Voter Guide 2023: Crestwood, Southeast school board races
Welcome to the 2023 Voter Guide produced by the League of Women Voters and published by the Record-Courier.
This article focuses on contested school board races for local school districts in Portage County. School board races in Aurora, Kent, Ravenna and Streetsboro are covered in community voter guides.
This year's primary election on Nov. 7 will see Ohioans voting for local offices and issues. Early voting is taking place at the Portage County Board of Elections, 449 S. Meridian St., Ravenna, through Nov. 5.
Responses are not edited, vetted or corrected by the League of Women Voters or Record-Courier to allow candidates to speak in their own words.
Crestwood Local School Board
Elect three from six candidates.
Tim Herron
Facebook: www.facebook.com/herronforcrestwood
What are two to three priorities for your office to address? Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board? First, compensation for teachers needs to be addressed. With fewer teachers entering the work force every year it is becoming more difficult to hire and keep new teachers. Also, with Crestwood on the lower end of the pay scale in the county it makes it even more difficult. We need to keep teachers in the disrict instead of training them for 2 or 3 years for them to go to other districts. Second, we need to be fiscally responsible. With our country's current inflation, we need to ensure that we use our funds wisely to get the most out or our money. Our district has done really well with finding grants and spending, we just need to remain vigilant.
What particular skills or experiences qualify you to serve as a school board member? My career in the Military and Federal Government have taken my kids to different school districts in the country and I have had the opportunity to see to way they work and apply that to my school board career. I have also learned a lot in the last 4 years of serving on the Crestwood School Board.
What measures would you support to make information about board meetings and decisions more accessible to the public? Crestwood School board meetings dates are posted on the schools web page. The link to watch the meetings online are also posted on the web page in addition to being able to attend meetings in person. The decisions of the board are made in those meetings and the minutes of the meetings are also posted on the web page. That being said, I am open to and welcome any recommendations to make this information available in other ways that would help with access to this information.
Eric W. Hummel
What are two to three priorities for your office to address? Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board? 1) Transparency: I will be a transparent Board Member that converse with Students, Parents, Teachers, Staff and other members of the board regarding all discussions related to Crestwood Schools.
2.) I will be an accountable Board Member
3.) I will connect with the Community. I will strive for full communication with Community members to understand their needs and desires for Crestwood Schools to achieve top performance ratings.
What particular skills or experiences qualify you to serve as a school board member? Compassion for the community and our schools. Over 50 years running a successful construction business in Portage County, Northeast Ohio. Served on Board of Directors at The Middlefield Banking Company for 9 years.
What measures would you support to make information about board meetings and decisions more accessible to the public? I will strive to make the meeting information available online so that decisions are made in an open forum with the community.
Bonnie Lovejoy
Education: Cuyahoga valley Career Center
Training and Experience: Advanced business classes
What are two to three priorities for your office to address? Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board? To develop a productive relationship with the community and parents to find better ways for communication and transparency. Working as a collaborative board by respecting all opinions on the board, with the focus towards increasing the success of our student body with varying needs and continue to create a safe and welcoming environment. Managing the needs and wants of the community, parents, students, employees while keeping balanced finances. I serve to support and help find the balance between the Tax payers, Employees, and the youth that are the future of this community.
What particular skills or experiences qualify you to serve as a school board member? I have served almost 12 years at Crestwood and Maplewood as a board member. Served as Board President as well as being on the Policy committee and Personnel committee. I am a franchise business owner. Managing business finances, payroll, employees, and serving our ever growing clientele. I am familiar with contract language, business legalities, and working through tough situations. I recognize the needs of the students as a parent and the district as a financial institution.
What measures would you support to make information about board meetings and decisions more accessible to the public? Online access for meetings and minutes. Reminder calls to parents of the district. Email link to board meetings to watch live. We could utilize high school digital board and better utilization of our online resources.
Karen Schulz
Education: Crestwood High School, Bachelor of Science Biological Sciences Kent State University, Master Public Administration Kent State University
Training and Experience: 27 years public service in Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater management, treatment, and testing
What are two to three priorities for your office to address? Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board? Three priorities for me are: employee retention, levies, and school funding. Turnover of employees is a problem for several reasons: losing our most experienced and valued employees means losing the people who know our district and students the best, have knowledge of and experience with our policies and procedures, have the confidence and poise that comes with time and lends a sense of continuity, stability and unity. Also the hiring process is lengthy and time consuming and keeps administrators from other areas. New employees, through no fault of theirs, often take some time to get up to speed in a new environment. Although it is a nationwide issue, it's one we should continue to work on. The frequency of need for levies, both operating and permanent improvement, can create an atmosphere that is not only confusing and worrying, but can generate doubt and reluctance. We should work on developing alternate styles of levies that can be less frequent, but equally productive and beneficial. Not necessarily a simple task, but could be very worthwhile. Funding for Ohio schools has been problematic for some years. Schools do get Federal funds, often as grants, and State funds, from the State foundation after calculations concerning the community's ability to pay; but local funding continues to be based upon property values. A method that sends varying funding to schools. Ohio's method of funding public schools was declared unconstitutional in 1997 yet it continues. Additionally, the State now spends considerable money on private schools where only slightly more that 10% of Ohio students go. Much effort has to be made to correct and improve this method of funding. As far as any motivating issue asked about in the second part of this question, having an agenda or any personal issue is inappropriate when running for or serving on a Board of Education. The only overriding objective should be to accomplish what is best for the students and their education.
What particular skills or experiences qualify you to serve as a school board member? In addition to my 60 plus years of residing in the Crestwood District and attending and graduating from Crestwood, I think that my 27 years of public service have provided me with the sense of accomplishment achieved by working together for the good or the betterment of people. I regularly worked with members of the community resolving problems and concerns and also helped to educate both children and adults about community and environmental services available to them. My education includes a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences and a Master of Public Administration. My MPA degree includes classes in Finance, Human Resources, Organizational Analysis, Ethics, Economics, Personnel, and many others. Also, since I am now retired I have the time to properly do what is required to be prepared for, not only regular meetings, but any other issues that arise.
What measures would you support to make information about board meetings and decisions more accessible to the public? I believe that information about Crestwood Board meetings and Board decisions is readily available. Our meetings are available to be viewed both live and as a recording a day after the meeting. The meeting schedule and agendas are available on the District's website. We encourage attendance by the public and per our policy, have time on every agenda for comments by the public. Although we don't typically answer questions during our business meetings, they are generally answered within a day or so. Questions can be emailed to any Board member or the Superintendent and Treasurer. We all answer or agree to find the answer to questions received via phone calls as well. Phone calls or appointments for visits to the Central Offices are also available and may be more convenient for those without computer access. Although there are some topics that we are not permitted to discuss, we make every effort to provide information and answers when asked and accommodate special circumstances.
Monica Stouffer
Education: Bachelors in Early Childhood Education, Masters in Educational Administration
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/266549966262261/
What are two to three priorities for your office to address? Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board? Improving the culture of our schools would be one of my first priorities. I am a mother of four school-aged children in our district, which is my main motivation in running for a position on the Board. When my oldest daughter expressed immense disappointment in the fact that just about every teacher, she has ever had in our district is no longer there, I knew it was time for me to figure out what I could do to bring our district back together and create a culture that cultivates collaboration, respect, and commitment to lifelong learning. To cultivate an environment rich for student success, one must understand the impact this environment has on everyone from the superintendent to the student body, high expectations must be set and enforced. It is important to me that we foster a culture of trust and communication, by discussing the district's strategy for improvement. It is my top priority to ensure that our schools are a safe place where everyone is encouraged to share ideas and advocate for our children. Another goal of mine is to regain the community’s trust and involvement. In order to be heard, you have to be able to listen to the voice of the community. It would be a priority to share the Board’s vision with the community through collaboration between the school and local businesses. A great school-community relationship creates a sense of belonging among students, teachers, and parents. It’s time to come together to create a clear, shared vision, in order to reestablish trust between our community and the School Board. I'd also like to focus on improving the quality of our children’s education and experiences. The administrators, teachers, and caregivers working with school children are imperative in creating high-quality education. Further efforts should target improvements in the quality and content, opportunities for higher education, continuous development of elective courses and extracurricular activities and access to the trades.
What particular skills or experiences qualify you to serve as a school board member? As an experienced educator, coach, and a parent, I understand that education is the foundation from which we build strong communities. As a classroom teacher and parent, I’ve witnessed first hand how policy decisions have a lasting impact on students. Receiving my Bachelors in Early Childhood Education and a Masters degree in Educational Administration, I strongly feel that my prior and current experiences provide a stepping stone in helping the Crestwood Community. I’ve participated in numerous committees within a public school system including: PBIS Committee, Curriculum Committee, and Literacy Committee. I’ve also coached softball and soccer teams. I am an active member of both the Crestwood Primary and Intermediate Parent Teacher Organizations, helping to better serve our teachers and students.
What measures would you support to make information about board meetings and decisions more accessible to the public? Communication is key. I want to hear from our community on issues that are important to them. It is important to me that we would involve as many parents, administrators, and community members as possible. Often, the Board meetings are hard to attend due to the formal structure, time, place, etc. It is necessary to be able to hear from our community and form discussions, addressing the barriers that may be impacting them. We should seek ways to hold two-way discussions by having monthly coffee talks where we can involve teachers, students, parents, or residents of our district. This will create opportunities to participate and engage in a more intimate setting. It would be with great honor and responsibility to serve as a Board member for Crestwood Local Schools.
Dan E. Tillett
Education: Graduated Crestwood High School 1967. Graduated Kent State 1971 BS w/ Spanish Major, Ed. Minor.
Training and Experience: Construction and general contracting industry 50 years. Built new coffee shop downtown Mantua.
What are two to three priorities for your office to address? Is there a particular issue that motivates you to serve on the board? Priority #1 is establishing complete transparency with the community, making decisions in an open meeting in which decisions are fully and publicly discussed. Priority #2 is bringing professionalism to the board and its meetings so that members treat each. Priority #3 is Radical Accountability for the Board. Accountability to the community and then holding the Superintendent and Treasurer accountable.
What particular skills or experiences qualify you to serve as a school board member? Business Experience: 50 years in the construction industry with approximately 40 of those years involved in management. Leadership experience: 30 years in church leadership, trained to be a servant leader. Community Involvement: Part of the team that put the coffee shop in Mantua, rebuilding and redefining Main Street and creating a draw to the village. Working with the Downtown Revitalization Committee to bring $400,000 in grants to radically improve the block of buildings on Main Street.
What measures would you support to make information about board meetings and decisions more accessible to the public? Two problems exist regarding making information about board decisions and meetings more accessible: the public in general have felt "closed-out" by this and past boards, and board meetings are conducted in a way that doesn't reveal what is going on - for instance the use of consent agendas in which most proposals are "rubber-stamped" and not discussed.
The solutions: We will first change the meetings so that the board, and consequently the public, are more involved in the decisions, fully discussing and working through items on the agenda. By creating an environment where ideas can differ but respect is shown, the best decisions will be made and unity can be achieved. We will create an openness in the meetings so that the public can see and understand what taking place, and they can give input at appropriate times - input that will be heard and fully considered, not summarily dismissed.
Field Local School Board
Larry W. Stewart is the only candidate for two seats.
James A. Garfield Local School Board
Colleen Khairallah, David Vincent and Deral White are the only candidates for three seats.
Rootstown Local School Board
Craig Mullaly and Amanda Waesch are the only candidates for two seats.
Southeast Local School Board
Elect three from five candidates.
Erin Ahrens
Education: Masters in Counselor Education from Ohio State in 2005, Bachelors in Sociology from Ohio State in 2003
Training and Experience: Coordinator of Community Engagement and Academic Advisor at Kent State Honors College June 2016- present, Academic Advisor University of Akron Honors College 2010-2016, School counseling (grades 6-12) and College Access positions 2005-2010
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551694534576
What are the current challenges facing your school district, and how would you address them? I believe that Southeast faces many of the same challenges of other school districts. Recovering from the setbacks from COVID has been challenging. Many Southeast students are struggling in reading and math. I’d like to see clear vision and goals for our school district, and make sure that our board holds the district accountable for results.
How would you be an effective school board member? I believe I would be an effective school board member because I relate to the families that currently have children in the school district. I am living the challenges of raising a family in our current world. I put a lot of trust into our school district to educate my children and prepare them for the future. I want to represent our families and help to make the best decisions to support our kids in the classroom. I am an active community member and passionate about education. I want to expose our students to the many opportunities locally to help them discover a future career.
What is the responsibility of a board member in addressing emerging controversies? School board members need to keep an open mind. You are coming to the table as a neutral party to hear the issue from all sides. It’s your responsibility to listen to all sides of an issue and after hearing and/or seeing all the evidence then you collaborate with the entire board to determine the next steps.
David G. Fesemyer
Education: Bachelor of Science from Kent State University/ Master of Arts from The University of Akron
Training and Experience: 41 years as a teacher and administrator with the Southeast, Woodridge and Beachwood City Schools
What are the current challenges facing your school district, and how would you address them? Ensuring the safety of children and staff is an ongoing challenge in school districts across Ohio. Southeast Schools are no different. Policies, procedures, trainings and safety drills must be in place and reviewed often. Enhanced security measures should be added as money and technology becomes available. I feel strongly parents should send their children to school knowing that we have taken every available measure to keep them safe while they are in our care. Another challenge is declining enrollment. Again, this is true in many districts throughout our area. When it comes to declining enrollment, I prefer to focus on the areas we can control. I've always believed, "If you build it, they will come." In other words, if you offer excellent programming in a safe, caring, environment with an engaging curriculum; families will find their way to Southeast. To achieve this, the district leadership along with the entire staff must commit to excellence in everything we do. I believe the Southeast staff to be outstanding, so we have many examples of excellence throughout the district already. Fallout from the pandemic has presented a unique set of learning challenges for many children and these need to be addressed. Last, the uncertainty of school funding in Ohio is another challenge. Southeast has a history of being fiscally conservative and yet able to provide quality school programs for our children. As costs continue to rise, its going to become more necessary as ever to tighten our belts and look for ways to become more efficient with the monies provided by the taxpayers. The way the State of Ohio funds schools with its over reliance on property taxes was deemed unconstitutional by the Ohio Supreme Court in 1997. The Ohio Fair Funding Act has benefitted some districts, but districts like Southeast have seen little change in their funding. With the expansion of vouchers in Ohio, it has become even more vital we attract and retain students.
How would you be an effective school board member? Effective school board members tend to be good listeners and communicators. They possess the heart of a servant and want to make a difference in their community. They can face public criticism in the performance of their duties without becoming defensive. My experience as a school administrator has prepared me well for the role of BOE member. I have experience facing public scrutiny and criticism. I also learned to be a good listener and communicator. My sole intent for becoming a board member is to give back to a community that has done so much for my family and I. I am passionate about schools, children, teachers and parents. I like to collaborate with others to provide the best opportunities for our children and staff. Everything I have done in my professional life has prepared me well for this role. I look forward to having a chance to serve our community.
What is the responsibility of a board member in addressing emerging controversies? As a member of a board of education, you are one of five people elected to represent the community in school matters. As controversies arise, it's the duty of a board member to hear all sides of the issues with pre-judging. All final decisions are board decisions and not individual decisions. Guidance on many controversies can be obtained from the district board policy manual or guidelines. I believe maintaining a strong chain of command in the district is vital to the overall success of the board. Last, as a board member, I feel it's important to be fair, honest and straightforward. Policy guidelines provide a solid place to start in the decision making process.
Mary Kaley
Education: Kent State University - Bachelor of Science Degree Criminal Justice
Training and Experience: I have served 24 years as a board member at Southeast Local Schools. I have also served almost 20 years as the Southeast representative on the Maplewood Career Center Board of Education. I have served numerous times as Board President and also on various committees at both schools. I am a retired Postmaster with 34 years of service. I have experience in supervising employees, payroll, human resources, contracts and contract negotiations, training employees and serving the needs of the community that I worked in. I have completed numerous workshops, seminars, and trainings for school board members. I received the Ohio School Boards Association Award of Achievement Master Board Member 2013.
What are the current challenges facing your school district, and how would you address them? Covid-19 created a gap in achievement with our at-risk students. Also behavioral issues post Covid became more prevalent. As a current board member I continue to ensure that the district offers close the gap tutoring. Also we will continue to explore targeted interventions. We have added a behavior coach along with a social worker to help students and families connect with resources that are available to help students be successful in the class room. School funding also continues to be a challenge. Given the current economic climate and the possible elimination of the guarantee along with unfunded mandates, we have to continue to be prudent with our financial choices.
How would you be an effective school board member? As an effective board member I have remained current on the issues in my district along with state issues involving education. I research data and attend training and professional development to help me stay current with our districts needs. I am active in the community and make myself available to address concerns that community members have. I have high expectations for our student achievement and work with the superintendent and administrators to make sure our curriculum offers great choices for all students. I will continue to work for the success of every student while maintaining accountability to the community and the taxpayers. Great things are happening at Southeast. Open enrollment numbers in our district are up. Our district recently received 4 stars out of 5 on the Ohio School Report Card. Our facilities continue to receive many updates and improvements to name a few.
What is the responsibility of a board member in addressing emerging controversies? It is important for a board member to listen to the information about the controversy. The pertinent information needs to be gathered. There are always several sides to an issue. Withhold judgement and gather the facts. Seek those who are capable of providing the most accurate information. Involve those who are needed to help resolve the controversy. Lastly as a board member if I disagree with the resolution I definitely speak up and give my reasons why.
Kevin Werschey
Candidate has not responded.
John Witkosky
What are the current challenges facing your school district, and how would you address them? The major challenges continue to be funding, student population, and a sufficient level of employees. Constant changes in state funding plus the high cost of living/goods make staying within our allotted funding and budget difficult. We communicate with our state reps for funding and also the community reference levies. Increasing student population, we attempt to offer opportunities to learn with the courses that will help the students during and after graduation. Covid 19 brought about many retirements effecting our staffing levels. We offer competitive wages and benefits to get the best people we can.
How would you be an effective school board member? After 13 years on the school board, thanks to the voters, I have found that collaboration and compromise have been very helpful. Being only one vote, you must keep focused on what is best for our students and staff, and work together to meet the academic goals and concerns for school safety.
What is the responsibility of a board member in addressing emerging controversies? Controversies can be people, economic, and/or weather related. As a board member, listening to or actually seeing the situation at hand, and then coordinating discussion with our superintendent plus other board of education members, to produce a plan or an answer to the public, is a crucial responsibility.
Waterloo Local School Board (full term)
Patti Wittensoldner is the lone candidate for three seats.
Waterloo Local School Board (unexpired term)
Timothy Moon is the lone candidate.
Windham Exempted Village School Board
Megan Fisher and Ted St. John are the candidates for two seats.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Voter Guide 2023: Crestwood, Southeast school board races
