By Greg Wickenkamp, Iowa City
I’m voting for Dan Stevenson for school board because more than any other candidate, he has experience in the classroom and in effectively leading organized labor. As a former classroom teacher myself, I know that school board members who have first-hand experience of teaching and facilitating labor negotiations bring insights that are hard to get elsewhere. Working and learning in schools is challenging work, and it’s crucially important in these dangerous times that we have value-driven school board members — ones who know how to hold the line against attacks on public education, and who know how to offer robust and meaningful support for everyone in the classroom. Those of us in the ICCSD community are lucky to have Dan running to do just that.
Dan and I first met years ago through a mutual friend, emeritus education professor Bruce Fehn. Immediately, I was struck by Dan’s commitment to public education. He and his son were at Iowa City’s first annual Teach Truth event — a local response to a national call by the Zinn Education Project and other progressive education organizations. Dan’s son, then only in elementary school, spoke eloquently about the dangers of book bans. At every subsequent rally and other pro-public school initiative in which I have been involved, Dan has offered his steadfast support.
For Dan, the personal is political. His politics are informed by a deep study of history and commitment to humanism. At root, Dan is committed to doing the work necessary to create a new and better world. Like one of my educational heroes, Paulo Freire, Dan teaches students how to succeed in the world we have, and also how to make one that’s better. Working toward a better world is not an unrealizable ideal for Dan, it’s his roadmap. Aside from his 20+ years in the classroom, variously serving as president and lead negotiator of his teacher union, and raising two children, Dan does mountains of work largely outside the public eye. The dozens and dozens of people whose pathways to citizenship have been made easier by Dan, the eagerness with which countless former students greet him whenever he’s out in public, and the holistic approach he takes to teaching and other projects speaks to his broad vision.
When Dan asked me to assist with his campaign, I was deeply honored. As someone who researches the history of social movements, I know social change often depends on those willing to take on thankless work like serving on a school board. The backbone of social change is often those who can invite hard conversations, listen to a variety of perspectives, maintain humility and grace, and still remain driven by their values. For the students, educators, and future of our community, I’m excited to vote for my good friend Dan.
