Bettendorf elects three school board members
By Victoria Neece
Three school board positions were appointed in the recent school board elections. Andrew Champion and Richard Lynch were re-elected while Linda Smithson won her first term.
Andrew Champion was re-elected for a second term on the school board, receiving the position of vice-president. Having two of his children enrolled in the district, he strives to make sure Bettendorf's ongoing success will continue. Furthermore, he wants to continue to offer safe facilities for students and teachers.
“I am looking forward to developing and building community support for long-term facilities plans at BMS, BHS, and Edison. I am also excited about the development of a new strategic plan for the district,” Champion said.
Champion wants the school board to focus on maintaining strong leadership within the district. Also, he strives to maintain consistency throughout the district with hopes to implement long term planning. According to his candidate profile, Champion said he does a great job respecting others, resolving issues, being professional and understanding the district due to his prior experience and his profession as a police officer.
Richard Lynch was also reelected for a second term. Lynch is ready to work alongside his other school board members in establishing a long term vision for the district. One long term vision he hopes to bring light to is improving the district's budgeting. Overall, he is very passionate about watching the district grow and excel, especially with having a younger daughter in the district. With a new superintendent, he realizes that there may be a new vision for the school district.
“The main thing I hope to do is support our new superintendent as we collectively move past COVID and begin to reinvigorate education,” Lynch said.
He aims to help that vision grow in any way possible. He is very open minded and is good at compromising when it comes to recognizing parties key concerns.
Linda Smithson was elected for the first time. Smithson brings 24 years of teaching experience along with involvement in Bettendorf's PTA and Booster club. This experience has helped her understand the needs of students, teachers, and families, in order to better advocate for them. She is familiar with the way schools work, and the difficulties they face. Smithson believes that the school district is making positive changes and she wants to continue to be a part of it. She believes all students, regardless of their background, will succeed.
“I ran for the school board because I feel that schools are the cornerstone of our community. We, as a district, have the responsibility to make sure our students are ready for the future in both academic and social skills. I want to be a part of the work that helps with this,” Smithson said.
Victoria Neece is a junior. This is her
second year as a staff writer for The Growl
and her first as social media manager.
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