New SJSD board leaders emerge

Apr. 17—A new era is in place for the St. Joseph School District Board of Education.

LaTonya Williams was sworn in Monday as board president, with Kenneth Reeder taking the vice president spot. Whitney Lanning and Rick Gehring also officially became the newest board members after earning the most votes in the April 4 election.

It marks the end of David Foster's tenure as president, but he will remain on the board.

Having Foster on the board with his experience as president is a significant asset, Williams said.

"It's like a security blanket," she said. "I'm not as nervous or scared because I know that I have a good team, including my new board members. I mean, all of us are going to be the dream team."

For Lanning and Gehring, joining the board brings two new perspectives.

Lanning's biggest priority is making sure she is properly prepared to make major decisions that affect the whole district, she said.

"Anytime you're making decisions at the board level, you're affecting people's lives, whether it's students or staff," she said. "There's difficult decisions to be made, but I think just being educated and being prepared is going to be my biggest focus."

Lanning points to her experience as Community Action Partnership CEO as an important aspect of her mentality, saying it will give her a leg up when providing perspective on issues related to fiscal and human resources.

Gehring brings his own relevant background, having served on the board temporarily in 2020. One of the places he sees the need for increased emphasis is communication with students, he said.

"One thing we really start needing to do a little bit more is actually listening to what the students want," Gehring said. "I think we hear a lot from parents, grandparents, teachers as well. But I think maybe we should do some initiatives to really get the kids involved more."

Alex Simone can be reached at alex.simone@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter at @NPNOWSimone.