By Ana Barrett
J.P. Claussen describes his path that led to running for the Iowa City School Board in the coming special election an “unlikely chain of events.”
After working in the School District for 10 years and being heavily involved with the teachers’ union, Claussen left the district in 2014 to begin working at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Despite changing career paths, Claussen said he’s still passionate about concerns in the district.
The decision regarding high school boundaries was a factor in board member Tom Yates’ resignation, prompting Claussen to pursue the vacant seat.
“When he left, I knew that we needed a teacher on the board,” Claussen said. “Nobody else was going to step forward to run for this race with teaching experience.”
After Yates’ unexpected resignation on May 13, officials announced there would be a special election to fill the vacancy. The election will take place Tuesday, and the newly elected member will hold the position for three years.
Claussen said one of his strengths as a candidate is his background working in special education. He said he does not think special-education students have been receiving proper services.
Claussen said he thinks this is because the administration hinders services that special-education students need.
“As a special-education teacher, I’ve known about these things, and now that I have talked to many more parents and teachers in the district, it’s pretty clear that this has been going on purposely for a very long time,” he said. “It’s become a main issue for a lot of people.”
School Board member Phil Hemingway said with the new board, it will be important to have someone with teaching experience to add perspective.
“[Claussen] is a special-education instructor, and we’ve got real issues with special education in the district,” Hemingway said. “It’s a very specialized area, and there are a lot of regulations and things that are only parsing small segments, so having that background allows him to understand exactly what’s going on.”
Karen Nichols, a local activist and writer, said she thinks the candidates running for School Board are great and all are in favor of integrated schools. She said all three candidates merely differ on the most effective, sustainable, and equitable methods to achieve that goal.
“There are a variety of approaches to school integration, not just the choice they may be hearing about,” she said.
Nichols said she supports Claussen because of his background working in education.
“To me, what makes [him] an ideal candidate is that he has an educator’s understanding of the issues,” she said. “He is a true social-justice candidate who has studied how issues of race, poverty, and education intersect and how to achieve solutions that are both fair and sustainable. And, most important to me, he will make sure that the voices of our most vulnerable families are heard.”
Hemingway said he thinks the School District needs a curriculum for everyone.
“Kids who don’t go to college need curriculum, too,” he said. “We need more career education and vocational training … we need to be able to find opportunities for all of our kids.”
