Tom Schott (winner)

Tom Schott is the Senior Director of Strategic Communications at Purdue who is seeking re-election after having served on the board for eight years. He is running because of his passion for the community and public education.

Schott supports six of WL CARE’s seven demands, particularly those on implementing BIPOC-centered curricula and hiring a DEI director. He would like to first speak with TSC’s DEI director and learn more about her plan for the district. Schott supports anti-racist professional development and hopes to implement an ongoing program, as he believes that professional development is most effective when it extends beyond any singular session. Schott does not support WL CARE’s demand to end the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD), as he believes that School Resource Officers (SROs) play an important  role in our schools, but brought up the idea of engaging in conversation with the chief of police to address potential concerns. 

If reelected, Schott’s priorities for the board include school safety, the COVID-19 plan, and teacher recruitment and retention. Schott would like to investigate why so many teachers are leaving the district and ensure that they receive the support and mentoring they need to have a successful career at WLCSC schools. 

During Schott’s tenure on the board, he voted in favor of the initial COVID-19 reopening plan, despite opposition from many parents. Additionally, his answer when asked why the board felt it necessary to extend its debt past the $75 million debt limit to $128 million was that there was a need to upgrade facilities. When asked why WL CARE’s letter had not been an agenda item for four months, Schott responded that the board was focused on the COVID-19 plan.

 WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Tom Schott for a couple reasons.

1. While we appreciate Schott’s support of six of our demands and his focus on professional development, we do not support keeping SROs in schools. 

2. The initial COVID-19 reopening plan did not include a mask mandate and was dangerous for students, as many parents noted. Schott’s support for this initial plan is representative of the continued indifference the board has to community concern. Additionally, he, alongside the board, continues to be vague about why the board felt it necessary to increase WLCSC’s debt load more than any other district in the state, shouldering the burden of budget cuts on teachers and quality of education.

More information on Schott can be found here.

Yue Yin (winner)

Yue Yin is a professor in Education Psychology and WLCSC parent with a background in community service. She aims to make data-driven decisions that include input from parents and teachers.

If elected, Yin’s priorities for the board include ensuring school safety, continuing to improve upon the COVID-19 plan, and supporting teachers by addressing recruitment, retention, and mentoring. Yin put together a presentation on parents’ responses to the initial COVID-19 response plan, which can be found here. She is also currently collecting feedback from the community about the schools - you can submit your own feedback here. More information on her platform can be found at her website here and her YouTube channel here.

Yue Yin has declined to take a public stance on WL CARE’s demands at this time and rejected WL CARE’s interview request, citing the need for more information about the schools’ current situation, the specifications and implications of the demands, and community input. She has stated, though, that she supports social and racial equity and seeks to actively resolve the issues cited by WL CARE.

Angela Janes

Angela Janes is an involved WLCSC parent who has volunteered in various roles over the years, including serving as the Cumberland (WLES) Parent Council president. She is running to support our schools and champion transparency.

Janes supports six of WL CARE’s seven demands – she does not support the demand to end the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD). While Janes believes that police departments have much to improve upon, she does not believe that severing the relationship with the WLPD is the best course of action. She thinks WLCSC should maintain their relationship with the WLPD in order to have influence over the department and push for improvements.

If elected, Janes’ top priority is increasing board transparency. She would begin by looking into and improving the bylaws to ensure candidates have ample opportunity to seek community input. One such bylaw that she would like to change is a bylaw that states board members cannot share a packet of information they receive before they cast their vote at a board meeting. Additionally, Janes would like to focus on teacher retention and addressing WLCSC’s debt. On teacher retention, Janes believes some of the district’s policies make it difficult for teachers to feel supported. Additionally, she thinks exit interviews need to be reevaluated – she does not think there is enough feedback for departing teachers. Furthermore, Janes would like to investigate the specifics of the current debt we have and look into solutions to reduce it, so that teachers are not the first ones impacted when, during times like COVID-19, the budget is cut.

WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Angela Janes. We appreciate her focus on transparency and reevaluating the WLCSC budget. However, we do not support maintaining the relationship with the WLPD. Additionally, it is unclear how Janes plans to use this relationship to push for change in the department.

More information on Janes can be found here.

Jeff Kayser

Jeff Kayser is a WLCSC parent and works as an IT architect at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UCSD, as well as being the founder of Firesteel, a software consultancy that specializes in charities and nonprofits. He believes in a transparent and innovative board that advocates for all students and teachers. Like many of the candidates, Kayser was disappointed with the district’s COVID-19 reopening plan. He, with a group of a few dozen other parents, created a petition to push for the expansion of e-learning opportunities. Kayser hopes to continue this history of advocating for improvements on the school board. 

Kayser supports all seven of WL CARE’s demands. He spoke about the need to address how Black and Latinx students consistently underperform, and that the district is currently doing little to alleviate these discrepancies. Additionally, he would like to hire mental health workers and counselors to address issues in schools, leaving officers to handle solely criminal issues should such issues arise.

If elected, Kayser’s top priorities include growing the district’s COVID-19 response, increasing board transparency, and improving the district’s technology. Kayser believes there is a lot more that can be done with the COVID-19 plan and has an extensive list of policy ideas, including increasing testing, creating a contact tracing dashboard, instituting a mandatory quarantine policy, and creating a more detailed notification protocol if any student or teacher does test positive. Kayser also has specific plans to increase transparency. He would like to fix the archive link on the school board’s website, allowing people access to minutes and agendas from board meetings, add a page that tracks the discussion of agenda items and member votes, and work towards publicizing information like the school budget. Finally, he sees a deficiency in the technology being used by the district, such as the e-learning platform. Kayser believes the district can tap into a number of free resources, such as Purdue faculty and community experts, to enhance the technology currently used.

WL CARE has chosen to endorse Jeff Kayser. Not only does he support all seven of our demands, but he was also one of the most informed candidates we spoke to. He has a bevy of policy ideas and the expertise to ensure these ideas are truly implemented. Additionally, Kayser spent a significant amount of time during the interview going through WL CARE’s story addendum and asking specific questions to better understand students’ perspectives, demonstrating the care he has for BIPOC experiences and the deliberateness of his policy ideas.

More information on Kayser can be found here.

Melissa Prochnau

Melissa Prochnau is a stay-at-home parent who has served on the West Lafayette School Board of Trustees for one term and is seeking reelection. She is running to ensure that every child receives equal access to education.

Prochnau supports six of WL CARE’s seven demands. She believes the highest priorities of these six are to hire a DEI director and to provide anti-racist and intersectional professional development to teachers. While Prochnau supports looking into changes in the curriculum, she does not think the board should consider implementing a BIPOC-centered curriculum before instituting professional development. Additionally, Prochnau does not support the second demand on ending the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department, since the WLPD currently provides crossing guards and traffic enforcement for the schools. However, she is open to evaluating the relationship with the WLPD going forward, depending on community input.

Prochnau’s top priorities if reelected will be the safety of students and staff during COVID-19, the WL CARE letter, and the plan for the future of the old Happy Hollow School. Additionally, she would push to hire an assistant superintendent and institute more professional development days in the school calendar. Prochnau is also passionate about increasing mental health resources in schools and hopes to hire separate mental health counselors, in addition to the current guidance counselors.

WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Prochnau for two reasons. 

1. Prochnau does not support the second demand of WL CARE’s letter. As we have stated in a previous write up, ending the contract with the WLPD does not mean that we would go without crossing guards. The Indiana State Code allows for the town board or the board of public safety to appoint crossing guards. Additionally, traffic control everywhere is the job of the police. Ending the contract does not mean there will be no traffic control near school grounds. 

2. While we understand the intent behind implementing professional development before changing the curriculum, continuing to push off a BIPOC-centered curriculum is unnecessary and prolongs much needed reform. These changes can and should happen in tandem. 

However, we do appreciate Prochnau’s support for six of our demands and hope that, if reelected, concrete plans are put in place to hire a DEI director and institute anti-racist professional development for teachers. Additionally, it is notable that Prochnau was the lone dissenter in the school board vote on the initial COVID-19 reopening plan that was not supported by many parents.

Doug Masson

Doug Masson grew up in Richmond, Indiana and has lived in West Lafayette for 10 years. A WLCSC parent of two, Masson is running because he loves our schools and believes that he has the skill set as an attorney and small business owner to create an environment where teachers can focus on providing quality education. 

Masson supports six of WL CARE’s seven demands, particularly on implementing a BIPOC-centered curriculum. He feels very strongly about diverse representation in history, literature, and STEM classes. Masson would also like to see education specifically on white privilege implemented into the curriculum. Additionally, he would like to investigate the teacher recruitment process to ensure BIPOC educators’ applications are not being overlooked. If elected to the board, Masson would also investigate looking into making a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) director position grant-funded, to ensure that the position would not be affected by state-level budget cuts. Masson, however, does not support the second demand to end the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD). However, he agrees that the DARE program is ineffective and would consider ending it. Masson would also be willing to shift resources from School Resource Officers (SROs) to mental health workers, but he would first like to look into the specifics of the budget.

If elected to the board, Masson’s priorities include formulating a specific school strategic plan to improve WLCSC by benchmarking with top schools. Additionally, he believes dealing with the former Happy Hollow building must be a top priority – he would like to conduct a feasibility study on turning the building into an early childhood education center.

WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Doug Masson, since we do not support keeping SROs in schools. However, we appreciate his commitment to reconsidering the DARE program and hiring mental health workers. Additionally, we welcome his support for the other six demands and his specific policy ideas for implementation. 

More information on Masson can be found here.

Amy Austin (winner)

Amy Austin grew up in Valparaiso, Indiana and is now a business manager at IN Space, LLC. She graduated from Purdue with a degree in Special Education and previously worked at an inpatient facility for children with intellectual disabilities and behavioral disorders. Austin hopes to use this experience to help children with learning challenges reach their fullest potential.

Austin supports six of WL CARE’s demands, and she believes the majority can be solved with the hiring of a DEI director. She does not support the demand on ending the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD) due to the personnel that provide roles like crossing guards and traffic control. Additionally, she believes School Resource Officers (SROs) are deterrents to school violence and encourage community-building between students and police officers. However, she does believe that, if hired, the DEI director should review the WLPD contract to ensure no abuse is occurring. 

Austin’s top priorities for the board will be assessing the budget that has been heavily affected by the pandemic, revising the background check to a three-tiered system to better ensure the safety of schools while being more inclusive to families that may not be able to afford the fees of background checks and exploring programs that would address the mental health of students and staff.

WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Amy Austin, as she does not support one of WL CARE’s demands. While we appreciate the support for six of our demands, we do not support keeping SROs in schools. 

1. Studies have shown that SROs are not effective in preventing or stopping school shootings. 

2. Additionally, a relationship with the WLPD is not necessary for hiring crossing guards. According to the Indiana state code, the town board or board of public safety can also appoint crossing guards.  

3. Finally, Austin’s view that interactions between SROs and students are beneficial to community-building is potentially harmful. Although there may be some benefits from modeling a constructive relationship with a police officer, many BIPOC students rarely have that positive experience. 

For more information, check out Austin’s website here.

Brady Kalb

Brady Kalb is a Purdue graduate and founder/CEO of Skyepack, a technology firm that helps develop curricula for schools and colleges. He believes in championing equity in education and inclusion in the decision-making process.

Kalb supports six of WL CARE’s seven demands. He does not support the demand to end the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD). While Kalb supports the addition of social workers into WLCSC schools, he does not support the outright removal of School Resource Officers (SROs). Additionally, implementation is critically important to Kalb – if elected to the board, Kalb hopes to immediately begin working on an implementation plan for the other six demands.

Kalb’s top priorities for the board will be creating a culture of open dialogue on the board, including more people in the board’s decision-making process, and making sure all stakeholder opinions are being heard and tracked. Kalb is extremely data-driven and wants to implement a growth mindset on the school board. 

Furthermore, Kalb has a few ideas for improving transparency in the school board. He would like to see a more open forum at board meetings, stakeholder committees tasked with the collection of quantitative and qualitative data on community concerns, and a tool to measure and track key metrics about community opinions. Additionally, he would like to implement a mechanism for anyone to anonymously communicate their concerns to the board.  

Kalb believes strongly in not immediately saying no – his mentality is, rather, to try something and see if it works. On the board, he will push to listen to community concerns and quickly attempt a solution, even if it is not the perfect solution from the beginning.

Kalb did not want to be considered for an endorsement by WL CARE. As board members represent a variety of stakeholders, sometimes with competing interests, he made a personal decision to not seek or accept any endorsements to avoid any perception of a conflict of interest. In lieu of this, we would like to share our overall thoughts on Kalb’s platform. We appreciate Kalb’s business background and growth mentality and believe this mindset will aid in reducing bureaucracy on the board. Additionally, we appreciate his support for six of our demands. However, we do not support keeping SROs in schools in any capacity. Kalb’s willingness to consider hiring social workers, though, is an important first step in making the schools safer and more comfortable for BIPOC students.

For more information, check out Kalb’s website here.

William Watson

William Watson is a professor in the College of Education at Purdue University and an educational researcher focused on personalized learning. A WLCSC parent, he hopes to use his background in education to promote community engagement and improve WLCSC’s curricula through a research-backed approach.

Watson supports all seven of the WL CARE demands. If elected, he first plans on looking into district-specific data to investigate the negative impacts of certain state policies on accessible and effective learning.

On the demand to end the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD), Watson would like further information on the full scope of SRO duties for the school, but he does believe that, at the very least, there should not be officers inside school buildings.

Watson’s top priorities for the board include hiring a DEI director, gathering data on district-wide issues, administering a teacher climate survey, and implementing a personalized, project-based learning curriculum. Watson believes the current state and national focus on standardized testing is not only detrimental to student learning, but also further entrenches systemic injustice.

WL CARE has chosen to endorse Watson for the following reasons.

1. Watson supports all seven of WL CARE’s demands, and one of his top priorities for the board is beginning data collection to investigate best methods for implementation of his curriculum changes and our demands.

2. Watson’s extensive background in education will be extremely helpful in improving curricula at WLCSC, particularly on issues with track learning.

For more information, check out Watson’s website here.

Brian Ruh 

Brian Ruh grew up in West Lafayette and attended Cumberland, Burtsfield, and West Lafayette Junior High School. Ruh also holds a PhD in communication and culture. A Purdue alum, he currently works at the Purdue Federal Credit Union in the information technology department. Ruh believes in outreach and finding the best ways to serve our community. Concerned by the board’s lack of transparency and the school’s COVID-19 reopening plan, Ruh decided to run in order to facilitate more community engagement.

Ruh supports all seven of WL CARE’s demands, particularly the demand calling for BIPOC-centered curricula. However, he would first like to gather more information and engage with the community before moving forward with any specific policies. 

If elected, Ruh’s first priority will be to build working relationships with the other board members and the WLCSC administration. Additionally, he will push for greater transparency of the board’s decision-making processes and the inclusion of more arts curricula in classrooms.

WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Brian Ruh. While we greatly appreciate his support for all seven of the demands and his desire for greater board transparency, he was unable to describe specific policies he would push for during our interview. We would prefer to hear that board candidates have specific policy ideas in mind, even if their first plan is to gather more data or community input.

For more information, check out Ruh’s website here.

Bradley Marley (winner)

Brad Marley is the Market President of the Greater Lafayette Horizon Bank and has served on the WLCSC school board for the past 12 years. During his time on the board, Marley has worked extensively on planning the budget and intends to continue this work if reelected.

Marley supports six of WL CARE’s seven demands. He does not support the second demand of ending the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD). Marley believes that police serve as effective deterrents and a safe presence if, for example, an angry parent comes to pick up their child without proper permission. Additionally, he believes SROs need more interaction with students, especially those who are uncomfortable around police, to position officers less as threats and more as resources. 

Marley believes hiring a DEI director is one of the most important demands from the letter. The board is uncertain, however, about whether the district has the funds for a director for the 2021-2022 school year.

If reelected, Marley’s top priorities will be focusing on the ongoing pandemic response, opening dialogue on diversity, and working on the budget and related financial projects. In addition, he believes the school board website can be clearer and that the board should be more welcoming to public input. 

During Marley’s tenure on the board, he voted in favor of the initial COVID-19 reopening plan. Notably, the plan did not mandate mask usage during the entirety of the school day, though usage was recommended, and the plan was opposed by 1222 parents in a petition to the school. A later version of the plan did end up including a mask mandate.

It is notable that Marley is one of the few sitting board members that was eager to meet with WL CARE. Though he did not agree with all the demands, he listened carefully to our critiques of the current board and had thoughtful ideas for how the board could improve next term.

WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Marley for a few reasons.

1. Marley is opposed to ending the contract with the WLPD. WL CARE favors a different approach based on empirical evidence and the lived experiences of students of color. Additionally, Marley’s view that more interaction between SROs and students would alleviate BIPOC discomfort around officers is misguided and harmful. While there may be a potential positive outcome from modeling what a healthy relationship with a police officer could look like, that ideal relationship rarely exists for many BIPOC students. Based on national statistics in 2015-2016, Black students made up about 15% of school populations but 31% of student arrests or referrals to law enforcement, despite no evidence of higher rates of misbehavior in Black students. Additionally, in WLCSC, four students were expelled and four were referred to law enforcement in 2015; all were Black or Latinx.

2. While Marley has been a part of many positive decisions for the school district, the initial COVID-19 reopening plan that he supported was not only dangerous, but actively opposed by parents. Though the mask mandate was added later, this initial disregard to community concern mirrors WL CARE’s experience trying to speak with the current board and administration.

For more information, check out Marley’s website here.

David Purpura

David Purpura is a professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Purdue University and a WLCSC parent who aims to focus on quality education and the diverse needs of students. Purpura decided to run because he believed there was a significant need for a board member with a background in education. Similar to some other candidates, Purpura was disheartened that the school discussed and implemented the COVID-19 reopening plan with little input from parents.

Purpura supports all seven WL CARE demands. On the second demand of ending the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD), Purpura advocates for a transition plan, phasing out SROs in favor of mental health workers in schools. His top priorities for the board will be increasing board transparency, implementing diverse curricula, hiring a DEI director or committee, and leveraging resources at Purdue, such as speakers and professional development.

If elected, Purpura’s 30-day plan is to first, understand the budget the board has to work with and second, immediately begin dialogue with the community to investigate concerns that have gone unheard. 

At Purdue, Purpura works extensively on developing math and reading curricula for younger students, and he hopes to utilize this experience and create an enriching after-school program for elementary students.

WL CARE has chosen to endorse David Purpura for a few reasons.

1. Purpura supports all seven WL CARE demands. Furthermore, he has a thoughtful transition plan to enact the second demand.

2. He is a strong advocate for greater board transparency and will immediately initiate community dialogue if elected.

3. Purpura’s extensive experience developing early education curricula will be extremely valuable in creating an enriching after-school program for WLCSC’s younger students.

For more information, check out Purpura’s website here.

Sara Poer

Sara Poer is a local artist and parent based in West Lafayette who seeks to support students and staff of all backgrounds. She’s a major proponent of the arts and will push for integration of the arts into every classroom.

Poer decided to run after attending a virtual school board meeting regarding the COVID-19 reopening plan. According to Poer, many parents in attendance opposed the plan proposed by the board and administration and felt that their opinions were not adequately taken into consideration. In her experience, the current school board’s tendency to meet with people individually has led to a lack of transparency in communication amongst parents and community members. This experience with the board has been a key motivator for Poer to champion transparency and open communication between the school board and the larger community. 

Her top priorities include passing the seven demands outlined in WL CARE’s letter addressed to the school board and WLCSC administrators, ensuring the safety and support of staff of color, focusing on integrating the arts into classrooms, and hiring therapists and counselors for each school. Additionally, she’d like to focus on the unique needs of international students, special needs students, and students coming from non-nuclear families. Poer recognizes their individual needs and seeks to create an accepting environment that will not ostracize them.making sure these students do not feel othered by staff or curricula.

On the COVID-19 front, Poer wants to ensure that the school eliminates e-learning disparities between students, alleviating pressure on them to choose the in-person instruction option.

It’s particularly notable that Poer has committed to resigning her board seat if Yue Yin, the only woman of color in the race, does not win a seat but Poer does. She will recommend Yin as the replacement for her seat. While Yin would still need to be brought in for an interview with the board, we believe allowing Yue the chance to interview shows a commitment to diversity far above what any of the other candidates promise. 

WL CARE has chosen to endorse Poer for a few key reasons: 

1. She supports all seven WL CARE demands.

2. One of her main priorities will be increasing transparency within the board to ensure that concerns from community members and groups do not remain ignored.

3. Her actionable support for fellow candidate Yue Yin demonstrates a true commitment to diversity.

For more information, check out Poer’s website here.

An earlier version of this feature claimed that a candidate can choose their replacement if voted on to the board. This is incorrect, and the information has been updated accordingly. We apologize for the error.

Dacia Mumford

Dacia Mumford is an extremely involved parent and former teacher in the WLCSC community. Motivated by the concern that parents such as herself have felt ignored by the current school board, Mumford decided to run to ensure that the board listens to the community and appropriately addresses their concerns. If elected, she states that she’ll push for public access to school board meetings, as well as open and transparent communication.

Another top priority for Mumford is teacher turnover. She’s written extensively about this issue on her website. One of her primary focuses as a prospective board member will be investigating the reasons behind high teacher turnover in the district and working towards preventing this issue. 

Mumford supports six of the seven WL CARE demands. Her concern lies with the second demand of ending the contract with the West Lafayette Police Department (WLPD). While she does not fully support this demand, she is open to reducing the number of SROs for the school corporation, depending on community input. In addition to her stance on SROs, Mumford feels very strongly about hiring social workers for each of WLCSC’s schools.

WL CARE has chosen not to endorse Mumford due to her stance on SROs. While we commend her focus on transparency and preventing frequent teacher turnover, we do not support keeping SROs in schools. However, we also greatly appreciate her openness to consider the negative consequences SROs have on BIPOC students and her commitment to hiring school social workers. Furthermore, Mumford’s stance on SROs is a noticeable improvement compared to other school board candidates who fully support keeping officers in schools. 

For more information, check out Mumford’s website here.