Chamber lists public education among priorities

Education is a top priority of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber recognized education in general, and public schools in particular, as the key to a good work force in the coming years.

The chamber has prepared itself to "help Springfield Public Schools become the premier public school district in Missouri by the year 2010," according to the chamber's education platform.

The organization has taken several steps to strengthen its involvement in the local school system, including announcing that its board will endorse candidates for the school board. Seven candidates have filed for three open spots on the board.

The election will be April 4, on the same ballot as the proposed bond issue. Only one of the seven candidates is an incumbent Bruce Renner the others would be new to the board. (See candidate profiles, page 11.)

The chamber created an education task force, interviewed candidates for school board and will make its recommendations to the full chamber board Feb. 21, said Brad Bodenhausen, who is one of three chamber staff members on the education task force. Chamber president Jim Anderson and Sonja Chasteen are the other two staff members on the committee.

Anderson describes the chamber's intention to endorse board candidates as a major step.

"There's no denying that the Springfield Public Schools play a major role in work force development," Anderson said.

"A lot of kids will not go on to a four-year college, and those kids will be entering the work force. That's where our membership is concerned: Many of those students today will be their employees tomorrow," he added.

"There are a lot of reasons we decided to get involved," Chasteen said. "We want to be sure that teachers and counselors are familiar with and aware of the needs of the business community. We need to be educating them on what those needs are."

In addition to supporting candidates for the school board, the chamber board will meet with the Springfield Board of Education three to four times a year in order to "further that connection," Anderson said.

"We want to continue to raise the profile and awareness of the importance of public education to our members. We made the issue a priority in 2000, but it's actually been a priority for a few years. At this time, we've determined that we're going to do more and not less to support that idea," Anderson said.

Work force development is only one reason the chamber will support candidates for school board elections. The organization also thinks the school board could benefit from the skills of business leaders, Anderson said.

"Business and professional people make the school board diverse and balanced," Bodenhausen said.

"We're not coming at this as though the school board is weak now and needs help, but that we feel it is something that should be encouraged and supported by the business community," Bodenhausen added.

The schools will have something else at stake in the April election: a $30 million general obligation bond issue.

The chamber will also determine whether it will support that measure, Anderson said.

Bodenhausen said the board will decide on action about the bond issue at its Feb. 21 meeting, also.

In addition to endorsing ballot issues, the chamber will continue to support the education platforms it adopted in November 1999.

The basic tenets of that statement include support for work force development, technology, proper management of resources, attracting quality teachers, addressing capital needs and prioritizing the school system's fiscal requirements as a whole, rather than the needs and desires of individual schools.

Anderson said the time is now for the chamber to increase its involvement in local public education.

"My reaction is let's go for it. It's time. What's good for business is good for education. Strong business equals strong education," Anderson said.