Mandey Coltrane believes her experiences in the military and in human resources make her a good fit for the school board.
“Both of those roles are about representing and working for someone else, not just yourself,” she said.
Coltrane grew up in Lake Charles, La. She joined the military after graduating from high school, and served as a signals analyst in the Air Force. She was stationed in Japan for four years.
She later moved to Kansas and met her husband, Brian Coltrane. Together, they have three children: Caden, 13, Maxton, 9, and Alivia, 8.
Coltrane has worked in human resources for 11 years, and until recently had worked five years at Russell Stover.
She said she decided to run for the school board before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Since then, she’s become even more interested in the position.
“With the way the world is and so many political debates, I want to make sure the best interests of the kids are being kept in mind and that everyone is seeing the big picture instead of pushing their own thoughts,” she said. “I also want to preserve and improve the quality of our school system.”
Since the pandemic, the board has heard very passionate pleas from parents regarding COVID-19 policies. How would you address those issues?
Coltrane is opposed to a mandate that required children and staff to wear masks in class.
“I did not like sending my kids to school in a mask. I understood why, but it was very hard to have them on all the time. If a child is sick, they shouldn’t be at school. It’s up to the parents to decide what is best for their child.”
She noted that schools initially required temperature checks for all children at the start of the school day.
“I would prefer temperature checks before requiring masks.”
She’s also opposed to a vaccine mandate. While many immunizations are required for children to attend school, that doesn’t include every vaccine. For example, children are not required to get a flu shot, though they are recommended.
She believes the COVID vaccine also should be left to parents to decide.
If the board continues to face those types of policy decisions, Coltrane said she would share her opinions before a vote and would accept the majority’s decision.
“At the end of the day, we are all playing for the same team.”
This board will oversee the completion of the new elementary school and decide what to do about existing school buildings. What would you like to see happen?
“I’m really excited for the new building. I think it’s going to be very good for the community,” she said. “We have three kids, and my oldest has never been in the same building as my two youngest. I know that’s going to help a lot of parents.”
Her wish for the existing buildings is to convert them into recreation centers, in the style of a YMCA or some type of summer programming.
And while the city does have a recreation center and community building in Riverside Park, she believes the old school buildings would offer more space and opportunities to expand programs.
She also would support a plan that used the buildings for some type of technical training or school.
Enrollment continues to decline at Iola schools and other districts in Southeast Kansas. Lower enrollment translates to less funding. What concerns do you have about that?
A loss of enrollment, and a corresponding loss of funding, could eventually lead the district to cut extracurricular activities.
Coltrane would not like to see that happen.
“It’s very important for students to have those extracurricular activities and a good quality sports program.”
She said she wasn’t sure what solutions it might take to reverse the trend.
Coltrane’s husband is from this area, so that’s the primary reason they moved to Iola from Pittsburg. She said she also was excited for the opportunity to send her children to a smaller school system.
“In bigger districts, kids get lost,” she said. “We have something great, and keeping that reputation is very important.”
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