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SEP School Board Candidate - Lori Slings

Southeast Polk School Board Candidate: Lori Slings

Lori Slings is Vice President of Mortgage Lending at Bankers Trust. She is a SEP graduate and the proud mother to four adult children, Isaac, Jacob, Grace and Corrina. Lori has volunteered on many boards, committees, organizations and fundraisers. She was President of the Altoona Jaycees that originally fundraised the Old Town Street Lights and Hanging Baskets. She has served as an Officer and member since 2002 of the SEP Athletic Booster Club, Vocal Music Boosters, Altoona 150 Volunteer Chair and Director of SEP Dollars for Scholars. She has served on the Altoona Sign Committee, Highway 65 Bypass Committee, Altoona RAGBRAI Committee and Altoona Palooza. She has recently joined the Altoona Lions Club and the Altoona Kiwanis. Lori was elected in 2007 and is serving her 12th year on the SEP Community School District Board of Education having served as president and vice president numerous times. She has served on the board through the construction of the High School and the renovation of the Junior High and numerous other construction projects within the district. While on the board worked to lower the district tax rate of almost $22.00 per thousand dollars down to $15.50 per thousand in 6 years taking us from one of the highest taxed districts in the State to one of the lower rates in the State of Iowa by almost $6.00 per thousand. She worked on the boundary of each building ensuring manageable enrollment throughout the district alleviating the need for immediate construction.

Goals: to continue to increase the rigor and expectations of our students and staff while being fiscally responsible for an ever growing district. To make sure that every single student feels safe and secure to learn at their own potential and that the SEP staff enjoys a safe collaborative teaching and learning environment. The High School bond will be paid off in 2023 and to continue to fund building projects attributed to our healthy growing district. Always listen to invested members of the community.
Lori believes that the most important investment in our state should be the education of our youth.

Question #1: Why are you running for this seat?

Because I do not feel like my work on the board is done yet. We still have not renovated or built a new football stadium and a new turf softball field. These are two items that I know are in need of updating or constructing to make sure we do in fact complete these 2 projects. I have been part of the board working to get our district to a point where we can focus on these two items while still continuing to raise the bar on student expectations of our students, teaching and learning standards and being fiscally responsible AND ensuring all of our students feel safe in school. Other projects have taken priority over these two projects for the past 12 years. I truly believe we are at a point where we have long ago outgrown our current facility as they sit and need to give the voters a serious opportunity for voting for said project improvements to the secondary campus as the high school is set to be paid off in 2023.

I believe there is more work to do to raise the bar in our students AP participation. I believe we also can do more to ensure each and every student when they walk out the door with their diploma is ready to go into either a career post high school or be prepared rigorously for post high school education training and career apprenticeships. There are so many things I can focus on in this question. I have tried to touch on a few.

Question #2). What will you be contributing to this role that will provide a positive impact?

I plan to continue with my experience having served 12 years on the board of education. Guidance and leadership to the newer members as needed or requested. Focus on staying on the topics of our district’s goals. The desire to make sure each building meets their individual teaching and learning goals for their students. I guess experience is my best asset that can have a positive impact for the district as a whole and in support of all of the board members. I enjoy and am happy serving the district, the staff, the board, the taxpayers, the community and the students.

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