Nov. 3—Three spots are up for grabs on the Peru School Board.

They're currently held by Jarrod Ellis, Brittany Justice and Charles Wagner. All three are running for reelection.

Two others are also running: Tommie Beattie and David Hoover.

Below are survey responses from candidates. They have been edited for grammar and clarity. Candidates were also asked to supply photos.

Tommie Beattie

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Peru?

I really felt like it was time for me to step up and become a more effective citizen. I want to be able to help make decisions that will help our students. I want to be there for new ideas. I am not saying there is anything wrong with current administration, however, there is nothing wrong with fresh ideas. There are so many people in our community that cannot tell you who our school board members are, simply because they are not visible. I make it to as many events as possible to make myself visible. If I am visible, I can be available to answer, or get answers to, questions people have. We have some really important issues coming at us very soon. We have some important personnel to replace, and some very important facilities to upgrade, all to make our school corporation better equipped for our students.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

I have been involved with youth athletics for nearly 15 years. Being part of the board (as the president) of our local softball organization, we were tasked to put our best product out there with the limited amount of income we had. We were responsible for searching out sponsors to help us with projects to better our product, and to help with those that couldn't afford membership dues. That league was something I am very proud to be a part of. Our board (I liked to call them our team) was very exciting to work with. They certainly were vital in our success. I am also currently a setting member of the Peru Parks Board. As a park board member, we need to recommend responsible financial decisions in a tough economic climate.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

I think "learning loss" is a real thing. I have read a few articles with data showing a drop in, specifically, reading levels. I believe there needs to be a focus on getting help with reading and math help to those who are falling or have fallen behind. I don't feel we need to panic and change the entire system, but it is our responsibility to help those students that are struggling. If that means more teachers or more teacher aides, then we need to take a close look on finding a way to make that happen. Budgets are tough all over, but it is our responsibility to educate our students to the best of our ability.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

I manage a successful business in Peru, and I know first hand the struggle with staffing. The competition for staff has been an issue for the past few years. That struggle grows when you are talking about a position that requires special training and licenses to perform said job. This is where "new blood" and "fresh ideas" come in. We may need to find outside the box ways to attract teachers to Peru Community Schools. We also must find ways to retain the great teachers we already have. I am not arrogant enough to think that I have any or all of the answers. But if you assemble the right people together, great things, and great ideas, are born. The first answer is always higher wages which puts strains on budgets. I do not necessarily believe it is always about money. Let's try ideas like better benefits, easier days. Working with teachers to try and find out what is most difficult for them, and work with them to make it easier. I do believe there needs to be some emphasis on this dilemma.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

We are in 2022, I feel like online education can definitely be utilized. With the tech we have now, it truly is the next best thing to live teaching. With that said, there are some limits to online learning that are pretty tough to overcome. We noted the drop in our reading and math throughout the COVID shut down. I think this is largely due to no classroom appearance, and no hands-on teaching. It is still widely unknown the long-term effects the COVID isolation had on our students. We really need to be focused on those levels to ensure they begin rising again. I am also of the opinion that not all students can be successful through e-learning. I learned of several stories of students being way behind after returning to school. Again, this is something no educator had ever faced before. There was no precedent for how to deal with a world-wide pandemic. Bottom line, online learning, or e-learning, is a wonderful thing for a weather delay, or a short-term emergency, but as far as a permanent structure, I would say it can be hurtful.

Jarrod Ellis

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Peru?

I am re-running because I want what's best for the students while maintaining fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers. The top issue this coming year is the replacement of the school's superintendent. The superintendent position is the single most important job/contract the school board approves. Second, the condition of our facilities and grounds. Peru needs upkeep, maintenance and possibly new facilities. We are currently in the early stages of bonding, without raising taxes, for mostly maintenance needs and athletics. In the next few years, Peru will be able to bond for up to 25 million, without raising taxes, that will need to be used for our buildings and grounds.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

These first four years have been an eye opener. I didn't realize how school finance is so different from personal finance. Schools must budget for the following school year way in advance. They pretty much need to make an educated guess on how many students that will enroll the upcoming year, based on seniors graduating, kindergarten enrollment and families moving in and out of district. If the school submitted the wrong number of students, that would hurt the corporation. I'm glad we have professionals in place to make sure we stay on or under budget.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

As you may or may not know, all schools in Indiana received ESSER money from the federal government, and one of the many ways Peru has used this money is for learning loss. Peru has used these funds for hiring more staff and services, especially in reading and math. With the extra staff and resources, Peru's students are getting back on track.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

Peru has been able to give raises to all staff (classified and certified) the last few years, while buying back large insurance increases. This past year, Peru was able to reach the states mandatory minimum for beginning teachers to $40,000. We were also able to raise experience teachers' salaries to $70,100. Peru has also been able to raise classified hourly staff the same percentage rate as certified staff.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

I believe students need to be in front of a teacher as much as possible. Covid really put a damper on in-person learning but fortunately, Peru was already equipped for 1-to-1 online learning. Online learning shouldn't be a get-out-of-school free day. Students should be in front of the computer majority of the day with breaks throughout. I believe online learning should only be used when absolutely necessary.

David Hoover

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Peru?

I am running for school board to become more involved in serving in the community. I have two children that attend Peru Community Schools and one of my children got behind in school due to the pandemic. If it wasn't for the help of the teachers and aids, he would not have gotten caught back up. Due to this, I wanted to become involved to help support the children and teachers to get the best outcomes for our community. I want to help with all aspects including budgeting to make sure we are fiscally sound, to keep everyone safe, to retain our teachers and use the best curriculum for the use of our teachers.

The top issues I see facing Peru Community Schools currently are: Appointing a new superintendent, targeting at-risk students and supporting them, increasing ILEARN and SAT scores, ensuring student and teacher safety and preparing our students for their post-graduate endeavors whether that is college or the work force.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

My experience with finance and budgeting is real world experience of raising a family, paying for the house, vehicles, food and fun. I have bachelor's degree from Indiana University Kokomo and have taken business classes that have given me experience in budgeting. I do not have a degree in accounting or have an occupational responsibility that balances a budget. I am fiscally responsible and would work well with others to develop a budget for the school to successfully spend our tax dollars.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

Trying to get students caught back up academically is a difficult task nationwide, but I have personally had this issue with my own child. Getting him caught back up took the work of us as parents along with the teachers, and child, to develop a plan to work fast for his needs. The teachers had after-school classes to also improve his educational needs. This is an example of just one child. Each child is different. Some children need one-on-one tutoring, while others need small group tutoring sessions. I believe parents and teachers need to develop a plan that fits best for each child.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

K-12 teachers report the highest burn out rates of all US professionals. Teachers have had increased workloads and larger class sizes. This is making their jobs more difficult from these problems. Teachers need support from their staff, administrators and the community. We need to listen and address each teacher's needs. We must encourage our teachers to develop strategies for peer support and mentorship. Teachers need good working conditions that provide a safe and secure work environment. We need teacher's input allowing their voices and opinions to be heard. Fair and effective discipline policies need to be enforced, giving control of the classroom to the teachers.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

Online learning is a tool that may be used in assisting students with the ability to learn remotely. This should be used only when necessary to supplement a child's learning experience. In the event of a pandemic, illness or inability to attend school safely, online learning should be used until the student can return to the classroom. Students need to be in a classroom with a teacher for in-person learning. In-person learning provides the most effective educational results. We need to do everything in our power to get the students in the classroom in front of a teacher.

Brittany Justice

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Peru?

I have worked with children since the age of 19. As the years went on and I moved from private childcare to public education, I realized my voice needed to be "louder" in order to make a difference. Decisions being made were based more off of numbers and political agenda than the interest of student education and staff productivity. There must be balance and common sense in decision making.

Our first duty should be educating our children for their future independent success, as they are the future of America. Their future success should always be a top issue at hand, but I think above that is student and staff safety, something that unfortunately comes up far too often these days.

Another top issue is how bond money will be spent. It needs to be divided as fairly as possible between the many areas that need renovation. For example, just to name a few, our athletes need the appropriate resources to play pridefully, our food staff need the appropriate resources to fuel our students, renovations are needed to accommodate ever-changing and increasing traffic to and from Elmwood.

Increasingly bothersome is the availability to hire new and retain current teachers and staff. We need to be at our best to entice new hires and retain current staff. We are nothing without our staff.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

My first hands on experience with accounting was as deputy trustee for the Washington Township trustee. I learned quite a lot from that position. I quite literally grew up in that office the years prior to throwing my own hand at it, as my grandmother, Julie Hamman, has been the Washington Township trustee since 1999. I have a family history with political offices. My grandfather, Jerry Hamman, was a Miami County commissioner from 2012 through 2016. I learned a great deal watching him budget projects for Miami County over the years.

I also worked seasonally in the Ivy Tech Kokomo book store where we helped college students budget their grant money for all needed course materials as well as textbooks and other devices.

I have experienced the last four years as part of Peru Community Schools Board of Trustees where MANY budgeting decisions are made, both decisions that I have supported and decisions that I have not.

My most recent accounting endeavor has been with Hollon Appliance Repair. A new local business started by my significant other, Jason Hollon. I have handled all accounting since start up.

The longest accounting adventure I've had is my home and my own personal finances. My home I feel is my greatest asset. A healthy, happy, stable home is a basis for success. I own my home and take great care and pride in maintaining it.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

During the pandemic we had teachers reaching out to students using every available tool they had. This learning loss was inevitable nonetheless. Kids need that hands-on experience. They need to be present for the availability to sense all there is to be observed in a learning environment. Learning is done in so many different ways, and the pandemic definitely took much of that away from the children. The best tool a school has is her staff, and we are definitely not lacking in that department.

Peru Community Schools is home to some of the absolute best teachers and staff I've seen around. They go absolutely above and beyond in this department. We also have a multitude of different programs for all students at every age. We do programs after school and during the summer. We have programs for back to school. Since the pandemic, this has been a major focus at PCS. They have been doing their absolute best to give each student the specific help that they require to get back on track.

We are also teamed up with Four County in Peru to ensure that every student has the mental support needed to address any stress that may be caused from the time away from school, getting back to "normal," the social stresses from being quarantined for a long period of time.

As well as moneys dedicated from ESSR (federal pandemic) funding to support any extra staffing and programing needed to help students get back on track.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

Long since passed are the days of reading, writing and arithmetic. Public education is SO much more than that now. Our teachers and staff are doing a great deal more than just teaching these days. So, the obvious answer would be to budget to the best of our ability so as to raise base pays and better benefits, compete with surrounding schools' rates.

I believe the not-so-obvious answer is to compete with surrounding loyalty and support. Employees don't search out employment elsewhere when they are happy at home. Everyone is in the pursuit of happiness, if they know the environment is just as competitive as the pay, then they will also seek that same employment.

Public education is an emotionally taxing job. Support is a necessary value. Loyalty is equally as important. Feedback is validating. We must hear our staff and offer the necessary support accordingly. If we can offer an environment that is sought out for employment then we will have a larger pool to interview from, better options means better educators and the main benefitting party will be our future generations.

Creating an environment where our staff are just as valued as our students is key.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

Online learning has become a much-used tool in public education as of late. I am not a fan of online learning. Nothing could replace a teacher-student interface. Every student learns differently. As children, they are even still learning what works best for themselves. Being in person in a learning environment with all the correct and necessary materials is the most resourceful placement. To be able to observe and learn from their peers is also something that I think is very important for the student, as well as the teachers' observance of students. There are even students that thrive on online learning platforms. I am grateful that we have the technology available for use when needed.

Online education was a saving grace when we were not permitted to do in-person education. It kept our students connected with their teachers, and it kept them connected to education. Without it I think some of our children would have been far more adversely affected by the quarantine.

Now that we are getting back to our new normal, I think online learning should be avoided as much as possible. Policies regarding its use have begun to be implemented as well and I think should be followed through, so that during times that we are unable to conduct in-person education, the necessary online learning will go as smoothly as possible.

Charles Wagner

Why are you running for school board? What do you believe are the top issues facing Peru?

I want to keep the Peru Community Schools rolling forward. Yes, I do have an agenda. I have three, going on five, grandchildren enrolled in the Peru Community School system. Thus, I want PCS to be the best possible facility with the finest teaching staff and educational outcomes that can be achieved. PCS has the lowest student-to-teacher ratio in Miami County, has led the region in dual credits, has the highest number of kindergarten students in the county, maintains positive student and staff climate and culture, has continually scored higher than surrounding school corporations in ILEARN and IREAD percentages.

Teacher recruitment and retention is one of the top public-school priorities in Peru, Indiana and the entire U.S.

A top necessity is to elect school board members who can work well together for the benefit of the students, employees and the community which we serve.

A school board must then hire high quality employees such as our current superintendent who oversees and recommends critical staff such as department directors and especially principals who recruit teaching staff.

They all work together to maintain a culture and climate in which employees will want to work and students will want to achieve. They also champion students of special needs.

PCS works to serve the whole student, not just with athletics but with music, art, and a vast array of academic opportunities. Our own police force provides protection and mentoring for all students.

Public schools are the heart and soul of a community.

One of the main jobs of a school board is to approve the annual budget. What experience do you have in finance, balancing budgets and/or accounting?

Previously, as director of the Peru Public Library, I oversaw the budget each year. As chair of the Peru Housing Authority, I approved budgets for more than two decades. For the past few years, I oversaw and approved budgets for the Heartland Career Center. I have also been on several bargaining committees with teachers at Peru and Heartland.

PCS has been able to give sustainable raises and reached the state salary threshold of $40,000 as a base for beginning teachers and have experienced teachers at a top rate of up to $70,000, while keeping health insurance rates as low as possible. This helps PCS to retain top teachers for our children.

Non-teaching staff raises have increased at the same percentage rate as our teachers. I value all our employees.

At PCS, the school tax rate has been lowered over the past three years, while the cash balances for operations and educational funds, as well as our rainy-day fund, have been increased.

Peru has successfully bonded for projects otherwise not possible, without raising the tax rate.

The recent Peru High School/Junior High School consolidation was done, again, without raising tax rates at less than $3 million. If we had kept the junior high school building, as a few detractors keep saying, we would have spent over $20 million and significantly raised taxes to bring the structure up to acceptable standards. Building a new building would have cost substantially more.

Students fell behind during the pandemic, commonly called learning loss. How do you think schools should help students catch up, especially in reading and math?

I believe in face-to-face classroom instruction. Currently, Peru schools only utilize online learning during weather days.

The highly skilled learning team is aware of the situation and has responded admirably with individualized remediation using teachers and classroom aids.

The PCS also believes the best learning occurs when PCS teachers are in front of PCS students.

It is unlikely PCS will return to distance learning unless mandated by state or federal government.

However, PCS successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on all needs of students and staff. PCS was able to immediately switch to the new format due to already being a school with common learning management and instructional practices and each student first grade up is issued a computer which becomes theirs at third, eight and twelfth grade. The latest testing show that PCS students learned better than most.

The testing score results speak for themselves.

PCS even provided high quality breakfasts, lunches and dinner to Miami County students during those trying times.

For the most part, I believe online learning at PCS should remain limited.

The teacher shortage in Indiana is well documented. What do you think schools should do to retain teachers and attract new ones?

It is not always money.

Being part of a team, which is respected by supervisors and the community, is a major factor. Nobody wishes to say it, but, maybe, the state school board should consider less testing.

The total atmosphere of a community cannot be overlooked.

PCS has increased base and top teacher salaries and does have a higher teacher retention rate than surrounding schools

Miami County has a 2021 poverty rate of 24.7%. Indiana consistently ranks usually in the bottom 10 states of qualities compared with the nation. Yet, the state government has as yet refused to fund universal preschool.

Universal preschool would certainly make teaching from kindergarten up much more desirable.

There are many different variations of online learning. What should online learning look like and when should it be utilized?

I believe in face-to-face classroom instruction. Currently, Peru schools only utilizes online learning during weather days.

It is the job of the school board to approve policy, not to run the school itself. That is why we hire highly trained professionals. The professionals have gone to school for this sort of thing. It is their job to present one or more such programs for implementation. Amateurs running this aspect of educational programs would benefit no one.

But, as you can see, PCS is fulfilling its promise that, if you enroll your children with PCS, they will graduate with opportunity.

PCS educates positively, successfully, and compassionately.

Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.