Mark Ivancic

Why did you choose to run?

A couple of things. The future of America is the next generation. I am of the last generation. I’m retired. I have a strong commitment to [the] community, developing the community, and maintaining the structure and culture. And the best way to affect the next generation is [through] the school system. 95% of people go through the public school system. By being on a school board, I can sit and shape the next generation coming up behind.

What is your connection to Parkway? Where do your kids go to school, if you have any? If they don’t go to Parkway, why?

My connection to Parkway is that I’ve lived in Parkway School District for 24 years. My children did not attend Parkway; we had lived in the city, and they [went to] a private school. When we moved to Parkway, they asked to stay with the school they were with, so we let them.

What qualities can you bring to the school board?

I [am] retired from Barnes Jewish Hospital. I started as a nurse and ended up working in finance, getting a degree in business. I have a lot of operational experience [and] a lot of financial experience. I’ve been a board member on multiple not-for-profit boards. I still am on one board, [and] now I understand how a board works, how to get along on a board, how to work with others on a board [and] how to work in a situation where people don’t necessarily agree with each other. I have a lot of experience and efficiency [in] putting projects together [and] being able to do presentations. What I bring to the board is a lot of [previous] board experience. The other factor I bring to the board is the fact that my children were not involved in Parkway School District. I was not involved in [the] school district [and that] gives me that unique ability to look at things because I’m not tied into it. I have the perspective of “Well, I haven’t been here before,” so I can ask the question, “Why are we doing that?” or “Why are we not doing that?” And one of the reasons I think a lot of times in organizations — good or bad, it doesn’t matter —  [is that] we kind of get stuck doing the same things over and over again, and it takes someone from the outside to look at it and say well maybe we need to try x.

What kind of role model will you be to the students in Parkway?

I won’t be a social media role model because I have no social media, but I have a lot of integrity. If you did a background check on me, you’d find absolutely nothing wrong with me. I have a good sense of humor. I’m extremely accepting of all people, regardless of who they are — their backgrounds, their gender, their race or anything like that. I really like people. I enjoy listening to people and understanding people’s ideas and what they have to offer. Everyone has something to offer; it’s just a matter of finding what it is.

What do you do for work, if anything? How would that apply to your position on the school board?

I’m a nurse at Barnes Hospital.

Are there any big or small changes you would like to see happen in the district?

Right now, that’s hard to say because I don’t know a lot of the intricate details. I’ve looked at the financials, the board minutes and the overview of a lot of things. I think there are a couple of things. One, I’d like to say a little more emphasis on academics; I’ve noticed that some of the test scores have been slipping over the years, so I would look into that. [Something] that is not an issue right now but could be down the road is going to be revenue. Admissions are dropping and that has to do with a couple of factors — families are smaller now than they were 10 years ago. There are a lot of people that are moving out of the school districts. A school district is funded by what they call an average daily census. There’s an algorithm that’s filled out and sent to the state [according to the number of students on a daily basis], and the state gives revenue [whereas] students decrease, the net revenue [also] decreases. I think we would have to be aware that that’s going to happen down the road. The third thing is [that] I would like to see parental involvement. The big hot issue right now is parents have to have more say in schools. I agree with that, but I also have noticed that for a lot of parents who aren’t involved in the schools. [At] school board meetings, there aren’t a lot of parents [and] the ones that are there are usually complaining about something. I would like to see more involvement with the community and parents being more involved with what their children are doing in schools.

Why should people vote for you?

I have board experience, a perspective from the outside and an understanding of how large operations work. I think I can bring a different perspective to the board.