April 6th, we’re having at watch party at Uprise Bakery downtown on Hitt St. We’ll get things started at 7pm and go until we get the results. Find out more via the Facebook Event
Read More...The Columbia Parents for Public Schools, Columbia Council Parent-Teachers Association, and Columbia Public Schools Employee Organization are co-sponsoring a school board candidate forum in the Daniel Boone Regional Library’s Friends Room at 7pm. It’s an informal opportunity to meet the candidates and kids are welcome. I hope to see you there.
Read More...I’ll be on air with David Lile Tuesday morning around 8:20am. Be sure to tune in on 1400AM or http://www.kfru.com
Read More...May 18th, 2010
Sessions raised the most of any candidate in recent school board history — $17,284.24 — and spent almost all of it, leaving his campaign with $66.50 as of May 6, according to his 30-day-after election report filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.
“I had to work hard and make sure to get my name out there,” Sessions said, “and I think that will help when running again next year.”
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
April 13th, 2010
The board then adjourned its first session. Board Secretary and Deputy Superintendent Nick Boren took over the meeting as the other four elected board members watched.
Boren swore in incumbents Mees and Jim Whitt and newcomer Jonathan Sessions, who all were on last Tuesday’s ballot.
With its new members, the board unanimously re-elected Mees as president and Tom Rose as vice president.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
April 7th, 2010
Jonathan Sessions, a newcomer to the Columbia School Board, secured a one-year term, after he started last-minute campaigning at 5 a.m. Tuesday. By the time he was declared a winner to about 35 people at his watch party at Uprise Bakery, he said he was exhausted.
Sessions got 11,597 votes, versus 7,570 cast for MU Law School professor Phil Peters. Sessions, a Columbia native and Hickman High School graduate, owns a technology consulting company in town. He plans to incorporate more technology education in the classroom and improve student achievement. After the results were announced, including voter approval of a $120 million bond issue, he said his first priority was to help develop a new high school.
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
April 7th, 2010
Breakdown of 2010 municipal election results by precinct. Select a race and precinct to see totals.
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
April 7th, 2010
COLUMBIA — Voters headed to the polls Tuesday while candidates waited at watch parties for results to come in…
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
April 7th, 2010
In the competition for a one-year seat on the board, Jonathan Sessions bested Phil Peters, claiming 60.5 percent of the vote, or 11,597 votes, to the 39.4 percent, or 7,570 votes, that Peters received.
Sessions, 27, who runs and owns Tech 2 Consulting, which offers information technology services, used his age as a campaign advantage compared to Peters, a 60-year-old law professor.
“I liked the fact that he’s going to add another dimension to the board,” said Eryca Neville, assistant director of the University of Missouri’s College of Education teacher development program.
Sessions also raised the most money, $15,163.13. “I think I’ve worked hard, and I’ve ran an excellent campaign,” Sessions said last night at Uprise Bakery, the site of his watch party.
The campaign’s impact was evident on Sessions as he shook hands and chatted with supporters. His face was sunburned from walking door-to-door last weekend, and his voice was hoarse.
Supporter Tim Parshall said Sessions had reached some 1,200 homes in the past week.
“Jon’s not running an issue-oriented campaign,” Parshall said. “He’s saying, ‘I’m experienced but fresh.’ ”
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
April 6th, 2010
Final
Mayor: Bob McDavid
Third Ward: Gary Kespohl
Fourth Ward: Daryl Dudley
School Board: Jan Mees, James Whitt and Jonathan Sessions
Proposition 1 on downtown cameras: Yes
School Bond: Yes
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
April 6th, 2010
In the school board race for a three-year seat, voters were asked to decide who would fill two seats. Jan Mees was the choice of 77 voters, Jim Whitt of 53 voters and Dan Holt of 48 voters.
The race for a one-year school board term pitted Jonathan Sessions against Phil Peters, and Sessions had a 67-35 vote margin.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 31st, 2010
QUESTION ONE
What is your take on the quality of food the district serves its children for breakfast and lunch?
QUESTION TWO
Do you feel a responsibility as a school board member to ensure school lunches include more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and fewer high-fat, high-sodium and sugary foods?
JONATHAN SESSIONS:
1. In speaking with Laina Fullum, the director of Nutrition Services for Columbia Public Schools, and many CPS Nutrition Services employees during tours of schools in the district, it is clear that CPS provides a high-quality breakfast and lunch along with an excellent nutrition education.
2. It is clear to me that CPS Nutritional Services has made a priority of, and is already delivering, school lunches with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Fullum recognizes the correlation between healthy eating habits and fighting diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Nutritional Services is working with vendors to provide food and educational opportunities from local food producers and farmers to reduce the impact CPS has on the environment and to educate students about where their food comes from. I believe these food and educational opportunities will help students creating healthy eating habits. The board needs to support Fullum and her team’s plans to continue to provide nutritious meals for our students.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 31st, 2010
Q: For the 2009-10 school year, Columbia ranked ninth out of its 12 comparison school districts in starting teacher salary, which in Columbia is $34,353 per year. What specific programs or areas, if any, would you propose to slash or eliminate to increase teacher pay?
Sessions: Though the starting salary for teachers is lower in Columbia than some other districts, it is important to note, the top end of the salary schedule is typically much higher that other districts (Jefferson City Public Schools, for example). We must remember that 80 percent of the district’s budget is comprised of salaries; therefore, the only way to gain additional dollars for starting salaries is eliminating positions — a step I am not willing to take. Next year’s budget has already been finalized by the current board; hopefully, a year from now, with a turn in the economy, the board will be able to address the issue of starting salary without further reduction in programs or personal.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 30th, 2010
The competition for a one-year term on the Columbia Board of Education has generated more than $20,000 in campaign contributions, making it one of the most competitive school board races in recent history, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
Jonathan Sessions and Phil Peters are running for a one-year seat on the board.
Three other candidates are vying for two threeyear spots on the board: Dan Holt and board members Jim Whitt and Jan Mees.
Candidates filed their last financial reports before next Tuesday’s election yesterday — eight days before the election. A glimpse at the reports offers a look at how candidates have tried to fund their campaigns as well as tactics they’ve used to spread their messages.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 30th, 2010
Q: Extended-suspension hearings, which are held after a student has been suspended for 10 days or more because of a “very, very serious” action, have more than doubled in recent years in the school district. How do you view suspending students from school as a form of punishment?
Sessions: While I understand the need to remove students from the schools for the safety of themselves and others, after reading (a Tribune) article, I worry that 10-day suspensions are viewed as more of a vacation than a punishment by some students. The administration should look at punishment options that keep students in school and options that detour this behavior before it happens.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 30th, 2010
When Jonathan Sessions’ friends and family heard about him running for Columbia School Board, they asked him why he would want to do that at his age.
“That’s why I want to do this — because no other 27-year-old is,” he said. “I’m always looking for something to be challenging because it’s time for members of our generation to step up to the educational challenges facing our community.”
Sessions, owner of a technology consulting company, Tech 2, is running against Phil Peters to fill the year remaining in the late Rosie Tippin’s term. The election is April 6.
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
March 29th, 2010
Q: What level of emphasis should the school district place on Missouri Assessment Program scores?
Sessions: Assessment is vital for determining where the district stands academically. MAP scores provide the district with quite a bit of information about student performance collectively and by subgroups; however, MAP scores are only a snapshot of our students’ performance. The district should use MAP scores in conjunction with other forms of assessment when making decisions about student performance.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 29th, 2010
I’d like to see Jonathan Sessions get a chance for the one-year seat. He’s an infusion of youth and vigor, which any board needs from time to time.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 19th, 2010
When asked for their opinion of tying professional compensation and rewards to student achievement, including test performance, the candidates responded:
Jonathan Sessions:
It looks good on paper, but until he sees an instance where it works in a public school setting and teachers approve of it, he would hold off.
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
March 17th, 2010
Jonathan Sessions is on pace to raise more money than any candidate in recent Columbia Board of Education history…
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 17th, 2010
Four of the five candidates for the Columbia Board of Education would cut a music program rather than a trade program if faced with the choice, they told about 50 people last night at a forum…
...Sessions said he teaches a course at the Columbia Area Career Center and also leads a music youth group.
“I’m on both ends of that spectrum,” he said.
He said his decision would come down to what would have the most drastic negative consequences for student learning…
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 12th, 2010
...J. Scott Christianson owns Kaleidoscope Videoconferencing, which has received IT help from Tech 2. Christianson met Sessions about six years ago.
“I think he’s got a real desire to do what’s right for folks,” said Christianson, who is running for Boone County presiding commissioner.
In his experiences, Christianson said governance boards composed of similar-aged, similar-thinking people perform worse than diversified boards. The broader the perspectives in an organization, Christianson said, “the better solutions they come up with in the end.”
No current school board member was born after 1966. Christine King, 44, is the youngest board member. Jim Whitt, 63, is the oldest.
“He brings kind of a different generation’s perspective to the school board,” Christianson said of Sessions.
Sessions also said his more recent high school experience gives him a better understanding of what students today are going through…
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 11th, 2010
...asked what the candidates would do to incorporate low-income black families who might fear the brick and mortar of school buildings and the college degrees administrators and teachers have….Sessions cited a long-term goal of the district’s to improve its community outreach. He said the district should reach out to underserved populations, “open doors and make people feel welcome.”
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 11th, 2010
Andrew Twaddle, a retired resident, was concerned about parents ill-prepared to participate in their children’s education process. He asked the candidates how they would try to incorporate parents into decision-making…
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
March 10th, 2010
Sessions said a better way of helping student learning rather than No Child Left Behind is intervention models in which schools react when a student might be struggling, citing the one used at West Boulevard Elementary. He said the law has good aspects, “but it may not have the best approach to solve the problems.”
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 9th, 2010
Jonathan Sessions
“It brought a lot of attention to troubling matters, but it may not have been the best approach.”
“I think we’ll continue to see a change.”
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
March 6th, 2010
Sessions said money was a factor, as well. He said he favors the bond issue, which will allow a new grade configuration in each high school, grouping grades 9-12 rather than grades 10-12 as Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools do now.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 4th, 2010
My appearance on the Mediacom Newsleaders program playing all the month of March on Headline News—Mediacom channel 43.
March 3rd, 2010
Candidates for the April 6 municipal election filed campaign finance reports last week. Mayoral candidate Jerry Wade led all council candidates, receiving a little more than $23,000. Jonathan Sessions led all school board candidates with roughly $10,700…
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
March 2nd, 2010
School board candidate Jonathan Sessions (left, Missourian photo) leads his opponent Phil Peters, with $10,793 to Peters’ $2,533. Sessions largest donors include Russell Potterfield ($500); pharmacist Bob Kilgore ($250); and his own firm, Tech 2 Consulting ($950).
Posted by: Columbia Heartbeat
February 23rd, 2010
PS Gallery on Broadway was packed with local art and local supporters within a half-hour of the 6:30 p.m. start time. It was clear upon entering the room that Sessions is no ordinary candidate….
Posted by: School House Talk
February 13th, 2010
President Jan Mees and James Whitt, both running for three-year terms were, were in attendance, as well as Jonathan Sessions and Philip Peters Jr., who are running for one-year terms. Dan Holt was unable to attend. The candidates stood holding signs with their names on them, laughing and…
Posted by: School House Talk
February 2nd, 2010
In a sentence, your educational philosophy: “The key to top-notch education is the interaction of students with their teachers both in and out of the classroom; such relationships provide a pathway to post-secondary education, a successful career, and a lifelong love of learning.”
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
January 20th, 2010
...yesterday, filing closed for the three open seats on the seven-member board. Five candidates filed to run for the positions, all submitting within days after filing opened in mid-December.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
January 18th, 2010
...Until yesterday, Mees, Whitt, Dan Holt and Phil Peters all had filed their candidacies for the three-year terms. DeSpain has said she will not seek re-election. Jonathan Sessions was the only candidate to file for the one-year seat now held by Whitt, who is serving out a term after former board member Rosie Tippin resigned in May for health reasons…
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
December 15th, 2009
It’s the first day of filing for seats on the Columbia Board of Education, and already at least five candidates plan to run for three open seats. Two seats with three-year terms and one seat with a one-year term are up for election. They include the seats now held by board members Jan Mees, Karla DeSpain and Jim Whitt, respectively.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
June 13th, 2009
Jonathan Sessions, co-owner of consulting firm Tech 2 and teacher at the Columbia Area Career Center, speaks as a school board candidate at forum on June 10 in the Elm Street Ballroom.
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
June 11th, 2009
The Columbia School Board votes on Thursday to replace a vacant seat on its board.
Wednesday evening, contenders for the seat answered questions at a public forum held at the Upper Crust in downtown Columbia. Each candidate had a two minute introduction followed by a question and answer period.
Posted by: KOMU
June 10th, 2009
Seven of the eight School Board candidates to replace Rosie Tippin were questioned Wednesday night about challenges they might face and solutions they could offer.
“This is your opportunity to ask them whatever you want,” moderator Sean Spence said to the audience.
Posted by: Columbia Missourian
June 6th, 2009
Eight people have applied to take Rosie Tippin’s seat on the Columbia School Board. They are former board candidates Dan Holt and Sam Phillips, computer consultant Jonathan Sessions, professor emeritus John Miles, parent activist Robin Hubbard, youth basketball coach James Whitt, early childhood agency director Philip Peters and concerned mother Martha Tomlin-McCrary.
Posted by: Columbia Daily Tribune
March 29th, 2006
When Jonathan Sessions’ professors address his class, they usually begin, “Ladies and gentleman.” Sessions, an elementary education major, is the only man in most of his courses. He first enrolled at MU as a music education major, studying to teach kindergarten through 12th grade. But working with a children’s choir at a local church convinced him to focus on teaching elementary school students in the classroom.
Posted by: Mizzou Alumni Association Magazine