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Iowa school board election day is Tuesday, September 8, 2009 and local voters go to the polls to elect three members to the board of education for the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School. Candidates for the three Director District At Large four-year terms are: Mike Bearden , Doug Rowe, and Deb Cooley. Polls will be open from 12:00 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Candidate information:

1. What is your name:

Deborah J Cooley

2. What position are you running for:

The Gladbrook Reinbeck Board of Education

3. What town do you reside in:

My address is actually Grundy Center; however, we live near Morrison.

4. Family info:

My husband of 14 years is Paul Cooley, from Morrison. We have three children: Josh, age 11 and in 6th grade; Rachel, age 8 and in 3rd grade; and Megan, age 4 and in preschool.

5. What is your occupation:

I'm a certified public accountant currently serving as the Chief Financial Officer of Mid-Iowa Cooperative in Beaman.

6. Education:

I hold a Bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting from Iowa State University.

7. Hobbies:

I enjoy time with my family, reading and traveling.

8. Other personal info:

I grew up in and graduated from a small, rural, consolidated school district in southern Iowa. Our district had buildings in three of the four communities that comprised it. I understand and appreciate the passion and pride of communities in a consolidated district.

9. Any years of school board service:

I do not have prior school board service. However, in past years I have served on the Reinbeck Preschool Board, two years as Treasurer and one as Chair. I fulfilled a three-year term on the Gladbrook Reinbeck Advisory Board and held the positions of Secretary and Chair. I recently completed my second year as Co-Chair of IMPACT, Reinbeck Elementary's parent-teacher group.

10. Why is serving on the school board important to you:

I'm very interested in having an active role in my children's educational development. Our district, like many others in the State of Iowa, will face tough decisions in the near future. I feel it's extremely important to make fiscally responsible choices without compromising the quality of the education we offer to our students. We can have academic excellence and intellectually rigorous programs if we work together to make sound decisions.

1. Name: Mike Bearden

2. Seat Running for: Gladbrook-Reinbeck At Large

3. Where you live: 717 Edgeland Gladbrook

4. Family info (spouse, how many children, ages):

Lori-Wife, and Rachel 17 (Senior at GR) Dan 21, senior at ISU

5. Occupation: Professional Engineer, Vice President and Partner of Clapsaddle-Garber Associates, a consulting civil engineering firm in Marshalltown managing and designing municipal street and airport improvement projects

6. Education: Graduate of Gladbrook High School. B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Iowa State University.

7. Hobbies: I enjoy attending GR and ISU sporting events.

8. Other Personal info: Currently serving on the Gladbrook Theater and Matchstick Marvels Board as well as the Gladbrook Fitness and Wellness Center Board.

9. Years of School Board Service: Served on Gladbrook and Gladbrook Reinbeck School Board from 1995 until 2003, from 2004 to 2007 and from 2008 to current.

10. Why is serving on the school board important: Providing a good educational system for our children is important to maintaining our communities and in recruiting families to move into our communities. I feel I have a good working knowledge of the school finances and regulations from my previous 13 years on the School Board. As in the past, I will be available for parent, citizen and teacher concerns and comments and be willing to look at new ideas and help explain state rules and regulations that a school district must follow. I have demonstrated while on the GR School Board that I have no specific agenda but will work with the other school board members, administration, teachers and all communities to continue to make the GR school district a leader in educational opportunities for children while containing tax payer cost.

My name is Douglas Rowe and I am running for a seat on the Gladbrook-Reinbeck School Board.

Some people have asked me, "Why do you want to be on the board again?" It is pretty simple in my mind. I want to serve on the School Board. I have no agenda. My goal is to help make GR the best district in the area. A place where parents want to send their children to learn, a place where teachers want to teach, and a place where people want to live. We have to do these things to help attract families to our school district.

I am a 1979 graduate of the Gladbrook Community Schools. I attended Marshalltown Community College and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. I am married to Andrea (Knaack) from Reinbeck. We have a son Alex who graduated from G-R in 2006 and is attending the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and a daughter, Corissa who is a Senior at G-R. We have lived in the G-R district for most of our lives. The only years that we have not were during college and a couple of years immediately after that. I am a Network Administrator for Brownells in Montezuma.

I have been active in the community and school district the last 20 plus years. I am a past President of the Gladbrook Jaycees. I served on the Peace United Church of Christ Board of Directors. I was a member of the Gladbrook City Park Improvement Committee. I have worked with young people in the areas of T-Ball, Basketball, and Volleyball. I was on the Boy Scout Troop 327 Troop Committee for several years. I have been a part of the Fine Arts Boosters and Dollars for Scholars. I have also assisted with church and 4-H trips. I previously served on the Gladbrook-Reinbeck School Board for 3 years.

A key issue for school boards is to create a long-term vision, mapping a course that provides the necessary opportunities and resources for students and teachers to reach their full potential. The board is responsible for establishing and maintaining a structure that supports this vision, empowers the staff, and provides leadership. It is difficult to provide leadership and carry out a vision when a district lurches from crisis to crisis, like a ship without a rudder. Our past School Boards have worked hard to keep our district moving forward. We have to continue moving forward, we cannot become complacent.

With my background and knowledge of our district I can help to provide the necessary leadership to keep the district on an even path. I strongly believe that we have tremendous teachers and staff working with our children. Everyone, from the youngest to the oldest has a stake in the success of our students and district. Education takes place in the classroom and the board's efforts must focus on enhancing and enriching what goes on there.

Looking back on my previous board experience, I learned a great deal and we did a lot of good things. There is a lot of work that lies ahead and I will be part of the solution and not the problem. I feel that if you can complain about a problem, you better be willing to be part of a positive solution to the problem no matter how large or small it is. I also believe that we need to continue to build on the relationship between the district and the towns within the district. We need each other. We need to work together to make our district a place people want to work for, a place where parents want to send their kids to be educated, and where everyone can show their REBEL PRIDE.