Election 2022: Meet the candidates for Pennfield School Board
Nine candidates are on the Nov. 8 ballot seeking three open seats on the Pennfield Schools Board of Education.
Dawn Bayman, Austin Brown, Brad Crandall, Stephen Herbstreith, Jared Kirtley and Krystal Newman are each running for two open seats for a six-year term, while Stacy Niemann, Jennifer Sheldon and Bryan Smith are contending for a partial term through 2024.
The district includes five schools, with a student population of about 2,000 as of the 2021-22 school year. Each candidate is looking to join a school board that includes president Dana Wells-Jenney, vice president Dawn Forton and trustees Sarah Jones and Tim Wood, as Pennfield continues to implement a 30-year, $30 million bond for district-wide improvements passed by voters in 2021.
The following information was submitted via questionnaires provided to the candidates:
6-YEAR TERM
Dawn Bayman
Bayman has professional experience in law enforcement, firefighting and as a emergency medical technician, in addition to working in childcare and as a substitute teacher in Calhoun County for 13 years. She is a mother of a Pennfield High School graduate, with two children attending high school and middle school in the district.
Bayman stated the most pressing issues facing the district is addressing the "lost learning" due to the effects of the pandemic and the issue of school bullying and student behavior.
"In order to offer an atmosphere that will be conducive to learning, our students and staff have to feel safe," Bayman wrote. "Our district needs to enforce a set of clear rules that will offer an environment free of chaos. Our staff need to be able to focus on the basics to help students build a base knowledge that is strong enough to promote educational growth. Our students need to be able to focus on studies without the concerns of constant disruptions."
Bayman is running for a seat on Pennfield's school board, "to be part of ensuring that our district offers an excellent educational program to its students. I have a duty to be involved in my own students' education process. As a 13-year substitute teacher, I have seen the struggle our teachers face with behaviors and the desperate pleas our school staff voice for the involvement of parents. I hope to be a bridge for the two groups."
Austin Brown
Originally from Kentucky, Brown moved to Pennfield Township while in eighth grade, graduating from Pennfield High School in 2012. He and his wife, also a Pennfield graduate, share a son who attends elementary school in the district. His professional experience is in the labor union field as a representative for union members.
According to Brown, the most pressing issue facing the district is a need to improve the relationship between Pennfield staff, the school board and the community. He also believes a top priority should be evaluating the quality of education that students may or may not have received during the past two years of the pandemic.
"If elected, the first thing I would do is start working toward building the relationship back with district staff and the community," Brown wrote. "We cannot move forward with improvements and changes if the stakeholders all cannot agree on things in a professional manner."
Brown stated he is qualified to serve on Pennfield's Board of Education because of "the values, qualities, and characteristics that I possess – integrity, leadership, openness, listener, and organizer. My career background also gives me an advantage in stepping into this role. I have sat on many boards and represented thousands of people that varied in age, gender, race, beliefs, and backgrounds and I have always done so with the betterment of all in mind."
Brad Crandall
Crandall − whose term on the Pennfield school board is set to expire on Jan. 1 − is a lifelong resident of the township and is the fifth-generation owner of a family farm for the past 28 years. A 1998 graduate of Pennfield, he has three children. Two have graduated from the district. Another currently attends Pennfield High School.
According to Crandall, the biggest issue the district faces is a "lack of discipline" and there needs to be greater consequences for bad behavior.
"Laws must be changed to rid the schools of behavior problems so that teachers, administrators and coaches can do their jobs," Crandall wrote.
Crandall added that a priority for the district coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic should be "teaching core academics and morals."
Stephen Herbstreith
Did not respond.
Jared Kirtley
Kirtley grew up in Battle Creek, and he and his wife have two children in elementary at Pennfield Schools. He works for Kellogg Co. as an associate director in the global data governance office and serves as board president for Sprout urban farms. He additionally served as the Pennfield Schools bond committee lead in 2021.
Kirtley stated that the most pressing issue facing the district is an overall staffing shortage, saying the problem requires "a multi-faceted solution where we attract more staff, provide competitive wages for all staff and administration, and have substitute teachers willing to work in the district." He added that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the district needs to seek long-term solutions to address students' needs.
"So that when (American Rescue Plan Act) funds are no longer available, the district is able to stand up programs and policies that continue to help students’ mental health and educational needs," Kirtley wrote.
Kirtley is running for a seat on Pennfield's school board because, "I’ve spent many years and built a career on policy creation, change management, business analysis, and bridging the gap between people and policy. I believe we need more of that within our district and on the board itself. There are a lot of thoughts and feelings we all bring to the table and while that’s important, the real value is bringing those together to build solutions where everyone is heard and that work for as many people as possible."
Krystal Newman
A native of California, Newman is a parent of a Pennfield elementary student. In 2020, she started a youth sports nonprofit called BCMI Sports for Littles, and she has experience working with school-age children as both a before- and after-school program director in addition to volunteer work.
Newman stated that the Pennfield community needs for the culture to shift, with bullying among the biggest issues facing the district along with a need for a greater emphasis on mental health social-emotional learning due to the impacts of the pandemic.
"If children feel unsafe at school, their ability to learn greatly suffers," Newman wrote. "This needs to be tackled from the top, starting with our school board. The adults in the district need to set the example."
Newman is running for a seat on the Pennfield Board of Education because, "I know I have the passion and willingness to work hard for our district. Throughout my career in early childhood, I have worked with admin teams, teachers and staff, parents, and their children from varying backgrounds. I pride myself in the ability to listen to those with opposing personal views and finding common ground for the sake of students."
PARTIAL TERM THROUGH 2024
Stacy Niemann
Originally from Kalamazoo, Niemann is a married mother of two children who attend Pennfield Schools. Her professional experience includes work as a small business entrepreneur and a substitute teacher and in the fields of data analysis and early childhood education.
According to Niemann, the most pressing issue facing Pennfield is a general "instability and uncertainty" in how the district is being run. She said diversity and inclusion training should be required for all staff members.
"Right now I think our district feels very muddy," Niemann wrote. "This has allowed a bit too much space for parent/community intervention. I think we need to tighten up our district communication, make sure our staff feel more than adequately prepared with protocols and physical supplies, and show the community that our highly educated professionals can all be trusted to do the jobs they’ve spent their own time and money training for."
Niemann stated she is running for a seat on the Pennfield Board of Education because, "I genuinely want to help the students, the teachers, the administrators, the staff. I have a passion for public education, and I want to see it thriveagain. The only way to do that is by getting everyone the support they need, and I will do everything I can to help make that happen."
Jennifer Sheldon
Sheldon is a graduate of Pennfield High School and has lived in the township her entire life. Her professional experience is in early childhood education for StarBase and the 21st Century after-school and summer program, in addition to classroom experience as a teacher and substitute teacher in the Battle Creek area.
Sheldon wrote, "The most pressing issue facing Pennfield Schools is teaching kids how to be successful in life."
Sheldon said she is running for a seat on the Pennfield Board of Education because, "I want to ensure a bright future for the Pennfield School District and I believe that the best way to do that is by serving on the school board."
Bryan Smith
Smith − the current board treasurer whose term is ending − is a married father of four and a Pennfield High School graduate. He is president and owner of United States Lumber Company and has previously served on the board of Summit Pointe, Calhoun County's provider of mental health care and substance-use disorder services.
Smith said the most pressing issues facing the district are a need to improve "woeful test scores," and navigating the impacts of inflation in implementing the $30 million bond passed last year.
"In the last several months, we have hired a new superintendent and have purchased and implemented the first new curriculum for grades K-8 in decades. This curriculum was an investment of over $1 million and was very much needed," Smith wrote. "In addition to implementing this curriculum, we are also working through utilizing the monies from a $30 million bond issue. This is a complicated scenario because in the time that has passed since the bond passing, the price of the needed improvements has skyrocketed."
Smith is running for re-election to the board because, "I know what it takes to prepare a child for college and I know how to operate a multi-million dollar budget. I believe in giving back to my community and have done so my whole life."
Contact reporter Nick Buckley at nbuckley@battlecreekenquirer.com or 269-966-0652. Follow him on Twitter:@NickJBuckley
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Election 2022: Meet the candidates for Pennfield School Board
