I haven't heard from one individual concerned about this.

This is the kind of thing that just pumps some energy back into the school, I don't care if you're a sports fan or not. It's double nice, too. For the first tournament in the brand-new arena, we've got a home team playing. Wells Fargo Arena is going to be a home-field advantage for Des Moines Roosevelt.

I like the changes. I think it's a move in the right direction. It provides more instruction to the school buildings and is more clear to teachers. The old policy was a little bit arbitrary. I also think it's more realistic. It acknowledges that sometimes things happen and you have to be flexible.

You need someone with energy for a large district, with the vision to keep us moving forward. Someone who demonstrates a commitment to the community like Dr. Witherspoon did day in and day out and someone who understands the issues that face an urban district.

It's just a question of who would be managing and operating that school bus.