BLAIR, NEBRASKA (2024 September 25, Wednesday)
Don Harrold, Writer / Editor
blairtoday@mail.com – Facebook
In a wide-ranging interview, Bill McAllister, a candidate for the Nebraska State Board of Education (District 3 – which includes Blair and Washington County at large), sat down with us on a beautiful September afternoon, and offered detailed insights into his educational philosophy and plans. With 37 years of experience in Nebraska education, including roles as superintendent in multiple school districts, McAllister’s campaign is built on a “Students First with Common Sense” approach.
Educational Improvement and Leadership
McAllister’s track record includes turning around low-performing schools. He explained his comprehensive approach:
“We came in, and they had a mission. I brought a vision into the school. That vision is a coliseum. It had three foundations, four pillars with an umbrella. Foundation pieces. Foundation piece number one, energy and passion. Teachers, teach from your feet, not your seat. Get up, engage, reengage, keep going. Second foundation, high expectations. The Billies of this world need people that have higher expectations for them than I had for myself. The third foundation was student safety, consistent discipline. We wanted to have a structure in place. Our four pillars were this. Number one, curriculum and assessment.”
This structured approach led to significant improvements. McAllister proudly stated:
“West Point Public School was identified as a lowest 5% academic performing schools in the state. After five years, had progress from ‘Bottom 5%’ to ‘Needs improvement’ to ‘Good’ to ‘Great’ as the state identifies academic achievement.”
Curriculum and Standards
McAllister advocates for a focused, essentials-based curriculum. He elaborated on his approach:
“We wanted to answer four essential questions. What do we want all kids to know? How do we know if they know it? What do we do if they don’t know it? And what do we do if they already know it? Those four correct questions led to a guaranteed viable curriculum. We called them our essential learning objectives. We said we want 16 essential learning objectives for every class. K through 12, every class. Ag, reading, social studies, music. Everything. No more than 16. And these are things that all kids have to know.”
Local Control and State Board Role
On contentious issues like book selection in schools, McAllister supports local decision-making while providing state-level guidance:
“I think that’s a local school board decision to say, okay, in our elementary school, we’re having no level 2 books, according to Book Look. In middle school, okay, we’re going to have 1 and 2… I would have a clear and concise policy that schools identify in their policies what books are going to be acceptable.”
Inclusive Education
McAllister advocates for an inclusive approach to public education, even for students not fully enrolled in the public school system:
“We have homeschoolers in West Point. And what I wanted to do is say, okay, I want to give those kids any opportunity. So, if they want to come to our school and take band, that maybe that’s not your gift to teach them. They can’t take the core classes if they’re not enrolled. But they can come in, and they can take band; they can take vocal music; they can take ag classes with us. Open the door for them to let them take those elective classes.”
School Safety and Discipline
On school safety, McAllister drew from personal experience and emphasized the importance of preparedness:
“I was superintendent at West Holt when we had a school shooting threat. This is a rural school now in Atkinson, Nebraska. Police drive up the lane and it was in my first three months of being a superintendent. Police drive up the lane and he comes in, and he says, ‘Bill, we have a viable threat that there’s going to be a shooting here.’… We had everybody out of that building in 20 minutes. And every student was walked to their car.”
Regarding classroom discipline, McAllister stressed the need for structure:
“We’re going to have structure here. Because when this student is interrupting the class, okay, you’re hurting 20 other kids’ education… If somebody wants a second chance, I’m 100% for them. You know, I had a lot of second chances in life. Right. But I wanted them. When somebody doesn’t want a second chance, and you give them a second chance, it leads to a third, a fourth, a fifth, and they keep disrupting schools.”
Educational Focus
McAllister emphasized a return to educational basics and a non-partisan approach:
“I want to do what’s best for kids. And I want to work with people on both sides. I would like to get away from the partisans and say, let’s just work together and do what’s best for kids. Maybe I’m naive. I think it can be done. You know. And you do that by valuing people on each side of the wall. I have my non-negotiables. Okay. But there’s other things that if you’re going to move forward, you’re going to have to compromise.”
Other Topics
McAllister also shared his views on several other important educational issues:
- Technology in Schools: “I think no cell phones is a great idea. It’s not the kids we’d have to convince it’s the parents.”
- Critical Race Theory: “I don’t support it in schools because I think it can be an excuse for kids, and I say hey, we want all kids. and all kids means all kids.”
- Religious Symbols in Schools: “If we really think putting the 10 commandments on our school walls are going to move the needle one way or another, we’re fooling them. We’re fooling ourselves. What moves the needle is valuing people and showing people, hey, I care and love you and care about you and build you up.”
- COVID-19 Response: “Where most schools went backwards in COVID was our greatest academic year.”
- LGBTQ+ Issues: “Our role in a public school is to teach all kids. And it’s not to teach them LGBTQ. It’s not to teach them transgender. But it is to teach them how to read, how to write, how to do math. And all kids means all kids. That doesn’t mean we’re going to facilitate their ideologies. It means we’re going to strictly teach you what we’re required to do because we want you to be a successful adult.”
Throughout the interview, McAllister emphasized his extensive experience and commitment to improving education for all students in Nebraska. His candidacy for the Nebraska State Board of Education is grounded in this background, offering voters a clear picture of his educational priorities and leadership approach.
When asked what qualifies him for this position, McAllister provided a compelling summary of his candidacy:
“What qualifies me is my experience in education, 37 years. Working in K-12 and higher ed, my team approach. If people, if you look on the websites and see my endorsements, you will see people who’ve worked for me, who I’ve worked with, who people that know me. And I can’t tell you the, their political views on any of them. I don’t know if you’re a Republican, a Democrat, or Independent. I don’t know. And frankly, when it comes to our schools, I don’t care. I want to do what’s best for them. I want to do what’s best for kids. And I want to work with people on both sides.”
McCallister concluded the interview with a strong statement on why voters should consider him for the Nebraska State Board of Education:
“I think my experience, look at the endorsement page and look at the people who have worked for me. West Point just being nominated or selected as a Blue Ribbon school. From a bottom 5% school to a Blue Ribbon school. 346 in the entire United States. And they say, and I looked it up, there’s about 70,000 elementary schools.”
With these words, McAllister makes a final appeal to voters, emphasizing his proven track record of improving schools and his commitment to putting students first. His candidacy offers a blend of extensive experience, a focus on core educational values, and a commitment to working collaboratively to improve Nebraska’s education system.
