Louisa Dykstra
Louisa Dykstra was a candidate for at-large representative on the Des Moines Public Schools school board in Iowa. Dykstra was defeated in the at-large general election on September 12, 2017.
Dykstra participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 Des Moines school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Biography
Dykstra earned a bachelor's degree in music and math and a master's degree in secondary math education from Drake University. She started working as a Norwex Independent sales consultant in February 2010. In October 2016, she became a coach and founder of I Love Clarity. She owned The Stork Wearhouse from September 2004 to December 2010. Dykstra served as a classroom volunteer from August 2008 to May 2017 and as a member of the Des Moines Public Schools Community Legislative Action Team in February 2016. She also served on the Windsor Heights Chamber Board and as a substitute teacher in the district.[1][2]
Elections
2017
Four of the seven seats on the Des Moines Public Schools school board in Iowa were up for nonpartisan general election on September 12, 2017. The race for the two at-large seats on the board included incumbent Rob Barron and challengers Louisa Dykstra and Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley. Barron won another term on the board, and Shelley won the other at-large seat, which was left open by incumbent Connie Boesen, who instead ran for the Des Moines City Council. In their bids for re-election to the District 2 and District 4 seats, incumbents Dionna Langford and Teree Caldwell-Johnson ran unopposed and won additional terms on the board.[3][4][5]
Results
| Des Moines Public Schools, At-large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Rob Barron Incumbent |
37.71% | 3,791 |
| Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley |
31.30% | 3,147 |
| Louisa Dykstra | 29.94% | 3,010 |
| Write-in votes | 1.05% | 106 |
| Total Votes | 10,054 | |
| Source: Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Official Results," accessed September 18, 2017 | ||
Funding
Dykstra reported $9,157.00 in contributions and $8,653.32 in expenditures to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, which left her campaign with $503.68 on hand in the election.[6]
Endorsements
Dykstra was endorsed by Windsor Heights Mayor Diana Willits.[7] She was also endorsed by members of the community. Click here for a list of her supporters.
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia candidate survey
Dykstra participated in a survey created by Ballotpedia in partnership with USATalk and the Interactivity Foundation. The survey was created after online discussions of Des Moines voters and residents were conducted to discuss their ideas for the school district. The survey questions appear bolded, and Dykstra's responses follow below.
What are the benefits or strengths of an increasingly diverse student body?
| “ | Des Moines is home to many large global businesses, and they need employees who can work with colleagues from around the world. DMPS students are well-prepared for that world, having been around people from different countries and backgrounds every day.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
How do you measure quality education? Which metrics and modes of evaluation would you use to measure quality of education?
| “ | Measuring proficiency, the way we have always measured schools, gives us an idea of how kids compare to their peers, but does NOT give information about the quality of a school. Measuring growth from the beginning to the end of the year is what measures the effectiveness of a school.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
What type of skills should students be learning for success in the 21st century?
| “ | The most important thing employers are saying they need is for kids to be adaptable to an ever-changing workplace. So schools need to be innovative and adapt to the changing world as well! Students need to think creatively, work collaboratively, and be problem solvers.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
What is the primary job of a school board member in your view?
| “ | The school board member has two main roles - to be the voice of the community to the schools (the better known role), but also to be the voice of the schools to the community. Board members should be representing the schools at neighborhood meetings, chamber of commerce meetings, and in the media. They should be strong advocates for our public schools.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
How will you build relationships with members of the broader community? Which groups, organizations, stakeholders will you specifically target?
| “ | I have already started this part of the board role. I spent many days at the State Capitol advocating on behalf of DMPS. I'm also on the Education Workgroup for the Greater Des Moines Partnership's Government Policy Council. I've been meeting with neighborhood associations, connecting with people who don't currently have kids in school to tell about our schools' strengths and challenges.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
As funding appears to be a growing concern for the future, what strategies or plans would you advance to ensure our schools are properly funded?
| “ | The generic 'schools need more money' argument has gotten us 8 years of squeezed budgets. It’s time to deepen the conversation. My strategy has been to be willing to discuss education policy with anyone, to listen to their concerns about public schools, and share accurate data (such as the difference between growth and proficiency). Honest, respectful conversations can turn this around, and make Iowa public schools the top priority in our state again.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
What is your strategy for communication flow? How will you communicate about both the successes and challenges the school district is facing? How will the community be able to communicate with you?
| “ | I plan to keep my Facebook page, email list, and website going after the election, as means of communication. I've already started posting key items on the agenda in advance of each school board meeting, then sharing highlights from each meeting afterward, on my website and on social media (including Linked In, to encourage our businesses leaders to feel more ownership of our public schools). Social media allows for easy questions and answers that many people can learn from.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
Data suggests harsher disciplinary actions are being taken against nonwhite students. How do you make sense of this data? What sort of policies would you implement to improve racial equality and fair treatment of all students? What sort of professional development programs would you implement in support of this effort?
| “ | Recent data shows that one way to make strides in this area is to make it possible for every student to access quality preschool. The data from those who are able to enroll in preschool shows very little disparity across ethnic groups. But when those students who aren't able to access preschool come to kindergarten, they're already at a disadvantage, both academically and in knowing simple classroom habits and culture. Kids very quickly internalize that they are "bad" kids or "troublemakers" and act accordingly as they get older. We need to use this as part of the argument for the importance of preschool. We need the funding and policies for kids from impoverished homes to truly be able to access preschool. And of course we need to continue implicit bias training for teachers, to move toward real equity.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
Some suggest that equity is being achieved at the cost of higher achieving students, for example funding for gifted programs are being redirected for needs related to increased diversity. What is your opinion on this?
| “ | We have to serve all students well, from those who grew up in refugee camps and have never been to school, to those needing the highest math classes to prepare them for MIT. Showing specific examples where schools are making lose-lose budget decisions will help turn around the negative school funding trend.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
What should the school board relationship with the legislature be? How will you contribute to building this relationship?
| “ | Since the legislature determines funding and regulations for public schools, school board members should have good relationships with all state legislators in the area, in both parties.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
What should the relationship between city officials and school board look like? How will you achieve this type of relationship?
| “ | City officials and the school board represent the same constituents with the same needs. It is imperative that the city council and school board work closely together, in problem solving and in future planning.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
What responsibility does the school hold for the overall health of students? For example, is the district responsible for feeding hungry students? Even in the summer? Should the district be responsible for providing stability to homeless students? What about physical and mental health needs? Who is responsible?
| “ | Ideally those needs would be taken care of by other agencies or programs, but since those resources have grown more and more scarce while the need has grown, schools have stepped in. I applaud our district for recognizing that students can't learn if they're hungry, dirty, in pain, or don't feel safe. We need to communicate clearly with legislators that schools are using their already scarce resources to fill in this gap.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
What is your 20-year vision for the Des Moines public schools? How might we distinguish our school district in education over the next 20 years?
| “ | Part of the reason public education has fallen out of favor politically is that many people believe our schools are outdated and are resistant to change. Everyone involved in schools needs to have a futuristic mindset. We need to always be seeking the new best practices, be very connected with how workplaces are evolving, and provide a culture of innovation. Our classrooms in 20 years should look very different than they did even 5 years ago. Students should be active, working on real-world projects, generating ideas and solving problems.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[9] | ||
The Des Moines Register questionnaire
Dykstra participated in the following questionnaire conducted by The Des Moines Register. The questions provided by the newspaper appear bolded, and Dykstra's responses follow below.
What is the biggest challenge facing Des Moines Schools?
| “ | Our students’ needs continue to grow (increasing poverty and percentage of non-English speakers) while resources are getting squeezed. We need to make sure every corner of the district is efficient, but also better communicate how our schools are performing very well measured by student growth from fall to spring.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[10] | ||
What are your top three priorities if elected?
| “ | Our whole community needs to feel more ownership of our public schools. As a board member I’ll proactively connect with neighborhoods, businesses, and lawmakers. Second, we need to be transparent about what actions are being taken to increase achievement and graduation rates. Third, I’m a strong advocate for the arts.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[10] | ||
What is your view on the proposal to change school start times in Des Moines?
| “ | Our current school hours are not working for thousands of the students we serve, and are disproportionately harder on our neediest students. With our focus on equity, we need to follow the research and better serve our teenagers.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[10] | ||
What is your view on the proposal to change school start times for Smouse and Van Meter schools?
| “ | We need to do everything we can to make the change work for Smouse and Ruby Van Meter families. If there are budget limitations that make the transportation schedule not work, we need to share that clearly with our legislature so lawmakers understand the specific budget needs.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[10] | ||
Why are you running for Des Moines School Board?
| “ | I want Des Moines to continue to be a fantastic place to live, and I can make a difference by building connections that help our schools continuously improve. Des Moines students have widely varying needs, but our economy depends on helping all kids become independent, resilient, thoughtful citizens.[8] | ” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[10] | ||
Candidate website
Dykstra highlighted the following issues on her campaign website:
| “ | I will always be a fierce advocate for public schools, but that doesn’t mean I always advocate for the status quo. Our kids need to be creative thinkers, problem solvers, good collaborators, and technology savvy learners to be prepared for the workforce of the future. We need to find innovative ways to best educate English Language Leaners and kids from disadvantaged homes.
My priorities as a board member will be:
As a volunteer on the legislative team this year, I observed our businesses clamoring for qualified workers, and our schools clamoring for the resources needed to prepare kids for the future. These voices need to connect. I can hit the ground running as a board member to bring people to the table for solution-oriented conversations. I can help business leaders see the DIRECT link between a qualified workforce and:
Within the school system we can be more connected as well. Do board members and parents need to understand the reality of daily life in the classroom? Absolutely! And will it be helpful for teachers to understand the overall school budget to recognize the hard choices the board has to make? Absolutely. We truly are all in this together. The future of our community depends on strong public schools.[8] |
” |
| —Louisa Dykstra (2017)[11] | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Louisa Dykstra Des Moines Public Schools school board. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Des Moines Public Schools
- Campaign website
- Campaign Facebook page
- Twitter account
- LinkedIn profile
- YouTube Channel
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Louisa Dykstra," accessed August 8, 2017
- ↑ Louisa Dykstra for School Board, "About Louisa," accessed August 8, 2017
- ↑ Des Moines Public Schools, "2017 School Board Candidates," accessed August 4, 2017
- ↑ The Des Moines Register, "Longtime Des Moines school board member Connie Boesen to challenge Skip Moore for at-large City Council seat," May 31, 2017
- ↑ Polk County Auditor and Commissioner of Elections, "School Election Tuesday, September 12, 2017: Unofficial Results," accessed September 12, 2017
- ↑ Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, "IECDB State/Local Campaign Disclosure Reports," accessed January 22, 2018
- ↑ Louisa Dykstra for School Board, "Endorsements," accessed August 23, 2017
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 Abbey Smith, “Email communication with Louisa Dykstra," August 21, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 The Des Moines Register, "Louisa Dykstra: Des Moines School Board candidate," August 31, 2017
- ↑ Louisa Dykstra for School Board, "Issues," accessed August 9, 2017
| Des Moines Public Schools elections in 2017 | |
| Polk County, Iowa | |
| Election date: | September 12, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Rob Barron • Louisa Dykstra • Kyrstin Delagardelle Shelley District 2: • Incumbent, Dionna Langford District 4: • Incumbent, Teree Caldwell-Johnson |
| Important information: | What's at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
