Meet a Waukee Candidate: Larry Lyon

On Sept. 13, Waukee area voters will decide who should serve on the Waukee school board.

There are three seats up for grabs in the election. Susan Bunz, Larry Lyon and Jerry Ripperger are all in the race to keep their seats on the board, while newcomers Todd Dohrmann, Kurt Hiatt and Rob Thelen hope to replace them.

Today on Waukee Patch we profile the third of six candidates running for the Waukee school board.

Name: Larry Lyon

Age: 49

Occupation: Owner/contractor at Mr. Fix It and Remodelworks

Address: 606 Boone Drive, Waukee

E-mail: LarryL8779@aol.com

After serving seven years and two terms on the Waukee Board of Education, Larry Lyon feels confident about the work he's done with the Waukee Schools. But it's not something that can be measured in achievement.

"I'm not seeking re-election because I'm trying to accomplish one thing," he said. "My father used to say that community service was the rent you pay for space on Earth. Serving my community has always been important to me and the schools are something I'm very passionate about."

Lyon, a Waukee resident since 1996, has served on just about every board, committee and volunteer initiative available. He's served on the Waukee City Council, Waukee Rotary, Waukee Chamber of Commerce and even helped found the Waukee Leadership Institute.

Still, Lyon says that his involvement with the Waukee School Board has meant more since his three children — Logan, 17, Lucas, 11, and Lansing, 8 — all go to school in Waukee. It gives him a firsthand account of what actually happens in the classroom.

"I think we really have to listen to what our kids are saying," said Lyon about decisions made by administrators. "That's ultimately who we're making decisions for."

Lyon said he's firmly behind standards-based grading after researching and seeing it in use. He also said with Waukee's current rate of growth, a second high school is inevitable. He said the district should considering specializing the school's curriculum, sharing space with another institution that could use the building at night or on weekends, or even building it with the intent of re-purposing it at a later date.

"Yes, let's build that space, but let's also get maximum utilization out of it," he said. "I think we need to start thinking out of the box with the second high school. There are plenty of options out there and a lot of time to discuss them."

One immediate topic Lyon hopes to settle is the hiring of a communications director for the district.

"I started talking about it two years ago," he said. "It's important to me. The size we are now? We can't expect the superintendent to be this someone telling the public about all the great things happening in the district. We need someone to help us get that information out."