Sean C. Morgan
School District 55’s priorities should be what’s best for the students, according to new board appointee Jason Van Eck, who’s also a sergeant with Sweet Home Police Department.
While he has his ideas what those might be, he doesn’t know with certainty his opinion is correct and says he will need to spend more time learning about some of those issues before he is comfortable voting in important board decisions.
The School Board appointed Van Eck during its March meeting. Due to prior commitments as a youth baseball umpire, he could not be at the meeting, which also included the board’s decision on the controversial “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie.
Van Eck said he’s thankful he didn’t have to vote that night since the information before him was limited and he had not read the book, which is used in the eighth-grade language arts program.
He had friends on both sides of the issue, he said, but he certainly does not think that that foul language in the book should be read aloud in the classroom if the district isn’t going to allow students to talk that way in the hallways. (Teachers told the board and review committee that objectionable material in the novel is not read out loud in the classroom.)
Before making a decision like that he would like to have read the book and heard the arguments leading to the decision.
Now that the decision is made, “we’ve got to move forward in a positive way,” Van Eck said.
That’s how he wants to approach every important decision, he said, and all of them are important because they involve students.
“I’m not a big fan of the four-day school week,” Van Eck said. “I do feel like the kids are missing out on some education. I think they’re not getting what they used to.”
At the high school, students are struggling, he believes, Van Eck said; but he doesn’t “know” that for certain. Before deciding an issue like that one, he wants to see data about the effects of the four- and five-day schedules.
Van Eck applied after learning the position had been left vacant by Mike E. Adams, who was forced to resign due to military commitments. The seat was initially open to Foster area residents, but no one applied during the first 20 days, and the position opened to residents of the entire district.
“It was something I had put in for several years back, but I didn’t get on the board,” Van Eck said. “I’ve always had an interest in the schools, whether it’s been coaching or teaching DARE. I feel like I can be a voice for the public.”
He can also serve as a liaison between the board and Police Department, he said. He can give the board input from a law enforcement and public safety perspective.
Van Eck has three children in the district and one, Taylor Conn, who has graduated and is serving in the Navy. Two are stepchildren, Conn and Jada Autry, fourth grade. His children include Colyn Van Eck, a junior, and Alana Van Eck, a freshman. Van Eck is married to Trisha Van Eck, who is a secretary at Oak Heights Elementary School.
“So I do have some interest in the kids and how the school is running,” Van Eck said.
Coming up the district faces big decisions, and among them is the replacement of the high school principal.
“I think replacing Keith Winslow is going to be some big shoes there,” Van Eck said. “He filled a big one when Pat (Stineff) retired.”
He’s not certain anyone in the district now qualifies, he said. The principals at the elementary schools and the junior high all have just one or two years of experience.
“I think that’s going to have to be looked into with probably a national search,” Van Eck said.
In budgeting, the district will see a bump in funding next school year.
The board should prioritize spending by “what’s best for the kids,” Van Eck said. That means class sizes, teachers and technology, which is always changing and improving.
He likes what the district has been doing with technology, with Chromebook labs, efforts to put tablets in classrooms and efforts to set up easily accessible wireless connections throughout the district – as long as it is used for school-related educational purposes.
He’s not so sure about buying new buses, a priority in a survey of board members and administrators, but keeping up the buses is important and possibly a safety issue. When maintenance costs more long term than replacing the buses, it’s time to replace them, just like the Police Department does with patrol cars.
Again, he wants to learn more before he votes, he said. “I really want to educate myself before I start making important decisions, and when it comes to kids, the decisions we make are important.”
Prior to applying, Van Eck talked with Police Chief Jeff Lynn, who served a term on the board as a sergeant; and Lynn told him he would treat it the same way the previous chief handled it for Lynn.
When on duty, Van Eck will attend regular meetings but must remain available for calls, he said. For other board activities and meetings, he will use vacation time.