See what Southwest Licking school board candidates said about growth, communication
Southwest Licking Local School residents will vote this fall on who will lead the district as it continues to grow.
Two seats on the Southwest Licking Local Schools Board of Education are on the Nov. 7 general election ballot, and incumbents Kandee Engle and Debra Moore are seeking reelection. They are joined by newcomers Cory Ford and Michael Miller.
A fifth candidate, Alexander Smiley, withdrew from the race Sept. 21. Smiley's name will still appear on the ballot because he dropped out after cutoff date to be removed from the ballot, but no votes will be tallied for him on Election Day, said Brian Mead, Licking County Board of Elections director. He added signs will be tape on the machines stating that votes for Smiley won't be counted.
The Advocate sent Engle, Ford, Miller and Moore a questionnaire about themselves and the top issues for Southwest Licking Local Schools. You can read their answers below.
Who are the candidates for Southwest Licking Local Schools Board of Education?
Kandee Engle
Age: 51
Occupation and highest education level: Inside technical sales, service and logistics at Arthur N. Ulrich Co.; B.A. in biology, Kenyon College
Relevant experience: Eight years on school board as member/president/vice president; building project with all facilities new or renovated by 2025; negotiated certified staff three-year contract in 2 ½ in 2021; 10 Watkins grads as new hires for 2023-2024 school year; added public participation back into Board Policy; hiring of current superintendent Kasey Perkins; added additional programming including engineering/stem, theater, agriculture classes and added staff positions for these along with numerous staff positions for growth; improved transparency and communication with community coffee hours, open office hours, focus groups, newsletters; updated board policy hosting/agenda/minutes to BoardDocs for streamlined access to all Board information in one location; member of Etna Twp. JEDZ1 Board, JEDZ2 Board and Community Advisory Committee
Cory Ford
Age: 39
Occupation and highest education level: Mechanic; associate degree
Relevant experience: Fatherhood (20 years), leadership (nine years in the military), education (college coursework in education and political science), complementing meaningful accountability, transparency and communication.
Michael Miller
Age: 38
Occupation and highest education level: Policy developer for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and bachelor's degree in psychology and criminology.
Relevant experience: 15 years of public service for the state of Ohio, Father 2 Father Program advocate, representative on three Guidelines Council for the State of Ohio.
Debra Moore
Age: 54
Occupation and highest education level: I am a program director and quality assurance specialist in the field of developmental disabilities. I have a B.A. in psychology and have taken post graduate classes at Ashland University and Ohio State.
Relevant experience: When I first became a board member, the lines of communication within the district and the communities were limited. Our financial situation was disconcerting with staff layoffs, and our negotiations with our employees were turbulent and weeks long. Finally, we were in desperate need of new and renovated buildings for the safety of our children and employees. Today, communication has and will continue improve and we are fiscally responsible and transparent. Summer 2021 negotiations lasted 2 ½ days and by 2025 we will have all new and renovated buildings with 10 new Watkins grads working in our district this year.
Question: Why are you running for office?
Engle: I have advocated the past eight years as a board member for the most robust education for ALL children while being a good steward of our community’s tax dollars. A new term will allow me to continue to be proactive through the growth and change that is coming to the community by continuing to attract and retain high quality staff members and maintain a school culture that makes SWL not just a good place but a GREAT place to live, work and go to school.
Ford: To restore a focus on academics, and respect for the families and community the district serves. Instructional time is being exchanged for emotional and mental health inventories (without parental consent), race essentialism and gender theory under the implementation of activist pedagogies. "School fees" are arbitrarily made up and then approved by the board. Policies, plans and resolutions are developed in "advisory groups" that meet in secret instead of board committees subject to sunshine law where the community, and board, have oversight. The district must fully adopt Generally Accepted Accounting Practices to be fiscally transparent with taxpayers.
Miller: I want to streamline communication from the Southwest Licking school board to district residents by making access to meeting agendas and minutes easier to obtain. Ensuring that the decisions being made by the school board are transparent and done during public meetings. Giving all district residents ample time and the opportunity to address their school board during public meetings. I will make sure that we continue to be fiscally responsible with taxpayer money. Making sure that our district is keeping and attracting the best teachers and staff for our children.
Moore: I have three children in the district and a vested interest in providing quality educational services and activities to all children at all levels. We need to continue to provide extraordinary opportunities that allow all children to maximize their experience in SWL, while preparing for the next level of their lives. We need to continue to focus on communication with our communities including providing translated materials when needed. We need to provide a safe environment for our employees, attracting the best to our district, while maintaining our current SWL family.
Q: What makes you the better candidate in this race?
Engle: My experience, commitment, unbiased judgement and proven track record for leadership continues to make me the choice for SWL. I made some mistakes over the past eight years, but I have learned and grown from those. I believe that classroom management and curriculum decisions should reflect the value of the local community while also ensuring that each student is provided a rigorous standard math, science, social studies, and English literacy curriculum. My colleagues on the board and I work collaboratively together and work well with all stakeholders to meet the goals that will continue to move the district forward.
Ford: I am committed to respecting the rights of parents to raise their own children while ensuring teachers are not being incumbered during instructional time dealing with discipline issues. I will serve the community by providing an alternative viewpoint and challenging ideas and norms. I will work to persuade board members to adopt a student-first funding model that ensures budget shortfalls don’t affect pay, support services and supplies. I understand that many of our district’s athletic teams are superb. I want to elevate academic rigor, student achievement and the arts to meet it.
Miller: A school board member must work together as a team to oversee the district and be a positive, accountable link between the school district and the community. Bringing these qualities with me as a school board member, I will also work to restore transparency and effective communication, ensuring that decisions and recommendations will be made in the best interest of our schools. I will make sure that each member of the community has a voice and will listen to what information they present. I have a strong investment in the future of our community, schools, staff and most importantly our students.
Moore: I have served on the board for 12 years and have been vice president or president for six of those years while regularly attended board meetings (including Zoom when sick). I have participated in numerous committees within the district, attended school activities on a regular basis and engaged community volunteer opportunities when available. I have furthered my board education by taking trainings and leadership classes throughout my time on the board, and I was able to participate in a community-based effort to pass a bond that will result in new and renovated buildings for our entire district by 2025.
Q: What are residents telling you are their most important issues, and how would you address them?
Engle: The biggest issue facing SWL is the current and anticipated growth. We are proactively working to anticipate growth by working with our local government partners as well as reviewing trend data to be prepared for growth. Another issue is educating our students to be the workforce of the future. I will continue to support robust, diverse programming that gives every student a path to higher education, employment or enlistment. Additionally financial support and stability is an ongoing issue. A good board makes sure all spending decisions are made well in advance and that all stakeholders see the return on their investment.
Ford: Residents love our schools, the new and remodeled buildings, the teachers and extra-curriculars. Residents want the district to have our student’s education and safety at heart. They ask why it’s like talking to a wall during public participation at board meetings. They ask where their tax dollars went. They ask why they don’t have meaningful access to inspect curriculum. I am adding things regularly to the to-do list, but questions about me and my platform can be answered and asked at www.coryfordforswl.com, emailed at friendsofcoryford@gmail.com or on Facebook (Meta) at Cory Ford for SWL School Board.
Miller: The top three issues in our school district are the need for more effective communication to residents from the school board, transparency in decisions, and the growth of our community. Regarding communication, I want to implement a streamlined process that will allow residents a straightforward and simpler way to access information. Regarding transparency, I will ensure that discussions and materials that need to be shared are presented during the public meetings. Finally, with growth, my plan is to collaborate with elected officials to ensure our Southwest Licking School district has a voice and seat at the table.
Moore: Residents are worried about the extreme growth that will be coming to SWL. Residents understand that although the district is fiscally responsible, the growth will have significant impact to our district. Residents realize that the State placed disappointing size restrictions on the district when building the new buildings, but thankfully the district had a future vision and built the schools knowing we would need to expand. We will need to continue to communicate with our communities and employees on this growth, provide secure environments for our children and provide resources to our employees.
Q: The district’s enrollment has skyrocketed in recent years and growth is expected to continue with more housing developments planned for Pataskala and Etna Township. What should the district do now to prepare for future growth?
Engle: The board has been proactively preparing for growth by working with our local government partners and reviewing trend data. We also monitor how the growth affects our classrooms and staff. With national teacher and bus driver shortages, we must attract and retain staff by providing a good working environment and a competitive wage. My colleagues on the board and I have worked within the confines of our existing building program to increase the core spaces of the new Watkins High School to allow for 1,600 students and to build the new Pataskala South Fork Elementary to educate 800 students.
Ford: This chart demonstrates Average Daily Membership, enrollment tied to funding, as reported by the district to the Ohio Department of Education in the Cupp reports, 2010-2022. The first thing we need to do is have an honest conversation about where we are, growing, where we are headed and not fear-mongering about overcrowding when we declined to effectively address the issue before now. Many options exist that do not require more money from the taxpayers. Thank you for the opportunity.
Miller: To prepare for our expected growth we need to work effectively with our other elected officials to make sure they are aware of the impact the growth has on our school system. We need to make sure that we not only have a presence at the table, but we also have a voice that will be heard. I am willing to be that voice and take a stand, that will protect, preserve, and move our district into the brightest possible future.
Moore: The BOE and administration need to form relationships with our surrounding governmental entities to discuss how growth impacts the children and employees of our district. We need to continue our communication efforts with our communities and employees, providing concrete numbers showing our growth while communicating the actions the district will take to maintain an exceptional learning environment for our students and employees. Community focus groups will provide information to the board and administration, and open lines of communication with all communities will display how the district prepares for the coming future growth.
Voting information
Early voting is underway and in-person early voting can be done at the Licking County Board of Elections office, 20 S. Second St., Newark.
Early voting hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 25-27; 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 and Nov.1-3; 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Oct. 31; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Nov. 4; and 1-5 p.m. Nov. 5.
Absentee ballot applications must be received by the Licking County BOE by 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31. Absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov. 6.
Polls are open Nov. 7 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Southwest Licking school board candidates talk growth, communication
