March 15, 2022

Four candidates are running to fill two three-year terms on the Lindbergh Schools Board of Education. The election is Tuesday, April 5. Please see the questions and answers below to learn more about the candidates. Responses are listed in the order in which candidate names will appear on the ballot.

The community is also encouraged to watch the district's Board of Education Candidate Forum, which was held Monday, March 14 and moderated by the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis.

Meet the Candidates

Name: David Randelman
Occupation: IT/Principal Cloud Computing Architect
Lindbergh Resident: 10 years

Name: Jennifer Miller
Occupation: Early Intervention Therapist
Lindbergh Resident: 17 years

Name: Carrie Clay
Occupation: Stay-at-Home Mom
Lindbergh Resident: 37 years

Name: Julia Voss
Occupation: Attorney
Lindbergh Resident: 8 years

Describe your past and present involvement and volunteer work in Lindbergh Schools.

RANDELMAN: I have been serving in the Lindbergh Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity committee to offer an alternative voice as an immigrant to the community, providing In-class career counseling, and supporting the Lindbergh Strings program (FORTE). I also attend many events and activities with my four children who are enrolled in the district.

MILLER: Currently, I serve on the Lindbergh Board of Education, SSD Governing Council, Concord PTG, Sperreng PTO, School Reopening Task Force, Start Time Task Force and the following Board Advisory Committees: Teaching and Learning, Technology and Student Life. I have previously served on the SSD Peer Review Committee, High School Redesign, Gifted Center Design, Technology Advisory and Facilities Advisory. Other volunteer activities include: Prop R campaign, Jump Rope for Heart, book fairs, classroom assistance, Junior Achievement, Yearbook Committee, Sperreng store, Concord Fun Day, field trip chaperon, Concord Helping Hands, Girl Scout Cookie Sales and 5th Grade Party Planning Committee.

CLAY: I am a proud Lindbergh graduate. In the past, I have served as PTG Treasurer, Leader of Long’s Outdoor Learning Space Project, Cub Scout and Boy Scout Leader, LAA Volunteer Coach, and Parent Volunteer.

VOSS: I have three children in the district. I have helped with class parties, field trips, family reading days, and supported PTO, Dad’s club, and district events. I spoke at a board meeting to support teachers a few years ago. That meeting made me realize how important the board is, and was the first time I considered volunteering to serve on the board.

Why are you running for the Board of Education?

RANDELMAN: Lindbergh Schools is a central part of our community and is responsible for the success of many. I would like to give back to the school and community that has supported us. My goals are to continue and promote excellence in education, seek research-proven programs that can support children with learning disabilities, promote transparent communication, promote parental involvement, and to meet every child where they are at so we can best prepare students for success in academics and in life.

MILLER: I am running because I want to continue the work our Board has started based on community feedback, which is in the District’s Compass Plan. The positive changes the district has made are numerous. I am a parent of two children in the district, former teacher, active district volunteer, current Lindbergh Board member and work with young children with disabilities. These experiences give me the unique ability to look at the “whole picture” and know how important it is for children to have access to the programs they need to succeed. I will work towards safe and secure buildings, oversight, transparency, and open two-way communication with the community. I will ensure we continue to be fiscally responsible, have collaborative relationships with our staff, prioritize instruction and programs that benefit all students, and place value on the things that matter most: our students and staff.

CLAY: There has been a decline in academics in our district over the last several years. From 2010-2014 our district ranked number one in academic performance in the state, and we now rank 76th.* My number one goal on the board will be to return academic excellence to Lindbergh Schools. Transparency, accountability, and communication are key in developing good relationships with parents, teachers, and residents. I will fulfill my responsibility to taxpayers to ensure tax dollars are not wasted, and the amount of funds going toward direct educational expenses is maximized.

VOSS: I am running because I believe the schools set the tone for the whole community. I want our community to be one that values support for students at all levels of learning, one that values teachers, and one that values respectful dialogue amongst its members. A few areas of focus are (1) to find ways to get more help in the classroom for teachers who want it for reading and math; (2) initiatives that help students feel safe, both physically and emotionally; and (3) initiatives that give students a wide variety of learning experiences and create a space for all students to succeed.

What do you think are the district’s greatest challenges? How would you address those challenges?

RANDELMAN: One of the shared community concerns is the decline of Lindbergh school rankings from a top school district in the state to 76th place* and in student academic performance. For example, current 8th graders’ in 2019 (pre-covid) MAP math scores indicate that 15% of students were failing with “below basic” scores, and this is increasing since.** These patterns are remarkably similar across the board. This is concerning because this means we are not meeting the needs of almost 1 in 6 students, in this example. If I have the privilege to serve, I will work together with our district to understand the causes, find solutions, close these gaps and meet the needs of all our students.

MILLER: Communicating our work in a manner that meets the needs of every community member while also showing the Board’s oversight of district programs and decisions can be challenging. We need to constantly assess and evaluate our programs to ensure we are meeting the needs of all students. We must ensure data collection shows the effectiveness of these programs and be able to make changes quickly when necessary.

CLAY: We must ensure all children receive a quality education that includes a solid foundation in reading, writing, and math. We must use proven evidence based curricula in all subjects and bring back math specialists, in elementary schools, to assist students struggling with math. Our district is currently very divided on many issues. The sense of “Lindbergh spirit” is not as strong as it once was. I would encourage everyone to find compromises and solutions to issues that will allow the community to unite and work together for excellence in education.

VOSS: The biggest challenge is the budget, in that it is not unlimited. The budget will be affected by inflation and logistical shortages resulting from the pandemic. My background makes me particularly well suited to make tough decisions about where money should be spent. As a lawyer, I am trained to consider issues from multiple viewpoints and to discard what is not helpful and bring forth what is. I can apply those skills to help Lindbergh meet these challenges so that the students’ needs are met and money is not wasted on less important items.

What qualities make Lindbergh successful, and how can the district continue to prepare students for success in the years to come?

RANDELMAN: I would like to share my own example: Lindbergh Schools welcomed us as immigrants 10 years ago and placed our four children through the ELL program, challenge classes and music programs, all with excellent teachers. The results are evident, my children are succeeding, and our senior is about to graduate with excellent grades. In order to continue with success in the years to come I would like to keep focus on these programs like ELL, challenge classes and additional literacy programs.

MILLER: Our teachers and staff make Lindbergh successful. They constantly seek-out ways to differentiate instruction to reach each student, cover COVID absences during their breaks and ensure students’ needs are met in a variety of ways. Lindbergh has a proven track record of fiscal responsibility, rigorous instruction and identifying priorities to make changes when necessary. To prepare students for the future, we must ensure all students learn the foundational skills necessary to be able to advance to deep learning and critical thinking. A focus on literacy and mathematics during the primary years is of utmost importance. We need to continue to maintain a good relationship with staff with honest two-way communication and elicit feedback from our community to influence the district’s work.

CLAY: Teachers are one of the district’s greatest assets. Our district must continue to support the hiring and retention of excellent educators and ensure they have high quality training and the support they need from the administration. The district has recently expanded its offerings at the high school to include the AP Capstone program, an internship program through St. Louis Centers for Advanced Studies, and an Early College program in conjunction with St. Louis Community College. These programs have greatly expanded the opportunities available for high school students to explore more course offerings and to prepare for college or a career once they graduate. I would love to see these programs continue to grow and evolve and for more opportunities for career exploration and experience to be added.

VOSS: Lindbergh is thinking of what lies ahead for our students. The students are learning skills that make it possible to succeed in their digital world. School does not look like the classroom we remember as kids. It is the classroom for our kids now, in this time and place. I think the key for Lindbergh’s continued success is to find the balance between teaching the timeless skills that will teach kids to read, write, spell, and think critically, and teaching new skills that they must have to be successful.

* Source: SchoolDigger.com
** Source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education