DUNAVAN, BONNER FILE FOR SCHOOL BOARD

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Two candidates filed for seats on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education Monday, a day before the filing deadline.

Daniel Dunavan, a music professor at Southeast Missouri State University, filed for a three-year term, and Sandy Bonner, a manager with Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., filed for a one-year, unexpired term.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. today to file. In April two members will be elected to serve three-year terms and one member will be elected to fill a one-year, unexpired term.

Dunavan is the third candidate to file for a three-year term. Board member Patrick R. Ruopp has filed as has Gwen Bennett.

Filing previously for the one-year term were Lyle Davis and Julia Cowsert.

Dunavan said: "We've lived in Cape Girardeau 20 years. I've been at the university that length of time. Because of my job, I have an interest in education at all levels.

"I think the quality of curriculum is of first importance," said Dunavan. "I have served at the university on various committees and have been most interested in curriculum matters," he said. "It's important to keep it modern, up to date and perhaps innovative.

"I feel the faculty is well qualified, and we are going to have to make an extra-special effort to get high-quality, resourceful and innovative people.

"I would like to see the faculty a little more involved in curriculum design," Dunavan said. "They have some innovative ideas."

He said: "Enrichment of the arts in curriculum is another important area. I feel the arts have a place in terms of enrichment, sometimes for a lifetime. Sometimes it leads to further interest and sometimes it is a springboard to a career. Educating in the arts is a part of what schools do."

He said, with a new superintendent being hired by the board this spring: "I would like to be involved in the direction this school district is going. I believe this school should serve as a model for the state. We have the kinds of people here who support education and expect the best quality."

Dunavan said the board should look for new sources for funding. "Perhaps more grant-writing should be encouraged. Some schools have been very successful in securing grants," he said.

Bonner, the mother of two daughters, said having children in the school system was one reason she is seeking a position on the board.

"I think another part of the concern is that education is such an important part of the community," she said. "A strong, stable school system is such an asset.

"This is a critical year due to the appointment of a new superintendent. I think this will be an exciting year as well," she said.

"The biggest task for the school board is the appointment of a new superintendent. That will determine the direction the school district takes the next few years," she said.

Bonner said the district should also take advantage of the fact that it is now debt free.

"A new school is needed," she said. "That is a fact, and that is something that needs to be discussed and presented to the public. There is a definite need for a middle school or an expansion."

Bonner said a board member's role is to provide direction for the district. "I'm not a teacher, and I don't think a board member does lot of one-on-one work. Instead, a board member should sit back and let the teachers use their expertise."

She said she believes education should be innovative.

"We are at a crossroads today concerning technology and education," said Bonner. "The board needs to pursue innovative ways to present these changes to students to allow them to adapt to today's working environment."

She said local businesses could be a partner to this education. "Through this time of transition," she said, "the business community, in both a financial and participative aspect, has the means to contribute to education."

Dunavan and his wife, Sheryl, live at 1479 Rose. He grew up in rural Kansas, earned a masters degree from DePauw University and worked as a professional musician for a time.

In 1971 he moved to Cape Girardeau and began working at the university. He completed his doctorate in 1987 at the University of Iowa. His wife is an English teacher at Central High School.

Dunavan is a member of St. Mark Lutheran Church and the troop committee of Troop 21 of the Boy Scouts of America.

He is president of the Missouri Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society and is a member of the Missouri Music Educators Association.

Bonner, who lives at 2024 Concord Place, is employed with Southwestern Bell as a manager of installation and repair. Her office is in Jackson. She said she handles an installation and cable crew.

She has lived in Cape Girardeau seven years, having moved to here from Sikeston.

Bonner is originally from Wisconsin. She earned a degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She also completed course work at Valparaiso University in Indiana and New Castle-Upon-Tyne Polytechnic in England.

She is a member of the Alma Schrader Parent-Teachers Association and is chairman of the Cape Girardeau community relations team for Southwestern Bell.

She is a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, where she is a Sunday school teacher and past president of the Ladies' Guild.

Bonner is a member of the League of Women Voters and is a coach for the Girl's Optimist Softball League in the summer.