Voters in the Grandview R-2 School District will choose from among four candidates in the April 5 election for seats on the Board of Education.
Two seats will be open. One of the incumbents, Tim Brown, is seeking a second three-year term. The other current board member, Pam Tisher, opted against seeking a second term,
Gary Bohler, Brian Dugan and Damon Moore are seeking to join the seven-member board.
Moore did not return the Leader candidate questionnaire.
BROWN, 40, lives at 12527 Keldan Road in the De Soto area. He and his wife, Joy, have a daughter. He is an information security engineer in the agricultural biotechnology industry and is the co-founder and executive director of RC Cars4Kids.
His mother-in-law, Barbara Shulack, is the secretary at GrandviewElementary School.
BOHLER, who declined to supply his age, lives at 1016 Green Summers Drive, Ware. He and his wife, Czarina, have four children and are expecting two grandchildren. He works for AT&T in Hillsboro. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He was a trustee for the Hansen Farms Property Owners Association from 2006-2014 and has been an assistant Scoutmaster since 2007.
His wife works part-time for the district.
DUGAN, 32, lives at 10961 Hwy. C, in the Hillsboro area. He and his wife, Ann, have three children and two foster children. He is a civil engineer with the Jefferson County Public Works Department. He is a GrandviewHigh School graduate and has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He is a volunteer youth athletics coach.
His wife is the district’s middle school girls basketball coach and also substitute teaches in the district.
What are the biggest problems facing the district and how would you address them?
Brown: Having sufficient revenue continues to be a challenge. We have to be creative in all areas, from understanding how we can offer competitive salaries to our staff to the programs we can effectively support to seeking out and applying for grant money. As a board member, I invest the time to research and offer alternative solutions that will help meet or exceed our goals while remaining fiscally sound. Our district is very fortunate in the area of community support, directly reflected in our history of approval of bond issues. I will retain this trust by ensuring effective planning, communication and listening.
Bohler: Budget pressures. I would drive results through responsible actions, research alternative funding sources and align educational goals and programs with budgetary constraints.
Dugan: High turnover and attrition rate among staff affect many of the issues. Without a consistent and experienced staff, the students and overall educational quality suffers. The cost to train incoming staff is better spent on other endeavors. Teacher morale needs to be high. I would work to find ways to give teachers more control of their classrooms. Collaboration and support between teachers and administration is crucial, as is effective professional development opportunities. Funding and the budget is another problem area. We must be fiscally responsible. I would use my experience with grants and federal funding to apply for additional money.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Brown: The last three years have provided both learning and teaching opportunities. Through self-education, committee and team participation, relationship building and other techniques that have kept me directly involved, I have become an effective leader for influencing change. I set out to challenge the status quo and have helped shift the culture of why and how decisions are made. I’ve been recognized by my fellow board members for the support I have provided. The knowledge and experience I’ve gained in my current term will provide value to our district as we continue to develop operational efficiencies and refine our processes for offering academic excellence.
Bohler: I have a background in teaming to drive results. My job directly lends itself to financially positive results while managing an ever-changing economic atmosphere.
Dugan: I have a vested interest in the district. My wife and I graduated from Grandview and moved back into the district last year so that our children could go to school here. My job has given me the experience in applying for grants and federal funding. I will work to lower attrition rates, raise college and career readiness of graduating seniors and improve overall achievement rates. I will look at ways to ensure teacher salaries are more competitive in hopes of attracting better qualified applicants and retaining them. Our strength is the sense of community we have created and I want to expound on that.