Four Lindbergh Schools Board of Education candidates answered a variety of questions at a forum hosted by the district and the League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis on March 11. 

The candidates for the April 2 school board election are Rachel Braaf Koehler, current board secretary Megan Vedder, David Randelman and David Kirschner. The four are battling for two open seats on the board, currently held by Mike Shamia – who did not file for reelection – and Vedder. Vedder has served one term on the board after being elected in 2021, and Randelman previously ran unsuccessfully in 2022 and 2023, while Koehler and Kirschner are running for the first time. 

96 people were in attendance at the forum, per a count by the League. Close to 150 questions were received from community members prior to the forum via an online form, though attendees were also able to submit questions in person at the event. 

Before the question portion began, the candidates were given the opportunity to make opening statements. The candidates went in order of how their names will appear on the ballot, starting with Koehler. She talked about her numerous volunteer involvement with the district and how she has wanted to serve on the board since 10th grade, as she is a Lindbergh graduate herself. Vedder followed, emphasizing the importance of “creating an educational environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive academically, socially and emotionally” and making sure “the district’s resources are used wisely and effectively to benefit students and the community.” 

Randelman was next, though instead of giving an opening statement, he asked to yield his time to do the Pledge of Allegiance as it was not done at the start of the forum. This was met with a mix of reactions, which Kirschner addressed in his statement. 

“Already there’s a little friction here, which is a shame, right? Because in Lindbergh, we deserve more,” he said. “There’s a lot of energy, and I think sometimes it leads to some impoliteness and unkindness, and it’s not necessarily beneficial.” 

When it came time for questions, the candidates had one minute each per question to answer. By far, the most frequently asked questions centered around the support of Proposition R, a $150 million no-tax-rate-increase bond measure that will fund additional security and facility enhancements throughout the district. Both Koehler and Vedder stated that they were in favor of the proposition, while Randelman had mixed feelings. 

“My answer is ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ I toured the facilities, and with my own eyes, I’ve seen where we do need improvements. I would have liked to see a more sensible and very specific Prop R to deal with those issues because I think they need to be dealt with. We have instead lumped a big number that’s going to put a huge debt load on this district,” Randelman said. 

Kirschner does not support the proposition in its current form, and said that if he were on the board, he would have split it into two separate props: one with the “needed” items, and one with everything else that would be “put off until the financial picture of the district clears out after the pandemic.” 

Academics in the district post-pandemic were also touched on. The candidates were asked if they believe the district is behind academically since the pandemic, and if so, how they would propose to “get back on track.” All four candidates stated that they believe the district is still recovering, though Vedder emphasized that everyone in the world is trying to play catch up.

“I do think that our students have showed a lot of grit and a lot of ability to continue to succeed even through hard times. I think that Lindbergh has done a good job at looking at different curriculums to make sure that they’re suiting the needs of what students need for their education and what the school needs to have a well-rounded, research-backed curriculum for all kids to learn from,” she said. 

While Koehler, like the other three candidates, stated that the district was still recovering, she also went over the NWEA scores – an assessment platform tool that is nationally normed – that the district recently received. 

“Our students currently rank in ELA (English Language Arts) at the 77th percentile for proficient or above, and for math, it’s at the 74th percentile based on norms that were set prior to the pandemic in 2020,” Koehler said. 

Randelman stated that he believes the district is not recovering fast enough compared to neighboring “benchmark” districts, like Kirkwood and Ladue regarding MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) scores. Kirschner then encouraged people to go to his website as he has “put up documents that helped (him) to understand the former and current situation of Lindbergh in terms of the MAP score,” explaining that while test scores “took a big hit from COVID,” they were already in decline before the pandemic. 

 To watch the full video of the candidate forum, visit go.lindberghschools.ws/forum.