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“Serving is critically important because public education should be community-based,” Leventhal said. “Hopefully, school board members are representing the public.”
Education has a large impact on the direction Clark County, he said.
“One of the most critical things in the community is our schools and the future,” Leventhal said. “Our public schools play a key role to sell the community. The quality of the education and the programming are critical in the hopes that a portion of our graduates will stay in the community.”
All school board members across Ohio make $125 a meeting, a rate set by Ohio law.
Springfield City Schools
Springfield City School Board members oversee the largest school district in Clark and Champaign counties with a more than $139 million annual budget, about 1,000 employees and more than 7,700 students.
Three people, incumbents Anita Biles and Wanda Jean Truss and newcomer Carol Dunlap, are vying for two seats on the Springfield City School District board of education.
Biles is a former Clark County Health District health educator and public information officer and currently works for Head Start. Truss is retired from the mortgage banking industry and was a volunteer at the school for many years. Dunlap is a retired Springfield High School principal.
MORE: 5 things to know about Springfield City Schools
Each woman said they decided to run for the school board this year because they want to help students succeed and to improve the schools over the next four years.
Anita Biles
Biles has served on the board for six years. She wants to stay on because she believes the district has made progress during her time, she said, and wants to see it continue.
“We are in a good place with our team,” Biles said. “With the board, with the district, we’ve had a few years with Dr. Hill. It just kind of felt like we are going in a great direction and I wanted to be a part of that team in the future.”
She’s proud that the the board has created a one-to-one technology program for students. Each Springfield student from preschool through high school has access to a laptop or a computer.
The toughest thing facing the district right now is low test scores, Biles said.
EXTRA: Springfield City students take part in video with John Legend
“When you’re working with state legislators who are consistently changing the test yearly, it seems to be a challenge,” she said.
The failing test scores Springfield City Schools has received in recent years can have a negative impact on the perception of the school, Biles said, even though in her opinion the schools have improved.
“We get a bad rap and that’s a constant battle,” she said.
The changing tests also don’t allow school administrators to easily compare the progress of students from year to year, Biles said.
If re-elected, she said she’ll continue to serve the public the best she can.
“I will work hard, I will communicate effectively,” Biles said. “As long as I have been in this position I have had numerous parents and staff that felt comfortable to come and talk to me.”
Carol Dunlap
Dunlap retired from the high school in 2016 but still wants to work for Springfield kids. The district has two seats on the ballot.
“I’ve got this experience, we don’t currently have anybody on the board who is an educator,” she said. “They are business people and community people, which is great. But I thought for me, coming with the perspective of an educator, I would bring something to the table that they don’t currently have.”
READ: Springfield school district files $1M fraud lawsuit
Dunlap has lived in the area for a long time and wants to see Springfield blossom.
“I believe in this town and the school district is the heart of it and we’ve got to improve,” she said.
Low test scores are an issue, she said, but she also wants to bring the city together through the schools.
“We can do a lot better in that area,” she said. “I want to see that every kid in this town is represented. I want every voice heard and I am not sure if we are currently doing that.”
The district also needs to make sure people in Springfield know about all of the opportunities Springfield City offers its students, Dunlap said.
“There are a lot of great people in Springfield and in the district,” she said. “We have competition but really for the bang for your buck, Springfield offers everything you would want.”
First-time college students are special to her, she said, and she wants to make sure every student has an opportunity to reach their dreams, whether that’s going to college or learning a good trade.
“There are a ton of doors out there and we need to help students learn how to open them,” Dunlap said.
Wanda Truss
Truss has served on the school board for eight years. She wants to make sure every student is treated fairly at the district, she said, regardless of where they live or their achievement level.
“We still need representation from all areas of the city,” Truss said. “I care about the children and I want things to be better for all sides of town — everything needs to be equal.”
One of her main goals as a school board member is to increase the graduation rate. Right now the district has a 66 percent four-year graduation rate and a five-year graduation rate of almost 80 percent. Springfield High School has a 74 percent four-year graduation rate and nearly 89 percent five-year rate.
EXTRA: State superintendent visits Dome, Springfield High School
“Making sure the children have what they need to complete the task,” is important to her to help improve the rate, Truss said. “At the end of the year, there should not be credit deficiencies. We have to make sure students get enough time with counselors.”
When her children went through Springfield City Schools, she said kids “in the middle” weren’t given enough attention. So she’s focused her time as a board of education member representing those type of kids.
“The children at the top, they will always have people supporting them,” Truss said. “The people with the extra needs, they are going to have those people. It’s the ones in the middle, they don’t have anybody fighting for them.”
If anyone has any concerns or wants to talk about the schools, Truss said she’s available.
“Call me and talk to me,” she said. “I will see what I can do. I welcome you getting in touch with me so I can relay your concerns to the proper parties.”
Northeastern Local
Northeastern school board members oversee the second largest district in Clark County with a $34 million annual budget, about 380 employees and more than 3,200 students. The district has three seats on the ballot.
While Northeastern residents will head to the polls to vote on a major school bond issue, they will also get to elect at least two new school board members. School Board President Chris James and Vice President Jeff Caivano both decided to not seek re-election this year.
There are four candidates seeking to fill three spots. Incumbent Steve Schwitzgable is running to retain his seat and newcomers Keith Brown, John Crankshaw and Jeff Yinger also are seeking a spot on the board.
EXTRA: Northeastern board members debate $100M new school plans
All four candidates said they have concerns about the enrollment of the district and families deciding to leave and open enroll at other schools.
Three of the four candidates encouraged voters to pass the district’s $117 million bond issue in November to build two new k-12 schools. Brown said he believes the district needs new schools but he isn’t sure if two new buildings is the best idea and worries too many unknowns remain about the location of the schools.
MORE: Northeastern school board plans to keep district split
Keith Brown
Brown worked as a federal court administrator before retiring. He said he wants to use his free time serving the community and children.
“I’ve always had an interest in education,” he said. “I majored in education. This gives me an opportunity to devote my time to a position like this.”
John Crankshaw
Crankshaw, a family physician, said he decided to run for the board because he has students in the district and has been involved in the schools.
“I wanted to continue to be involved at a higher level. I think our district is excellent,” he said. “We have excellent teachers and an excellent staff and I want to make sure that our district stays academically competitive and financially sound.”
Steve Schwitzgable
READ: Clark County voters to pick several school board seats
Schwitzgable has been a member of the school board for almost two years and worked in schools for more than 30 years. Making sure the community is best served — especially if it passes the school bond issue — is important to him, he said.
“I really want to see this new school building through if we can get this levy passed,” he said. “We will look at teachers and students needs. I think the world of the kids at Northeastern and I want to give the kids the best that we can.”
Jeff Yinger
Yinger is a parent in the district and said he wants to continue to volunteer and stay active in the community.
“I want to continue to help to volunteer with Northeastern,” he said. “I thought it would be a great opportunity. It just seemed like the perfect time for me to do it.”
He said if elected, he will focus on making sure the district’s finances are in line to best support Northeastern students.
Yinger is a municipal industrial pre-treatment coordinator for the city of Springfield.
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Greenon Local Schools
Greenon school board members oversee a $17.8 million annual budget, about 170 employees and more than 1,500 students. The district has three seats on the ballot.
The district’s voters went to the polls in May and approved a $54 million pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade school building.
Now voters will decide who they want to be on the board of education when that school is built. Current board members Becky Hale and Sabrina North aren’t running for re-election this year.
Keith Culp
Culp is an incumbent running for re-election this November and works for AT&T customer service.
It’s important for the district to keep the Indian Valley gymnasium as part of the new K-12 building, the eight-year school board veteran said.
“I would most like to see the Indian Valley gym kept and connected to the new building once it’s complete,” Culp said. “After having toured other newly completed schools, saving and displaying elements of the previous buildings is a great way to show the history of the district.”
READ: Greenon starts planning $54M new school after bond issue passes
Deena (O’Dell) Hardy
Hardy has been a volunteer in the district for a long time and is a supply chain analyst for Supply Co. and said it’s a good time for her to increase her role with the school.
“I want to be a part of the expansion and our new school building,” she said. “I have a lot of ideas. Hopefully, we can get more things brought back in the district, help our community. I would like to see more families come in.”
Greenon has been shrinking for too long, Hardy said, and as school board member she wants to work to see the school grow again.
Stacey A. Hundley
Hundley is a longtime college professor at the University of Dayton and Wright State who wants to be part of change at Greenon.
“I wanted to be part of the planning and the decision-making process as we are getting ready to move from three buildings to one,” she said. “I also wanted to run for a while and I think with the new schools coming in, it was a push.”
Hundley has kids in the district, too.
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R. Jason Moore
Moore is a licensed school treasurer and a finance professor at Wright State. He also ran the Rebuild Greenon Facebook page that pushed voters to the polls to vote yes for the new building.
The new school needs to provide students different opportunities.
“We have to focus on career-based programs, whatever those may be,” Moore said. “We need to focus on STEM, but also Greenon has been in agriculture. The school serves a broad spectrum and we have to make sure the building is flexible. We need to have multiple uses.”
Jackie Sheppeard
Sheppeard, who works for the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office, said she has volunteered with the district and wants to expand her service to the community.
“As an actively involved member of our community and with the passage of the levy for a new building, now felt like the right time to step up and help our school district through this time of big decisions and exciting changes,” she said. “I have always been involved, whether it be through coaching, athletic board positions, holding board positions with the parent groups or volunteering in the schools.”
Sheppeard has children in the district, she said, and is invested in the district.
By the numbers:
7,719: Students enrolled in Springfield City Schools.
3,282: Students enrolled in Northeastern Local Schools.
1,551: Students enrolled in Greenon Local Schools.
Continuing Coverage
The Springfield News-Sun offers the best coverage of schools in Clark and Champaign counties, with school election coverage, safety issues and education policies. For information on more candidates and issues, check out our online Voter’s Guide at Vote.SpringfieldNewsSun.com.
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