their superintendents, to build shared knowledge, values, and commitments for their improvement efforts.

In my opinion, United Springfield — a grassroots entity whose mission is to support individuals running for nonpartisan office who will work to unite our Springfield children, citizens, and community — has done an excellent job of vetting our current SPS Board candidates aligned with the proven characteristics of effective school boards. Therefore, I am pleased to encourage eligible voters to join me in voting for Danielle Kincaid, Scott Crise, and Susan Provance for SPS Board on April 2.

Carol Taylor, PhD, Springfield

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield readers give endorsements before April 2 school board vote