Riverside candidates’ wish lists overlap

Scott Ellsworth was a student in the Riverside School District for 13 years, and now he wants to help improve it, which is why he said he is running for a seat on the Riverside School Board.

Ellsworth’s history with the school district precedes his education. For over 30 years, his father worked in the school district. Now his youngest son attends Riverside High School.

“I want to help bring Riverside back to its former glory,” Ellsworth said.

His opponent, incumbent school board member Jon Roman, shares a similar sentiment. In recent years, the school district has had issues with its superintendents and budgeting, Roman said. But with the hiring of Superintendent Ken Russell last year, Roman said he is excited to play a part in improving Riverside schools.

“What drove me to the decision to rerun is that things are going really well,” he said. “Things are clicking, and I want to keep moving Riverside forward.”

Ellsworth also has been critical of the school district’s budget. More money needs to be allocated for building maintenance and renovation, he said.

“The high school has the same building features now as it did when I graduated, and that’s upsetting,” Ellsworth said.

Upgrades have been made to facilities including the high school’s football field, Roman said. Improving school buildings already has been a focus for the board, he said.

If elected, Ellsworth wants to prioritize using technology in the classroom by using electronic textbooks and digital media instead of relying on textbooks and paper.

Ellsworth also wants to implement programs to encourage alternative forms of education. Few students at Riverside High School are enrolled in the Running Start program, he said, and would like to see more students take advantage of it.

Both candidates have expressed the need for career and technical education programs.

“Students have to go further than high school, but that doesn’t mean just going to college,” Roman said. “There are technical schools, the military and many other options. They just need to be doing something to further their education.”

Improving student safety and school security is another goal shared by the candidates. The shooting at Freeman High School hit home because of the school’s similarity to Riverside High, Ellsworth said.

“I wish school security didn’t have to be such a big issue, and our kids could just go to school and not have to worry about their safety,” Ellsworth said.

His experience in law enforcement as a corrections officer could provide the school board with insights regarding school security, Ellsworth said. The schools are doing a good job with security but more can always be done, he said.

Changing the school district budget to increase security has been one of the many major improvements made in the past two years, Roman said. The school board will ask voters for a levy in February and is considering a second levy to acquire more funds for security improvements.

“Improving school safety has been my No. 1 accomplishment while on the board,” Roman said.

Roman said working to improve communications and transparency with the community and helping to hire Russell as the superintendent are among his top accomplishments. During his two-year tenure, the school board also has made great strides in improving school curriculum, especially with grade school math class, Roman said.

“I’ve always been involved with the schools here in unofficial capacities,” Ellsworth said. “But now I want to step up and see how I can make things even better.”