Kathy Butler – Oskaloosa School Board Candidate 2025

Oskaloosa School Board Candidate Kathy Butler

Share a little about your family and how long you lived in Oskaloosa.

We live on a family farm and have been married for 27 years. My husband Bryan is a farmer, and I am a Senior Strategic Project Manager at Musco Lighting and currently serving as President of the Oskaloosa School Board.

We have three Oskaloosa Community School graduates who were involved in football, basketball, baseball, golf, band, National Honor Society, FFA, cheer, dance, tennis, and student council.

We live on a family farm and enjoy going to events and supporting our community.

Our oldest son, Colton, is employed as a laser technician and enjoys officiating football and baseball for Oskaloosa and surrounding communities.
Our son Cael runs his own business, Butler Outdoor Services, and is a junior at Iowa State studying agricultural studies.

Our daughter Mya is a senior at Iowa State studying event management and enjoys planning and working at different events.

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Flyer provided to Oskaloosa News by Oskaloosa School Board Candidate Kathy Butler. Click on image to make larger.

What motivated you to run for Oskaloosa School Board at this time?

I am seeking reelection to make sure all students are put first in our district. I am currently serving as Board President since May 14, 2025. We need to have stronger academic performance from our students and support for all our teachers, staff, and administration.

Our school is the center of our community, and shared resources lead to improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities.

We also need to control spending and make sure we are spending taxpayer dollars for the students and control property tax increases. Currently, our taxes are increasing faster than the combined growth of enrollment and inflation.

We need to make sure we spend school tax funding on what matters for our students to LOVE. EMPOWER. INSPIRE.

How do you see the role of a board member in setting direction versus overseeing day-to-day operations?

The board oversees the vision and goals and creates a supportive environment for everyone in the district. The board approves the budget and monitors spending, ensuring fiscal responsibility and setting the tax rate.

How would you approach building consensus on the board when members disagree?

The board needs to have open and honest discussions on issues and always put the students first when making decisions. We need to make sure all voices are heard and make the best decision for the students and the district.

What are the top three priorities for the district for the next four years?

The top three priorities for the district are student achievement, facilities, and budget and finance.

We need to keep our focus on students and providing resources for teachers to have what they need to facilitate all levels of learning—from special education, general, and talented and gifted students.

We need to have our facilities in working order to support all students, teachers, and administrators for a sustainable future.

We need to get a handle on our open enrollment out and make sure enrollment is sustainable or increasing to support our current and future staffing and funding levels.

What is your philosophy of balancing fiscal responsibility with the need to invest in staff, programs, and facilities?

We need to look at the enrollment numbers and make sure we are servicing our students, staff, programs, and facilities to the best of our ability with the available funds that our district receives.
We need to keep the tax burden to our community at a reasonable rate and make sure the funds are spent appropriately for instruction, facilities, and programs.

What ideas do you have for improving student achievement and better preparing graduates for success beyond high school?

We need to ask the teachers what help is needed to prepare our students for the future.

If we empower the teachers and support staff, we will see the students engaged and test scores increase.

We can also be good partners with our business community partners on what is needed to help reimagine what public education looks like in the future.

How would you like the district to address issues of school safety, bullying, and student well-being?

Our district is doing a great job of seeking grants to help secure the facilities with badge access readers, locks, and other items for securing our buildings.

I think mental health is a big deal for all students due to bullying and current events in the news.
We need to make sure we continue to look for grants that help with mental health resources for our students and teachers.

In what ways should the district expand opportunities for career and technical education, arts, and extracurricular activities?

We offer many activities and team sports for our school size.
If we are missing opportunities, it would be nice to do focus groups with our students and community and see what is possible to engage our students and have them career or college ready after high school.

How would you work to strengthen trust and communication between the board, parents, staff, and the wider community?

We need to make sure we communicate effectively through all channels of our school.

It would be helpful to get feedback from all partners and see how people want to be communicated with and what methods ensure that everyone is hearing the same information in a timely manner.

Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for Oskaloosa Schools, and how would you help lead the district toward the future?

We need to show a united front and make sure we are all on the same page.

I have spoken about bringing people along so we keep the train on the track and reach our goals.

We need to be consistent and make progress on our strategic plan.

We want to be a school of choice in the area and produce students who go out into the world and make a difference.