Virginia Warren says that she doesn’t know it all, but she is willing and eager to learn.
She and Mark Burris are candidates for the at-large position on the USD 257 Board of Education.
State aid cuts have taken $2.08 million from the district budget since August 2008, another $145,000 will be pared by the end of June and an additional reduction of $413,000 is anticipated during the 2011-12 school year.
“It’s hard to cut anyplace, but I know we’re going to have to,” Warren said. But, before she mentions specifics, “I want to find out what demands there are, where money is needed and exactly how we can meet cuts.”
Whatever she would favor, Warren continued, would depend on how it affects students: “We have to put kids first. Education is all about them.”
Her decision to seek election came from the understanding that “changes and challenges are facing the school board and I’d like to be a part of the solution. Important decisions will have to be made and we have to do them in the best interest of the school children.”
While not having had advantage of being immersed in information that flows twice a month to board members, Warren nonetheless said she was aware the district’s curriculum was designed to give students the best opportunities to learn and succeed.
“We have a lot to offer,” she said. “I think our schools would do well in competition with any in the state.”
Warren also thinks that students are given a strong start on education in kindergarten and in elementary classes, where “they have very good teachers.”
She would capitalize on the district’s positives by “putting students first in everything we do. We need to listen to them. Find out what their desires are and what they need.”
Before the recession deepened two years ago, board members were considering construction, first of a new elementary school and then a campus with all elementary and secondary schools together.
“I’m not against new schools, but it’s hard for me to make any statements until I’ve had a chance to look at the facilities we have,” Warren said. “Based on that, maybe renovations would better deal with facility needs now. Money is such a big factor. I don’t think people are over-taxed today, but they may be before long.
“Any decisions I would make, on facilities or on anything else, would depend on what we could do for the least amount of money,” she said. “It’s hard to say too much without seeing the condition of the schools and knowing what (dollar) figures we’re talking about.”
Some consolidation, such as that of top-level administrative teams and purchasing, might be helpful to deal with the funding crunch in USD 257 and other Allen County districts, Warren said.
“I think having one superintendent in the county could be realistic” and pursuing economies of scale through such things as shared purchases would be sensible, she said.
“If elected, I’ll give my best judgment for all matters that come before the board, and base my decisions on the best interests for all concerned,” Warren said.
WARREN was born and raised in Iola.
“I was the ‘O’ in the marching band’s I-O-L-A as a sophomore at Iola High School and the drum major my junior and senior years,” said Warren, a 1951 IHS graduate.
After high school she was gone from Iola for a few years but has lived here the past 40, during which she spent 16 years as a loan officer for TeamBank, now Great Southern, before retiring in 1998.
By 2002 “I had gotten bored after spending so much time being around people everyday,” Warren said.
That spring she called John Brocker and asked about working in his real estate office.
“John said he didn’t need anyone then,” she said, but he called back in August and told her: “Come on in.”
She has been receptionist and bookkeeper at Allen County Realty, 513 N. State St., since.
