This is the sixth story in an 11-part series featuring the candidates for City Commission and School Board. One story will be featured each day between Oct. 8 and Oct. 18.
Zach Brooks
Candidate for School Board
Current job
Virtual design construction for an electrical outfit in Kansas City.
Current community involvement
I just got done being EABSA president, which is a local baseball/softball organization. I did that for roughly seven or eight years, maybe even 10. I was president for at least seven years, and I think I was on the board for maybe 10. I am also the committee chair for our local Cub Scout pack so I help run the Cub Scouts.
Why are you running for election?
I just want to make sure that the school district has a nice, safe, comfortable, respectful environment for all kids.
The opening of Panasonic will have a big impact on the region. What steps do you think the school board should be taking right now to prepare for that?
They probably need to start looking at the size of the schools and seeing what the impact is of new families coming in and new developments starting to happen. Right now, Eudora is kind of maxed out, at least for housing. It seems like there’s not a whole lot in construction, but I think new construction is coming. We need to check to see where we’re at with our school sizes – is the elementary school big enough, the middle school, the high school? Start planning for that now so we don’t get caught not being ready. Planning for the future knowing what’s coming.
How do you hope to improve the educational experience for students in the district?
Focus on education first, focus on the kids first. See what choices they have now and see if we can approve those. Is vo-tech something that we can improve on or college courses and those kinds of things so, once they’re out of high school, they have a good path for them.
Nationwide, school districts have been struggling to hire and retain teachers. What role do you see for the school board in helping with that issue?
The school board would, at least, have to go through and get a good survey to see what their competitors are actually offering and know how can we counteract those offers? Or how can we make our environment better for teachers to make sure they do stay? Make sure it’s a good, healthy environment for the teachers.
Staff also play a critical role in keeping schools going: bus drivers, janitors, cafeteria workers, secretaries, etc. How do you think the school board can support and retain these employees?
Get feedback from them and see how we can help them improve their situation or position. If they’re having issues with something, see where the school board can help. Maybe we can use some new buses and they haven’t just asked. Not being part of the school board, I don’t know exactly how that works. But yeah, just get feedback from everyone and make sure they’re happy where they’re at.
With the passing of the bond, there are a lot of changes coming to the schools, especially the high school. What do you think are the greatest needs in the district as it relates to infrastructure?
One of my things is safety so I like the idea of the middle school where you have to go through the office to get into the rest of the school. I like the idea of connecting the vo-tech area with the high school with some hallways that adds classrooms for future growth, which we may need with Panasonic. From what I’ve seen and heard, I like the path they’re going down. Especially with the early childhood development, moving it back over to West and utilizing that space. Instead of spending the money on building another pod at the elementary school, use the building we have.
What would you like to see from the Legislature to provide better support for K-12 education?
To really listen to the teachers and get their opinion. Sometimes, they get so wrapped up in what they want so just listen to the teachers and get out of their bubble. Come out and see what is needed with the community in the state.
What is the district’s greatest strength?
The community. We just had a homecoming pep rally and people that don’t even have kids show up and it’s a really nice community. It’s nice that we have one high school, one middle school and one elementary school. We’re all Cardinals.
What about the biggest challenges for the district?
Not being on the school board, I don’t know from their point of view. Probably the biggest challenge is how we have so many kids in each school and getting that voice heard from each parent. Everybody wants feedback and everybody wants their voice heard. So that’s probably the biggest challenge is actually listening to each individual and dealing with each individual.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I’ve been in Eudora since third grade. I graduated in ‘99 from Eudora. I’ve been here my whole life. So I’ve gone to school at Nottingham, I’ve gone to the school that was downtown at one time. The high school is the middle school now, so I’ve grown up in this town and I’ve seen how it changes. Things are moving in the right direction and it is exciting. It’s really nice to be part of a community that cares so much about the school.
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