Amanda Berg

What made you interested in becoming a school board member?

Through the years of having kids in the school district, we’ve had a lot of issues with being able to have them challenged. [I want to make sure students are] ready for the world and I want to make sure they’re prepared for that. I plan on preparing kids for the world by having more opportunities and classes and making sure they get more of trade school programs.

One of my biggest pushes is to really try and get that going forward and working with ABC of Iowa. That is an educational program that does apprenticeship programs for welding, electricians, plumbing, all kinds of things. I work with them currently.

Students are being taught incorrect things. There has been lots of talk about CRT [Critical Race Theory]. That is a concern …there are teachers out there that are promoting it. I want to make sure that doesn’t get promoted and taught. It is illegal in Iowa to teach that, so I’d like to make sure it stays that way.

What do you see as our district’s strengths, specifically as they relate to the high school?

In high school, we have a lot of opportunities for athletics and classes that are offered and it’s a great starting point for moving forward.

What problems or concerns facing the district are priorities to you? How would you address these concerns? 

I would like to make sure that parents are involved a little bit more so they can understand what is going on, what is being taught and what your child is going through.

[This could be addressed through communication.] Communication is a big thing. Talking to parents, talking to teachers and students, and talking with anybody that’s involved or not involved. Being social with people in the community, finding out what their concerns are, and just being open. Having the ability to have someone come up and start a conversation with you.

Should financial support of activities (the arts and athletics) be tied to the number of students involved, the success of the programs, or other factors?

That’s something that needs to be looked into more before I give an honest answer.

What do you think about the school’s current budget distribution? For example, do you think we spend too much money in some areas and not enough in others?

I want to look at the facts of what’s been going on, look to years past to see how things go, and compare them to see what has happened and what’s become of it and to move forward with that. I work a lot with numbers with my job and at our church, I’m treasurer our church.

How do your children influence your opinions on issues?

I don’t think my kids are going to influence too much. It’s going to be more the student body than it would be them. Like I said, I want to take facts. So if I hear something from one of my kids, it’s not like I don’t have another source to go to and find out what is really going on, then move forward if we need to.

What should we do to get highly qualified teachers to come to Atlantic and stay in Atlantic?

That is one thing I would really like to see students having teachers stay. There have been teachers that taught me and then taught my kids. I like to see that, and it’s nice to have that community. We have a lot of teachers that we have gone through in the last five years and it’s unbelievable. I don’t know what has been done to keep teachers, whether it’s their contracts, community, or personal issues, but I would like to keep teachers a lot more than a couple of years. I don’t want to see kids having to deal with a new way a teacher’s teaching something.

What do you want students to know about you and your goals?

I bring a different perspective and a different view.  I want people to have the ability to come up to me with any questions or concerns and be able to discuss that, can be done, what needs to be done. I just really want to open that communication with parents, teachers, students.I want to make sure we can get things solved if there’s an issue and just get things out there and talk about it so everybody does know what’s going on.

Is there anything else you would like to say about your campaign?

I’ve been involved in the school for a long time and I have two kids in school, they’ve been here from kindergarten on. I’ve been on the preschool board through Zion [Lutheran Church] for a few years. I’ve been on the governing board at church for a long time. I just really want to make sure that lines of communication are open and we get teachers to stay, make sure we work well as a community and we can bring everybody together.