To assist voters to make informed choices in the June 2 municipal election (rescheduled from April) and to accommodate those who wish to cast absentee ballots, the Leader will present its Voters Guide on its website. Each day, a new contested race or ballot issue will be posted at myleaderpaper.com.
Absentee voting for the June 2 election is open now. Absentee voters can cast their ballots at the Jefferson County Administration Center, 729 Maple St., Hillsboro, or by mail. The deadline to request a mail-in absentee ballot is May 20. To request a mail-in ballot or for other information concerning the election, call the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office at 636-797-5486.
Today, we focus on candidates for the Festus R-6 Board of Education. Tomorrow, profiles of candidates for the Crystal City Board of Education as well as information concerning its ballot issue.
Four people are seeking three seats on the Festus R-6 Board of Education in the June 2 election, and they all bring varying degrees of experience to the campaign.
Two of the incumbents, Brent Abrams and Marcus Shepherd, are seeking their fifth consecutive three-year term on the board.
The third incumbent, Doreen Berezowski, is running for her first full three-year term. Berezowski, a retired teacher from the district, was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2018 when Joe Willis quit to become principal at Festus Middle School. He will become assistant superintendent of the Dunklin R-5 School District in July.
Berezowski was elected in April 2019 to serve the final year of Willis’ term.
The fourth candidate in the race, Tracy Anderson, also brings school board experience as she served two terms on the Festus R-6 board, from 2013 to 2019.
Shepherd did not return a Leader candidate questionnaire.
School board members are not paid.
ABRAMS, 58, lives at 3336 Watson Road in Festus. He and his wife, Christine, have four children and seven grandchildren.
He is retired as the public works superintendent for Festus.
Abrams, a 1979 graduate of Festus High School, took general education classes at Maryville College for a term.
He sister, Sharon Howe, and sister-in-law, Laura Blecha, both work in the district’s food services department. A nephew, Christopher Blecha, works in maintenance for the district.
ANDERSON, 54, lives at 1824 Belmont Court in Festus. She and her husband, Steve, have two daughters, both Festus High graduates.
She is an in-home childcare provider. She formerly worked for the district as a special education paraprofessional at Festus Intermediate, but left to work in her husband’s business.
A niece by marriage, Lynn Stanley, is a secretary in the district’s central office.
BEREZOWSKI, 68, lives at 1879 Iron Mountain Drive in Festus. She and her husband, Michael, have two children and five grandchildren.
She is a middle school teacher at Our Lady’s Catholic School in Festus after retiring after 20 years of teaching fifth- through eighth-grades at Festus R-6.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Queens College of the City University of New York in 1982, a master’s degree in elementary education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 200 and has certification in special education-gifted.
Her son-in-law, Darin Siefert, is principal of Festus Elementary School, and her daughter-in-law, Lisa Berezowski, teaches third grade at that school.
What experience do you have that might serve you well in this position?
Abrams: In addition to my school board experience, I am active member of Our Lady's Parish Council, a member of Elks Lodge 1721 and Knights of Columbus 1230. I previously served on Jefferson County Water Authority, the Twin City Levee Commission and the Festus-Crystal City Sewage Commission.
Anderson: In addition to my previous tenure on the Festus R-6 Board of Education, I served as the president of the Festus Intermediate and Middle School Parent Teacher Organization for six years. I was appointed treasurer of the Festus High School Project Prom Committee. I have chaired the Twin City Optimist Club’s holiday food basket project and the bunco night fundraiser for Head Start. I also have also served on numerous school committees.
Berezowski: I am a mother who has raised two children who value education, who are both college graduates and who have successful careers. I have been a teacher for 38 years, 20 of which were at Festus R-6. I have successfully worked with parents, teachers and administrators in all capacities to ensure a quality education for all students.
What are the biggest problems facing the district and how would you address them?
Abrams: Ensuring that the state properly funds our schools to maintain the quality of excellence our patrons expect. Despite the inconsistencies of state aid funding, our administrators do a great job prioritizing the needs of students. We are grateful for the sacrifices that our patrons have made to help our students succeed. As a school board, it is our duty to challenge our lawmakers to fully fund public education.
Anderson: The district continues to suffer from spacial issues within all four buildings; with our expanding community and population those issues will continue without proper action. The proceeds from the sale of the Hwy. A property can provide a new building that can solve the spacial issues. Festus R-6 operates high-quality schools with superior educational professionals compared with other schools in Jefferson County and St. Louis County, but our employees are not being compensated within the ranges of St. Louis County schools. The budget should be carefully evaluated and more money should be contributed to pay.
Berezowski: ■ Classroom size: The hiring of more professionals (educators and para-professionals).
■ School safety (within and outside the school): Continued training and effective in-school, anti-bullying awareness.
■ Overreliance on a single, state-mandated test. There are different models that could evaluate both student and teacher performance. Focus on a growth model instead of a one-size-fits-all level of achievement.
Other issues that are important are an overreliance on technology, students arriving in the district with little or no prior education, chronic absenteeism and the push toward privatization.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Abrams: I have a vested interest in the success of our district. As a graduate, I have walked the halls of Festus as a student, a parent and now a grandparent. I have 12 years of experience serving as a member of the school board thus far and hope to continue. I have more than 32 years of experience working for the city of Festus and am well-versed in ensuring that the taxpayers’ best interest is in mind when making decisions.
Anderson: My experience as a board member, as an employee of the district and as a parent of successful Festus graduates. My goals are to ensure the protection of rightful pay of all district employees, the hiring of educated and competent professionals and to serve children’s individual needs and seek funding to ensure that the district is meeting the needs of the ever-expanding community in regards to spacial issues, necessary resources and teacher-to-student ratios.
Berezowski: ■ My experience, in and out of the classroom.
■ I am an excellent communicator, and am willing to work toward solutions.
■ I am an extremely hard worker, having spent countless hours tutoring and mentoring students while working with parents to achieve solutions.
■ My goals are to ensure that the district has adequate funding, to make sure it continues to grow both academically and socially, to have Festus R-6 become the centerpiece of our community and supporting growth, creativity and safety for our students.