Braun brings teacher's perspective to USD 234 board

Note: This is the first in a three-part series of profiles on the three USD 234 BOE members running for re-election in the April 3 general election.

Looking at her 30 years of experience as a teacher and one term on the USD 234 Board of Education on her resume, one could say that Janet Braun has contributed her fair share to the education world. However, at the age of 65, this retired educator isn't quite ready to stop.

Braun, one of three current USD 234 board members running unopposed for re-election this year, said that serving on the board is her means of contributing in a different way to the school district where she received her education and helped so many young children obtain theirs.

It's that opportunity to continue to serve the school district that led Braun to run for an open board seat four years ago.

"When I took early retirement," she said, "and I saw an open position on the board, I thought that this would be a way to give back. It's also a way to add another dimension to the board. None of the other board members had been teachers, so I felt like I could add insight into any situation."

After graduating from Fort Scott High School, Braun received a bachelor's degree from Baker University and a master's degree from the University of Kansas. Afterward, she taught first grade for five years in Overland Park before becoming a special education teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School in Fort Scott, a position she would hold for 25 years.

Braun has three grown children, all of whom graduated from FSHS. Braun said that being able to have an impact in the school district in which she and her kids received their education is her favorite part of being on the board.

"I'm interested in keeping the district strong," she said. "That's why I wanted to be on the board, and that's what I like about being on the board."

Because of her extensive experience in education, Braun said she is able to relate to many of the issues facing the board today, such as school finance and student progression.

"I just understand how things work," Braun said. "I understand how various committees work. I was active in (contract) negotiations when I was a teacher, so I understood the teachers' side of it. So, it was easy for me to move over onto the board side."

Braun's experience with board meetings also helped her transition from teacher to board member.

"I always made it a point to go to board meetings," she said. "So, I had probably been going to 12 years of board meetings before I even ran. So, I was very familiar with board meetings and how they work."

Along with school finance issues, Braun said one of the most important issues being dealt with today is the issue of student progress. Since the implementation of President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, student progress has been mostly based on the federally mandated state assessment test. Braun said that while the tests do help measure student progress in reading and math, she doesn't fully support NCLB.

"I think there should be accountability and there should be progress," she said. "We should have a way of measuring where students start the year and where they end the year, and there should be progress shown. I think No Child Left Behind puts too much focus on state assessments. I hope things will get tweaked in the future so that won't be the case.

"I would rather see some other way for them to show some progress. I still want (students) to move. You know, start here and move this direction. I don't know, however, that all students will move at the same pace, but No Child Left Behind does expect that, and that's my concern."

Braun said it is the role of the board of education to ensure that the district does everything possible to provide all students with the best education possible. She said two main factors come into play in that regard.

"One is to have the best staff that you can manage to hire to do the jobs to make it a strong district," she said. "The other is that the board spends the money wisely and puts it in the right places so they do the best things for the district."

Braun said the district received a nice bonus in November of last year when her friend and longtime Winfield Scott teacher Shirley Palmer, D-Fort Scott, was elected to represent the 4th District in the Kansas House of Representatives.

"I was thrilled," Braun said of Palmer's election. "It was fantastic, because she's so aware of education. She's been in the classroom. She's very comfortable calling and asking people's opinions. She's really trying to pull in information from different people. I truly believe she's trying to represent everybody."

Along with serving on the board of education, Braun is also a member of many local organizations, including, the Children's Advocacy Council Board, the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Board, the Fort Scott Rotary Board, the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Tourism Committee and the Good Ol' Days Steering Committee, among others.