March 28, 2024

Meet the School Board Candidate: Q&A with Travis Padget

Editor’s Note: On Sept. 12 Newton voters will have a chance to go to the polls to elect new candidates for the Newton Community School District Board. Four seats are open on the board this year, and four candidates will appear on the ballot. Board president Travis Padget and vice president Robyn Friedman will seek re-election this fall, while board members Shari Benson and Andy Elbert have chosen not to seek re-election. Also running for school board are Cody Muhs and Graham Sullivan. This week the Newton Daily News will feature a series of Q&As with each of the four candidates to give readers a chance get to know each candidate better.

Travis Padget

Occupation: Financial Advisor

Family: Getting married this month!

Years of residence within the NCSD boundaries: Born and raised in the NCSD. Left for college and a career on the East Coast before returning to Newton in 2001.

Educational background: BA from Cornell College, MA in Counseling Psychology from Boston College, JD from University of Iowa.

Why do you want to serve on the Newton school board? I received a great education from NCSD and found myself well prepared for a college education; I enjoy being a part of providing those opportunities to our future generations. I also believe that our teachers and staff are vital to this process as they are the front-line of providing education to our students and they deserve thoughtful consideration of changes that impact their abilities to teach. Finally, our schools have the ability to positively (or negatively) impact on our local economy, so we need to make decisions with that impact in mind.

Tell us a little bit about your background: I have a long history of education and community service. I spent most of my professional career working with impoverished mental health and substance abuse clients. My work history has involved making serious decisions that could have had dramatic impact on people's lives. I like to believe that I am a very thoughtful decision maker and I tend to look through the lens of the less fortunate members of our community.

What qualifications do you think makes an effective school board member?  I find the most important qualifications are being able to ask questions and giving serious consideration to decisions. We are charged with making impactful decisions, often with decreasing financial resources; an effective school board member should be able to weigh out the impact of these decisions on our students regardless of how popular the outcome may be.

Standardized test scores are holding more weight in Iowa's education policy than ever before, What do districts such as Newton need to do to ensure continued improvement in test scores and reach 80% proficiency in each grade level?  We need to continue to focus on educating each individual within their abilities and encourage consistent growth. By just focusing on scores, we risk losing the art of teaching; we need to strive for achievement but not get lost in the numbers. I believe we can continue to achieve both individualized education and standardized test results, by providing our teachers with enhanced educational environments and allowing encouraging them to grow professionally.

What is one thing Newton is doing right? I believe we are making positive changes/updates every year targeted at enhancing the learning environment and helping our teachers become the best teachers they can be.

What's one area Newton needs improvement in? We need to improve our systems of communication and culture within the district. We have great teachers, great administration, and great staff, we just need to make sure the entire system is working as one unified district.

What's your vision for the future of Newton schools? I want to make sure our district provides the best education possible for our students and that Red Pride remains intact.

With state revenue shrinking, Iowa's public education funding levels are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. What do you see as Newton's primary funding priorities in the coming years? We will continue to take care of our teachers and our buildings as best we can with consistently decreasing funding while making every effort to keep our tax-rates as low (and consistent) as possible and maintaining a balanced budget. We will need to continue to focus our funding on making the best impact we can on classroom education for all students, while being cognizant of the impact those decisions may have on our teachers and our community.