Unit 50 names 2 new school board members
Oct. 12—TEUTOPOLIS — Teutopolis Unit 50 has found a pair of new school board members to fill open spots.
The board approved the appointments of Matt Carpenter and Traci Martin at a special meeting Oct. 6, replacing Brad Koester and Mike Ritchie, who resigned in August. The two took the oath of office at the meeting following the vote.
Carpenter and Martin are relative newcomers to the district, each having moved to the district over the past five years. Carpenter moved to Teutopolis five years ago, but he still maintains a job with Mattoon-based ILMO Products Company, a provider of industrial gases, welding equipment, propane and propane accessories. He and his wife, a T-Town native, have two children at Teutopolis Grade School, a 10-year-old daughter and a 9-year-old son.
Carpenter, a former Marine, wanted to give back in some way to help the district, while providing a better future for his two children and their classmates.
"It just seemed like something to give back to the community," Carpenter said. "(I want) to hear the community, their voices and concerns and be a part of that team, that structure that tries to make everyone happy."
Martin is one of the owners of Sonne Energy, a Teutopolis-based residential and commercial solar provider, and a program manager at PresenceLearning, a company that provides speech pathology services via telehealth. She arrived in Teutopolis two years ago with her husband, a T-Town native, and their 4-year-old child.
She comes from a family of people who have been strong community servants and felt that being on the Unit 50 board was one way she could follow in their footsteps.
"My family has a history of civic duty," Martin said. "My parents were on the school board of my small town growing up (Cornell, Illinois; a village 143 miles south of Effingham) and my father was the mayor. I've always had an interest in it."
Carpenter's priority as a board member, at least early in his tenure, is to listen to his constituents and find out what they want to make the district a better place, one that students and parents could be proud of.
"I think Teutopolis' school district is a great (district) and it's a great town," Carpenter said. "Everybody has their own opinion about things and I just want to be that part of the board that listens and addresses those concerns with the rest of the school board, just to see if we can make everything fit better and make everyone safe."
Carpenter's background as a Marine leads to his perspective as a "rule follower" who would have voted to abide by the state's mask mandate had he been on the board last month. He felt that it would have been a disservice to the students for the school to buck the mandate and go out on their own in the way districts such as Beecher City and Cowden-Herrick are attempting to do.
"If schools don't follow the rules, you aren't doing much for the kids," Carpenter said. "There was a lot more at play in it than just the masks. I was thinking more (that) these kids could not participate in certain things; the seniors wouldn't be credited for graduation. You're looking out for these kids' future."
Martin wants to prioritize fiscal soundness, a strong curriculum and keeping students safe. Much like Carpenter, she's still in a learning phase, trying to lean on her constituents to figure out what is the best way to support the students of the district.
"I'm still in an onboarding and learning phase," Martin said. "I look forward to learning more about the board and then making my opinions and decisions as I learn more."
Even though she's still learning, she knows that she wants students like her 4-year-old, who will enter the district next year, to have all the tools needed to succeed in the world of today and tomorrow.
"We're always evolving," Martin said. "I think one thing that we want to make sure is truly preparing our kids for the world that they live in now."
Zach Roth can be reached at zach.roth@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at (217) 347-7151 ext. 132 or (217) 899-4338.
