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HANOVER — The race for Licking Valley Board of Training options seven candidates for 3 positions.
There are two open seats and Rebecca Clark is working for re-election. Voters can decide as much as three out of the seven candidates on Tuesday’s poll.
Present board president Kim Christian has two years left on her time period, whereas present vice chairman Mary Kay Martin and Lucinda Wills determined to not search re-election.
Former longtime district treasurer Jo Lynn Torbert, who was appointed to the board in September when Shawn Shumaker moved out of the district, is working for one of many open seats. If she is elected, she must resign her present two-year time period (ends Dec. 31, 2023) and the board will appoint a alternative, who must run a yr from this election day.
Here’s a take a look at the candidates, in alphabetical order:
Rebecca Clark
Clark and her husband have three youngsters attending Valley colleges. She is a Licking Heights and Ohio College graduate who moved into the district in 2003. Her husband and mother-in-law are Valley graduates, and her mother-in-law was within the first graduating class at the highschool. Clark is in her first time period on the board.
Clark stated the district recovered from the strife of the Nineteen Eighties to a brand new path within the Nineteen Nineties, “the place a respect for various views, a wholesome steadiness and monetary duty ensured a golden time for the district,” she stated. “It’s been 28 years since a levy request, and due to that steadiness and respect, now the world is a desired spot for brand new residents in search of our constructive, accountable group with an awesome college system for his or her youngsters.”
She famous that COVID and “the introduction of unfavorable exterior influences” have frayed the steadiness and respect. “The administration has taken a accountable strategy to COVID that has saved our children in class safely and saved our employees secure,” Clark stated.
“We on the board have various views, however we’ve resisted the politicization of points that some in our group need to use to divide our college students, academics, and residents,” she stated. “By re-electing me, I’ll proceed to keep up the fiscal duty of 28 years ongoing, guaranteeing that every one views are balanced and revered, whereas persevering with to hearken to the group, college students, academics, directors and employees to maintain the Panther Satisfaction district broad.”
Deb Dingus
The mom of three youngsters who’ve attended Licking Valley colleges, Dingus has served for the previous 10 years as govt director of the Licking County United Manner, and can also be pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. She has 30 years in public service by the ministry and non-profit sector, with a Masters in Divinity. Dingus has a BA in training and has taught within the classroom.
When shifting again to Licking County in 2012, she selected the Licking Valley district “due to its magnificence and status of being a caring and welcoming group. I additionally selected the world due to the status of the varsity district,” Dingus stated. “I’ve all the time bragged to others concerning the particular manner that the employees, administration and group come collectively in Licking Valley at any time when somebody is in want.” She is grateful for the way in which the district has helped develop her children, by each tutorial and extracurricular actions.
Nonetheless, she is gloomy to see what is occurring within the nation and college districts, together with Licking Valley. “The present political local weather is layering extra injury on prime of the already drained and fragile methods and communities that every one of us reside in as a result of Covid-19,” Dingus stated. “The dangerous feedback casually flung on social media, and the intimidation towards effectively that means college board members, college directors and employees usually are not useful and are setting unhealthy examples to our youngsters on tips on how to deal with robust instances.”
“I’m working for the varsity board as a result of I need to assist restore the well being and effectively being of our college district and surrounding group,” she stated. “I need to lend my service, abilities and experiences to the therapeutic course of as our group begins to deal with not solely the collective trauma of the previous 18 months, however envisions a brand new manner ahead.”
Carolyn Kollar
A Northridge graduate, Kollar is at present a licensed public accountant with a public accounting agency, and stated her two stepdaughters have obtained a superb training in Licking Valley colleges. She is an avid volunteer in Huge Brothers, Huge Sisters of Licking County, and helped co-found a non-profit, Starfish Project Licking County, that’s is aimed toward constructing relationships between cops and the communities they serve.
“My choice to run for varsity board got here after quite a few conversations with residents, attending college board conferences, analysis, and prayer,” she stated. “With my skilled background, and my involvement in our group through the years, I’m able to be a voice for Licking Valley. I’ve discovered many issues about our group values, and to my core, I genuinely imagine that our group understands there may be nothing extra necessary than our youngsters – as a result of they may decide not solely our native future, however the way forward for the world.”
She believes the largest problem dealing with the district is lack of transparency.
“A college board ought to present full transparency, because the members on a faculty board have been elected by the group,” Kollar stated. “When I’m elected, my first plan of action might be to work with fellow board members and the present administration to offer extra transparency to oldsters.
“I imagine in having open and trustworthy conversations about why one thing is being finished,” she added. “Transparency is paramount to a profitable college district, as a result of it places dad and mom relaxed and offers them a greater understanding of what’s occurring with their youngsters.”
Drake McArtor
The Licking Valley graduate served as the scholar consultant on the varsity board whereas in highschool, the place he discovered about what’s required of board members. He has remained lively within the Valley group by sports activities and 4-H, having helped coach the highschool ladies soccer staff. He’s now a 4-H advisor for Barnyard Buddies.
“By these experiences, I’ve had the chance to work with the youth in our group to assist them develop themselves and train them the mandatory abilities of duty, citizenship, group and teamwork,” he stated. “I’m working for the varsity board as a result of I’ve a way of responsibility to proceed my service to my group.”
McArtor stated he’ll attempt to assist enhance the traces of communication between the board, administrative workplaces, academics, dad and mom and college students, to assist scale back the quantity of confusion and distortion that the pandemic has triggered. “I need to make sure that the board and superintendent’s workplace makes the general public conscious of insurance policies and pointers from the state and county workplaces, so it’s understood why the varsity is dealing with conditions in a particular manner,” he stated.
He stated he’ll all the time make sure the opinions and issues of group members are heard and addressed.
“The Licking Valley treasurer’s workplace has dealt with our funds responsibly for a few years, and that’s additionally why our district is ready to achieve success,” McArtor stated. “We have to ensure that the board continues to make sound monetary selections that put the perfect sources within the classroom for our academics and college students, in addition to making accountable investments for future generations of scholars.”
Julie Stedman
Stedman has been a Licking Valley resident since 2004. Her husband Kevin has been a Newark Metropolis Colleges center college instructor for 23 years, and so they have 4 youngsters between the ages of 12 and 20. She has a BA in Training and Sociology has been a substitute instructor in Heath and Licking Valley, and was Director of Newspapers in Training for the Newark Advocate, Zanesville Occasions Recorder, Lancaster Eagle-Gazette and Coshocton Tribune.
Stedman determined to run for varsity board after watching a district “guide problem” Zoom assembly in December of 2020. “A mum or dad made an enchantment to the varsity district, requesting {that a} guide describing rape – with sexually graphic prose and illustrations – be faraway from the eleventh grade instructor’s bookshelf of really helpful studying. I used to be upset by the varsity board’s response,” she stated.
“This motivated me to attend month-to-month board conferences the place I used to be shocked on the lack of dialogue or the range of opinion among the many board members,” Stedman added. “With every assembly, I used to be extra sure I ought to run. Since then I’ve been finding out the board insurance policies and Ohio legislation, speaking with dad and mom and asking questions at board conferences.”
Stedman desires to deliver math and studying ranges as much as and above grade stage, and regain misplaced progress for each pupil after the COVID pandemic. She feels that academics’ predominant duty ought to be to show, and that the rising focus in colleges on offering psychological well being or trauma counseling ought to be reserved for certified counselors.
“Books and curriculum that aren’t age-appropriate or don’t mirror the values of our group, Vital Race Concept and Social Emotional Studying initiatives promoted at our state and federal ranges, threaten the integrity of training in our complete nation,” Stedman stated. “Voters and board members should be knowledgeable and vigilant to guard the integrity of our youngsters’s training.
She stated the position of public training is primarily to teach youngsters, even within the midst of a public well being disaster. “My long-term targets embody board insurance policies which respect the medical privateness of scholars, which respect the position of oldsters/guardians as a baby’s major authority, and which by no means disrupt or compromise the academic alternatives of our pupil physique,” Stedman stated.
Jo Lynn Torbert
Torbert served as treasurer of Licking Valley Native Colleges for 39 years (1981-2020). She and her late husband, Dick, had two sons, Todd (1985 Valley graduate) and Rodd (1988).
She raised $500,000 through the years as treasurer of the Cade and Katelyn OSU SMA fund, was a member of Wyatt Atkins Coronary heart Group and Licking Valley Athletic Boosters, and established an ongoing Finance Activity Power in 2005, which is comprised of group, directors and employees to create a clear view of the district. “I’ve all the time maintained an open door coverage for employees and group,” Torbert stated.
She initially had filed in August to run for a four-year time period, however as a result of Shumaker’s resignation, the remaining two-year time period turned accessible. “I used to be honored to be chosen for that place, unaware that my identify was going to seem on the poll and I used to be nonetheless eligible to run for the four-year time period,” she stated. “At that time, I made a decision to train my proper to run for the unique time period. “
Torbert stated that political and well being unrest inside the district threatens to disrupt the imaginative and prescient that has made Licking Valley profitable.
“Sharing my data of the inter workings of the varsity is a precious asset to the district as a board member,” she stated. “We’ve not been on the poll for added working funds for 28 years, we didn’t go to the group for added funds for our elementary college (OSFC) venture, and no further funds for our cutting-edge athletic facility. As a board member, I’ll work as a staff with major concentrate on college students and employees, assessment insurance policies and characterize the perfect curiosity for the district.”
Casey Williams
Williams is a lifelong Panther and 1997 Licking Valley graduate. He lettered for 3 years in soccer at Bowling Inexperienced State College, whereas finding out Interpersonal Communications from 1997-2001. He has been married to his spouse, Autumn, for 19 years and so they have three youngsters who attend every of the Licking Valley college buildings.
He’s the co-Founder and co-owner of Restoration Farms, a neighborhood, household run farm targeted on sustainable farming practices with out the usage of genetically modified organisms to supply beef, hen, eggs and honey. As a Senior Vice President of Cost Purposes with RevSpring for the final 20 years, Williams has held varied positions together with gross sales, gross sales management and product management.
He has volunteered with various organizations, serving as vice chairman at Fostering Additional whereas collaborating in varied foster household initiatives. Williams had management roles within the LV GridIron Membership (now LV Gridiron Affiliation), Wyatt Adkins Coronary heart Group, Fellowship of Christian Athletes different church-based outreach occasions. He has coached Valley biddy soccer, freshman soccer, was a head coach for the Licking Valley Youth Sports activities Affiliation, and was a head coach and board member for Dirtbags baseball.
Williams is working for the varsity board to additional interact locally as a servant chief, he stated.
“I’ll mirror the pursuits and values of the group, and search to offer perspective and accountability in serving as a board member,” he stated. “I might help fiscally conservative beliefs and spending. If elected, I imagine I can assist present imaginative and prescient in what our subsequent chapter ought to seem like. I might encourage accountability for myself and different leaders inside the district, whereas selling the mindset that we work for the group and the youngsters we serve. I might concentrate on efficient communication and group engagement in any respect ranges.”
dweidig@gannett.com
740-973-4503
Twitter: @noz75
Instagram: @dfweidig
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