A field of five people has been lined up to fill two seats on the De Soto Board of Education in the April 3 election.
The two current occupants of those chairs are among those who are running for three-year terms. Beverly Wilson is seeking her third full term and former De Soto City Manager David Dews, who was appointed in September to fill a vacancy created when Terry Noble resigned, is trying for a full term.
They are being challenged by Robert Gunnett Sr., Gary Mullins and Pamela Midgett.
Midgett did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
After the election, Lori McKee, who was appointed to the board as a replacement for Larry Sanders, who resigned, will be sworn in to fill the last year of his term. No one else filed to run against her, so the partial seat will not appear on the ballot.
WILSON, 66, lives at 14219 Easy St., De Soto. She and her husband, Mark, have two children and four grandchildren. She is a teacher at Redeemer Preschool in De Soto. She is a 1970 graduate of De SotoHigh School and graduated from JeffersonCollege and SoutheastMissouriStateUniversity, where she was an early education major. She is a secretary of De Soto Christian Church, volunteers to help with various school district events and is involved with the De Soto Christian Church Ladies Fellowship and the De Soto-Hillsboro Produce Co-op.
She has been involved with the De Soto Council for the Arts and Humanities, De Soto Little League, De Soto Wrestling Parents Organization, the city’s Centennial Celebration in 2013, the De Soto Railroad Employees Memorial, the Mastodon Science and Arts Fair, American Heritage Girls and has been a youth soccer coach.
She worked for the district for 16 years as a secretary at AthenaElementary School from 1984-2000, when she left to be a stay-at-home grandmother. She also was the cheerleading coach at De SotoHigh School from 1997-1999.
Her daughter, Lisa Queen, is a counselor at De SotoHigh School.
DEWS, 58, lives at 1618 N. Sixth St., in De Soto. He and his wife, Patty, have two step-children and one grandson. He is the executive director of the Jefferson County Economic Development Corp. and was city manager of De Soto from 1999 through 2017. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and chemistry.
Dews is a member of the Missouri Economic Development Council since 1995, Jefferson County Growth Association, the Highway 21 Task Force (and has been its chairman since 2015), the Safety First Coalition and has been a president and is a member of the De Soto Chamber of Commerce and the De Soto Community Foundation.
He also was on the Economic Development Corp. board 1999 to 2017, and was its chairman for 14 years, and was a member and president of the De Soto Rotary Club.
GUNNETT, 68, lives at 12712 Gunnett Road, De Soto. He and his wife, Brenda, have three children and four grandchildren. He is a retired factory worker and supervisor for Midwest Equipment. He studied commercial refrigeration at JeffersonCollege. He worked as a bus driver for the district in 1980, and he repaired and drove buses for the district in 1973.
MULLINS, 48, lives at 110 Clarke St., De Soto. He and his wife, Freda Morrison, have four children. He has worked for 14 years for Rug Doctor Inc. A 1987 graduate of HerculaneumHigh School, Mullins is the vice president of the De Soto Little League and has been its president.
His wife, Freda Morrison, is a lunchroom aide for Vineland Elementary. Mullins works the scorebook and game clock for high school and junior high school basketball games.
What are the biggest problems facing the district and how would you address them?
Wilson: The district's student performance on state assessments continues to be lower than surrounding districts. We have been and continue to work hard on improving these scores by hiring the most qualified staff, providing up-to-date technology and improving facilities. We also are seeking ways to improve our communication among our administration, staff, parents, students and community. We have organized a strategic planning committee, which has met several times in the past year.
Dews: ■ Public engagement and communication: We need to pay attention to how we can inspire people to get involved in positive change rather than only reacting to negative issues.
■ Attracting and retaining a well-trained workforce and staff development: It is important to get the right people on the bus and give them the resources to succeed.
■ Deteriorating public trust: It is sad that public service is not always thought of as a noble profession anymore and that people want to assume the worst. No profession is without flaw, but we get painted with a pretty wide brush.
Gunnett: Look at where the money is being spent. In some areas, maybe too much is spent and in others not enough, but I cannot say that until I see what going on in the schools. The pockets in our area are only so deep.
Mullins: Communication. This is always a hot-button issue. Offers of transparency are sometimes met with questions, or the appearance of distrust and holding back information. Open board meetings, community involvement and reaching out as often as possible to the community would lead to improved trust and support.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Wilson: I have been active in the district for more than 60 years. I understand the challenges of parents and do my best to support them and their students. During my six years on the board, we have had our ups and downs but as a unified group we have persevered with open discussions, resulting in better facilities, improvement in test scores and the hiring of high-quality staff. I want the board to continue to become more transparent to our community.
Dews: I have a simple phrase, “Do the right thing,” on my office wall. It reminds me to frame my decisions properly. Serving on the school board is not about doing what is easy or convenient or noncontroversial. It is not about the constituent’s last name, affluence or community connections. It is not about what I want to do personally. I’m convinced public service must be about doing the right thing.
Gunnett: I will not say yes to everything. I will try to do the best for the district, not just some people. You have a problem, call me, I promise to call you back with an answer.
Mullins: I’d like to think I have a good relationship with many people in the community. My goal is to reach those whom I’m not familiar with. I can bridge the gap between the community and district to achieve what is needed. Voters should feel comfortable discussing ideals, interests and needs of the district. I am a person who enjoys one-on-one communication, which leads to trust and support.