Two Affton School District Board of Education incumbents and a newcomer offered their assessments of the district and what they would do if elected to the board at a candidate forum last week.
Roughly 40 people attended the forum, which was held on March 18 at the Affton Early Childhood Education Center.
Incumbents Doug Beck and Larry Knox and challenger Ibro Tucakovic are competing for two seats on the school board. The election, the first one contested since 2012, will be on Tuesday, April 7.
The forum provided the candidates an opportunity to introduce themselves and respond to questions inspired by the Affton Parents Club, district administrators and students. The questions concerned the district’s mission, parental and family engagement, the school board’s status as a quasi-governmental body with unincorporated south St. Louis County, support of academic achievement and innovation, and how best to maintain a budget with or without a tax increase.
Beck and Knox emphasized the board’s implementation of new technology, particularly the 1:1 Initiative in which Affton High School students were lent personal computers that serve as the linchpin of a customized learning curriculum that started last fall. They also stood on their record of fiscal responsibility.
“The things we’ve been doing do work,” Beck said. “We have been cost-effective by pursuing grants whenever possible, which is responsible for the 1:1 Initiative. Other schools – Clayton, Brentwood – have sent representatives here to see how we’re doing it. We’ve become a leader.”
Knox said when he came to the district as a parent in the 1980s, it was “floundering,” but subsequent boards have retained educators and administrators who have taken the Affton School District to its current high academic ranking.
“The 1:1 Initiative has been wonderful, and I’m proud to say that it is going to be implemented at the Rogers Middle School next year and, hopefully, all the way down to the elementary level,” Beck said.
He said he has always run on the principle of transparency and parental involvement, and was a strong advocate for the Early Childhood Education Center, which opened in 2013.
“Parents As Teachers, the Parents Club, social media and town hall meetings help keep parents and families involved, and I support that,” Beck said.
Knox said he has never seen the board’s role as “staying out of the teachers way,” but rather providing guidance while working with parents.
“The greatest road blocks can come from home,” he said. “Our job is to see that doesn’t happen.”
The incumbents said they see the district, through Superintendent Steve Brotherton, as a force for shaping development and attracting commerce to the district, which is supported mostly by property taxes.
Both said they don’t envision the district seeking any tax increases in the foreseeable future, while acknowledging that working within the budget is an annual challenge given uncertainties in state funding.
Tucakovic arguably scored the best laugh line of the evening when following Knox, who explained he had come to the Affton School District from the Ferguson-Florissant School District, Tucakovic quipped: “I came 8,000 miles to come to the Affton School District.”
A Diverse Perspective
The newcomer congratulated Beck, Knox and the rest of the current board for doing an amazing job with the district’s resources and said he looked forward to being part of such a great group.
He did stress, though, that he wanted to bring a younger and more diverse perspective to the board. If elected, Tucakovic would be the first Bosnian-American to serve on the board. He went on to say that if elected, he would not see himself as a political leader.
“My focus would be just on education,” he said.
Tucakovic also distinguished himself from Beck and Knox by acknowledging the importance of the technological course the district has charted, while cautioning that technology should not be allowed to override student socialization.
“Any change is hard and I support customized learning, but it can be a double-edged sword,” he said. “Computers won’t teach students social interaction skills.”
Candidate Backgrounds
Tucakovic, 37, is an insurance professional. He has resided in Affton since 2001, and worked in Affton since 2007. He has two children who attend Affton schools. He is active in the local Bosnian community and volunteers with the Annual Walk For Autism Speaks.
Beck, 49, is a journeyman pipe fitter and a 26-year resident of the Affton School District. His two children attended Affton schools. He has served on the district’s building and grounds and early-childhood committees and is currently board president. He is an advanced member of the Missouri School Board Association. He is also a Little League coach and has served Project Heats On, food drives and voter registration drives.
Knox, 71, is a sales representative for Zep Chemical. He is a 35-year Affton School District resident, and the father of two children who attended Affton schools. He coached basketball and baseball, and helped found Affton basketball leagues and was league president until taking a seat on the school board.
SOURCE: South County Times