Brown, Richards seek re-election to RPS Board

Two incumbents on the Ralston Public Schools Board of Education intend to run for re-election this year.

Linda Richards and Bob Brown said they will both seek to keep their seats on the board, declaring their candidacies in advance of the Feb. 15 deadline for incumbents to file for re-election.

"There are a lot of processes and programs that we are starting to get put in place and I'd like to see those brought to fruition," said Brown, who is in his 12th year on the board. "I think there's quite a bit we're doing that is helpful to our students and I want to make sure we continue on that path."

A third incumbent up for re-election on the board in the 2012 election, Susan Haas Tiehen, said she is still weighing the decision to run again.

For Richards, the decision to seek re-election involves her family.

With one child in fourth grade and another in sixth, Richards said she and her family made a collective decision that she would continue service on the board through her children's graduation.

Richards was first elected to the board in 1994 and served out her first term before making a run at the Nebraska Legislature in 1998. She was appointed to the RPS Board in 2000 to fill a vacancy left by Martha Bruckner and won re-election campaigns in 2002, 2004 and 2008.

"It's something we decided as a family that I would see this through to their graduation, another two terms," she said. "But talking collectively as a board, in this election cycle there are some important things we need to accomplish."

Among those pressing items is RPS's decision to follow a customer-service-based model of educational operation as outlined in a 2007 book titled "Who Cares?: Improving Public Schools Through Relationships and Customer Service" and authored by a pair of school administrators in a Kentucky school district.

In 2011, RPS Board members traveled to the Mason County School District to observe how that district had originated the model and how it put it into daily practice.

"I want to see us continue making that transition," Richards said. "It's about involving our parents, our teachers, our board, our administrators. Everyone has a stake in the 'Who Cares?' model and we need to show how it works."

Brown agreed, saying the "Who Cares?" ideal is paramount in Ralston's future success.

"In looking at what makes for an effective school, we've identified relationships, rigor and relevance," he said. "A big part of that are the relationships. Parents need to see that they are very welcome at their child's school and we need to encourage them to take a part in their student's learning process."

Richards said she's also running to keep secure Ralston's future as an independent school district.

Referencing the 2005 attempted takeover of five RPS schools by the Omaha Public Schools in the One City, One School District movement and the subsequent creation of the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties, of which Ralston is now one of 11 member districts, Richards said threats still remain to RPS autonomy.

"There's quite a bit still out there with the Learning Community, with our neighboring district," she said. "I want to continue on in service to make sure Ralston stays independent."

Both candidates also pointed to continuing to push the district for improvement in student achievement.

While Ralston has struggled under new state assessment standards, Richards said she feels the board is putting its emphasis on assessments of greater merit, including the ACT college entrance exam, which RPS is making universal for all high schoolers.

"I want to make sure our scores and our student achievement level is where we expect it to be in this district," she said. "That includes the ACT and embedding that curriculum at all levels. That's a pretty significant endeavor we're undertaking."

Brown said he's also hoping to make further investments in student achievement.

"I want to do more for our students and for our district," he said. "My focus is doing all we can to make sure our students are successful and ready for the challenges that will come."

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