Editor’s Note — Lisbon has three seats, with two incumbents running. After it was known that there was a third open seat, two write-in candidates announced they were interested in the board.
Robyn Aaron
Lisbon School Board (write-in candidate)
Biography (where did you go to school, hobbies, job/profession, experience, family):
You may already know me as “Collins’s (3rd) or Bennett’s (1st) mom”. I’m honored to have your consideration as I run as a write-in candidate for the Lisbon Community School Board.
I ran a financially successful business as a wedding photographer for over a decade. We were client-focused with an attention to detail and a strong work ethic from start to finish. I volunteer as a teacher’s helper and the Teeling Memorial Walk-a-Thon, am a Girl Scout leader (honor: Rising Star award), and on the Friends of the Library Board (recently chosen to be Secretary) — which works with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to bring free books to over 80% of Lisbon’s youngest readers.
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Communications, & minor: Studio Art from Cornell College. Afterwards, I worked in education with administration at Tufts University and the Admission Office at Cornell College.
We have made Lisbon our home since 2011. Our neighbors are some of our best friends, and we love raising our children in such a close-knit, supportive community. We love home projects, our chickens, & our garden/orchard. In addition, I love making time for a yoga class, weightlifting, a hike, and watercolor painting.
Give us your assessment of the district. What is going well; what would you like to see changed?
One of my favorite recent memories was watching the football team cheer on students walking into the building for Homecoming. This is the kind of community we witness at Lisbon Community School District.
The town of Lisbon is growing. What is the #1 item people look at when moving to a new town? Schools. All taxpayers benefit when we have a strong community school. With the introduction of vouchers to our state, it’s imperative we make Lisbon the best possible choice. I believe we can do even more! More structural additions and updates. More marketing of our strengths.
We must address our low teacher retention. Our school is not alone in this nationwide trend. Quality teachers lead to quality education for our students. To retain and attract quality talent, we need to focus on:
Competitive salary and benefits
Professional development opportunities
Supportive work environments with open communication
Continued investment in tech and resources.
Other small local districts pay better than ours. Lisbon Community School District average salary is 55 percent lower than the USA average (GovSalaries.com). In speaking with teachers, I have found that it would be a good faith effort for the board to reinstate a salary schedule – a document that provides teachers with an estimate of what they might expect as their time with the district continues.
We must be responsible with taxpayer money, too. Fiscal responsibility means sustainability — an opportunity to be prosperous well into the future for all of Lisbon’s students. This means regular audits of financial endeavors should continue.
As inevitable growth occurs, we will invest in our close-knit school’s buildings and infrastructure, take care of our teachers and staff, and meet the moment upon us. We’ll support our children’s education by allowing them the best resources we are able to provide.
Why are you running? Is there a specific issue you plan to champion?
A write-in vote for Robyn Aaron means injecting lots of new energy into the school board. I love this community and am committed to my own daughters’ education continuing at Lisbon. I want to see them and their classmates grow up learning the strong values and knowledge this community can provide.
I will offer honest & open communication, clear and compelling plans, look to inspire, and understand that visions evolve over time. I would be a champion for fair treatment of staff and faculty, a listening and open ear for the community, a creative problem-solver for marketing and improving our amazing school, and do so with financial sustainability in mind. Above all, students must have the ability to learn in an equitable environment with resources to back up their multiple levels of learning and growth.
If you are elected, what would you like to see happen during your term of office?
We’ll continue to take a hard look at the numbers, the reports, and the finances to see what’s possible. We need more classroom and office space, the reimplementation of the salary schedule for teachers, improved payment/benefit structure to support retention of quality faculty/staff members, and a strong focus on literacy at all levels. I am the type of person who will dig into the necessary details to use our resources wisely.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Thank you for getting to know me! I am a passionate problem-solver ready to work hard for our students. You can dig into some more of my ideas and find the link to my Facebook page at bit.ly/write-in-robyn. I hope you’ll VOTE NOV. 7 and WRITE IN ROBYN (that’s with a “Y”) AARON.
John Baker
Lisbon School Board (write-in candidate)
Biography (where did you go to school, hobbies, job/profession, experience, family):
My name is John Baker, I live in Lisbon along with my wife Erin and our four children. I received my Bachelor of Science in Construction Management from Western Illinois University. I currently work as a Project Executive for Rinderknecht Associates and have been with the company for 25 years. My time with Rinderknecht has given me the opportunity to lead projects for the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and most recently the Eastern Iowa Airport.
My hobbies include welding, gardening, cooking, and spending time with my family. I also volunteer for Meals on Wheels, I am member of the Master Builders of Iowa, help with United Way and several other organizations.
Give us your assessment of the district. What is going well; what would you like to see changed?
The district is doing well overall, its growing from a student perspective as well as adding additional opportunities through the facility expansions. These are all great improvements and provide great opportunity for the Lisbon School District. However, one area that I would like to see a change is an increase in the awareness when standard benchmarks are not being met, and the communication process.
Why are you running? Is there a specific issue you plan to champion?
Since moving to Lisbon in 2013, I have been involved in many of the Lisbon Community School Districts (LCSD) Committee’s that focus on the growth of our school which have led to the addition of the track, auditorium, and the most recent expansion underway which includes the industrial tech building. My background in construction/project management has allowed me to add value to each of these projects. However as noted, I would like more awareness brought to students that are not meeting the benchmarks, what the communication with their families looks like, parents/guardians should be notified as soon as this is known, and a course of action put in place.
If you are elected, what would you like to see happen during your term of office?
Continued investment in our students, providing them with opportunities that larger schools may have but here in our community. I would also like to implement a plan around foundational growth for students and more frequent communication with parents on where their children are academically.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
It would be my sincere pleasure to be elected to the Lisbon School Board. I appreciate everyone taking the time to review my writeup and hope I can count on your vote Nov. 7. I will be a write in candidate, so please do not forget to write me in. Thank you for your time and vote.
Jen Caspers
Lisbon School Board
Biography (where did you go to school, hobbies, job/profession, experience, family):
My name is Jen Caspers. I am currently finishing up my first term on the Lisbon School Board and have been President of the Board for the last two years. I was born and raised in Lisbon and am proud to say I am an alumni. My husband Chris and I chose Lisbon as the place to raise our family because we knew we wanted our children to attend Lisbon Schools. We have three children: Kaden graduated from Lisbon in 2023 and currently attends Kirkwood Community College studying to be a diesel mechanic; Lynnlee is a Sophomore and Teegan is in fifth grade.
We love spending our time attending our children’s activities from sports to fine arts and cheering on the Lions. I also work in town at Lisbon Insurance and have the privilege of serving many of our community members.
Assessment of the District What is going well; what would you like to see changed?
Lisbon is a strong and thriving small district within the state of Iowa and we have much to be proud of. During my current term in office I am proud of the things we have been able to accomplish. We adapted and overcame the challenges we faced due to COVID-19. Those trying times proved we employ a strong and dedicated staff who want to provide the best education for our students. We conducted a successful search and hired a forward thinking Superintendent who implemented and leads a strong administrative team. The change in Administration has helped improve our Culture which benefits students and staff across all levels. When a need has been identified we have worked together to problem solve and implement change where needed including adding additional class sections to maintain smaller class sizes. We also expanded Teacher Leadership and Talented and Gifted positions to grow education opportunities for our students. We have been forward thinking as we forecast what the future of Lisbon Schools looks like for our students and knew we needed to expand our CTE offerings.
This need resulted in the current bond project for a larger shop area and additional classrooms as well as a new weight room and a facelift for the entrance by the Lions Den. We identified lack of childcare offerings as a crisis in the state of Iowa and dedicated time investigating options to help alleviate this. Our efforts enabled us to open the new LECC West location where we are able to offer additional childcare openings for our area.
Why are you running?
Being a Board member is about serving the school district community and placing its needs above choosing to champion a specific issue or a personal agenda. I have chosen to run for a second term for School Board because I am very passionate about our district and want to see us continue to thrive. I am very proud of the positive changes that have been made during my current term and would like to continue working to improve our educational offerings to ensure we offer a first class education to all students. I would like to see the current building project through to ensure it is successfully completed as planned and on budget and to maintain our current facilities. I also want to continue to show value for all employees of Lisbon Schools and uphold the teaching profession in high regard. I want to ensure we honor the rich traditions of Lisbon Schools while remaining forward thinking to adapt to the changing times and are a school that continues to attract students and their families.
If elected, what would you like to see happen during your term of office?
If I am elected I would like to see the Board and Administration continue to function as a cohesive unit always keeping a first class education for our students as the main focus. I would like us to retain the strong teachers we currently have and continue to attract strong candidates for future job postings. I would like our forward thinking progress to be ongoing to ensure we continue to attract students and families to our district. Our district is in a healthy financial state and it is imperative we continue to be fiscally responsible as we look to the future.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers
Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about me and why I am running for a second term on the Lisbon School Board. Watching my children attend my alma mater gives me a great sense of pride. I would be honored to continue representing the people of the district by serving on the School Board. We chose Lisbon as the place to raise our children because Lisbon School just has something special about it.I hope you agree and take time to vote on November 7th because every vote matters!
John Prasil
Lisbon School Board
Biography (where did you go to school, hobbies, job/profession, experience, family:
I graduated from Lisbon in 1998and ISU in 2002. I currently farm on a grain and livestock farm. Been involved with seed, chemical, fertilizer and feed sales since graduation. Part owner and operator in a dozing and excavation business. Enjoy my Angus cattle and serve as vice president for Iowa angus Association.
Give us your assessment of the district. What is going well; what would you like to see changed?
Our district is doing very well. Our enrollment continues to grow and is doing well financially. Our students continue to excel in both the classroom and in extra curricular activities.
Why are you running? Is there a specific issue you plan to champion
I have enjoyed my first term on the school board. I view it as one way to give back to a district that I have immense pride in. I would like to build on our success to provide even more opportunities for our students.
If you are elected, what would you like to see happen during your term of office?
I am most excited to see the completion of our current facilities projects. These projects effect all students in our District all the way from LECC expansion to added classrooms, a state of the art career and technical education facility and also a new weight room for all of our athletes and students to utilize.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I would like to take this opportunity to express how grateful I am for all our employees. In the last few years, there has been many changes and challenges. Our administration, faculty and support staff have all worked together to create a great culture around our building, which leads to student success.
Lisbon School Board profiles
October 22, 2023
About the Contributor
Nathan Countryman, Editor
Nathan Countryman is the Editor of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun.