The Sioux City School District held three forums Tuesday evening for the candidates for the superintendent position.
Community members submitted questions about transparency and student achievement for candidates to answer during their public forums.
The three candidates are Dr. Tim Miller, Dr. Will Pickens III, and interim superintendent Jim Vanderloo.
First up was Miller, who currently serves as executive director of the Uvalde Moving Forward Foundation.
During Miller’s forum he said he aims to listen, learn, and understand the community, adding he will be involved not only with school events but also community events.
He noted that out of all three candidates he is the only one who has experience as a superintendent. Miller was superintendent at Cleburne ISD in Texas for four years.
Miller added that to create transparency, there must be communication, openness, and understanding of the different nuances of the community.
Following Miller was Dr. Will Pickens. Pickens is currently the deputy chief of schools for Chicago Public Schools.
Pickens said he would bring a unique perspective to the school district because he has taught at various school settings in different states.
He added he would implement different advisory boards to get feedback from stakeholders, students, teachers, and community members and be more accessible to create transparency.
Pickens said he wants to continue expanding and leveraging the tools the school district has implemented that have shown success for student achievement.
Finally, it was interim superintendent Jim Vanderloo’s forum. He mentioned how multiple generations of his family have gone through the Sioux City School District and how it has been a positive experience, including for himself.
Vanderloo added he knows the strengths of the school district and its weaknesses where it needs to improve.
He said the district needs to provide for their teachers as the workload continues to increase and that a teacher shortage is not an issue only in Sioux City but also across the country.
Vanderloo mentioned the school district is spending more money than what it is bringing in, adding he wants to be more efficient with the resources that the school district has.
All three of the candidates said if they are selected and the school board allows them to be here long-term, that’s what they are aiming for.
