BOE candidate Cassandra Veale brings big ideas to the table
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — School Board candidate Cassandra Veale is confident in her ideas for the St. Joseph School District.
Already working with kids as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Veale said she believes her experience will help SJSD.
"I feel like I could be a big help in that area and help get some collaboration with some community resources to kind of build up what we could do in the district," said Veale.
Veale's three main points backing her campaign consist of behaviors and attendance throughout the district, teacher recruitment and retention and creating more equitable opportunities between two high schools.
Based on answers from School Board candidate forums, Veale expressed analyzing behaviors in classrooms and looking to see what resources are available to assist teachers with big behaviors.
"In my practice, I primarily work with children who have been affected by trauma, and so I see a lot of those kids that have had some issues at school," said Veale. "I see a lot of the kids at the Alternative Learning Center. I'm very connected with the staff in the district, I hear stories from them as well."
Veale said she wants to advocate for teacher resources when it comes to kids expressing bigger emotions.
"It is a big issue. It's affecting everything, and these kids have these things happen in class and the teachers are having to stop what they're doing, stop their instruction, address the behavior in the child, and then, you know, get them out and separated and then turn around and calm down the rest of the class and be expected to go on about their school day," said Veale. "I think that's a big ask for a teacher."
Veale mentioned, although students are resilient, they're fragile in situations with big behaviors.
As for teachers, providing more resources would help keep them in SJSD.
"I think that's one of our biggest strengths within the district, and I would like to help attract new teachers and keep those wonderful teachers that we still have here at our schools," said Veale.
When it comes to her positions of the two high school model, Veale said she's in support of them.
With one student who attends Central and another who attends Lafayette- Veale said she see's the difference.
"I am seeing first-hand, the differences, especially within our high schools that we have here in town," said Veale. "I would like to work on making it more equitable within the schools, giving all the kids kind of equal footing in results or in regards to court selection activities, amenities, things like that."
In the same regard, Veale said she is in support of proposition two, a measure which would kick-start the construction of two new high schools in the district and would adhere to SJSD's long-range plan in converting to a two-high school model.
"I totally understand people who are attached to their high schools, I am very attached to my alma mater- I graduated from Lafayette. I'm very proud that I went there," said Veale. "I think we need to find some way to honor those memories and honor those schools and all the things that we've achieved throughout the years the school district has been here, but at the same time, I think doing what's best for the kids- is moving forward."
You can learn more about each candidate running for the St. Joseph School Board every Tuesday through the end of March.
