The race for seats on the Hillsboro R-3 Board of Education historically draws a lot of interest, and this years is no exception.
For the two seats that will be decided in the April 7 election, eight candidates stepped forward for voters’ consideration.
However, last week, one of the two incumbents – Paul Maynard announced that he was withdrawing from the race after he sent the Leader a letter to the editor in his name that was actually written by Superintendent Aaron Cornman.
The letter was in response to a letter that criticized Maynard and fellow incumbent Jo Ellen Stringer for their votes to change the district’s nepotism policy.
Maynard, whose name will appear on the ballot, is concluding his second three-year term.
Both Maynard and Stringer originally were appointed to the board in 2008 to fill vacancies, then were voted in two consecutive three-year terms.
Stringer, the former longtime Jefferson College volleyball coach, will be joined on the ballot by six potential newcomers – Dennis K. Bradley, Lisa L. Welker, Erick R. Stephenson, Bob Thebeau, Scott J. Honer and Dwayne Ruble.
Thebeau and Honer did not return Leader candidate questionnaires.
BRADLEY, 62, lives at 318 Pearl Drive, Hillsboro. He and his wife, Margaret, have three children and four grandchildren.
A former employee of the district’s transportation department, he now works for the Fox C-6 School District. He said he made the move so that he could run for the Hillsboro school board. Bradley also worked for 32 years for the Chrysler Corp.
He attended the Meramec and Forest Park campuses of St. Louis Community College and Jefferson College, where he studied information and communication technology. He served with the Missouri National Guard for almost nine years in the 220th Engineer Company.
He was a committeeman for the United Auto Workers 136 when he worked for Chrysler and volunteered in its Community Action Program. He has worked in election campaigns at local, state and national levels.
WELKER, 53, lives at 5621 Lake Hill Drive, Hillsboro. She and her husband, Ken, have two children. She taught in the district for 30 years and now is a substitute teacher there. While she was a teacher in the district, Welker served on multiple committees, including interview and job hiring recommendation panels for teachers, other staff members and administrators.
A 1980 graduate of Hillsboro High School, she received an associate degree from Jefferson College, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Southwest Missouri State University and a master’s degree in education from Webster University.
She started the Jump Rope for Heart program at the Hillsboro Intermediate and organized and participated on Relay for Life teams and has worked with Junior Achievement. She has been a member of the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Program. She is a member Hillsboro Christian Church and has been a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Arnold.
Her daughter is a fifth grade teacher with the district.
STRINGER, 65, lives at 820 S. Suncrest Drive, Hillsboro, with her husband, Robert.
She is a retired athletics director, instructor and coach at Jefferson College and is an adjunct instructor in the college’s health and physical education department
She has a master’s degree plus 30 hours in education. Before starting work at Jefferson College, Stringer taught for four years in the Hillsboro R-3 School District. While she worked at Jefferson College, she was women’s director of the National Junior College Athletics Association’s Region 16, president of the NJCAA’s Coaches Association and county committee chair of the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Her niece works at HillsboroHigh School.
STEPHENSON, 36, lives at 7979 Hillsboro House Springs Road, Hillsboro. He and his wife, Mary, have three children. He is a pharmacy manager at Walgreen’s in De Soto.
He graduated from JeffersonCollege in 1999 and from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 2003. He volunteers in his children’s classrooms and has been a presenter at Hillsboro Primary’s career day for 10 years.
His wife teaches first grade in the district.
RUBLE, 40, lives at 14 Appomattox Ridge, Festus. He and his wife, Jenny, have two children.
He is a senior claims adjuster, marketing representative, loss control inspector and field manager in the insurance field.
He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in public administration.
He volunteered to help obtain a $67,000 grant for outdoor exercise equipment at HillsboroCityPark. He volunteers with the Missouri Stream Team and has obtained entry-level certification in water monitoring, He has been president, vice president and secretary of the Ridgeview Acres subdivision. He is a member of the Festus-Crystal Elks and is a lifelong member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Crystal City.
What are the biggest problems facing the district and how would you address them?
Bradley: A major problem is directly related to leadership. You can’t set a good example for students or staff when your first action is to change a long-standing policy against nepotism and hire your wife, betraying the people and breaking their trust. At a recent meet-the-candidates forum, I was the only candidate who spoke out against nepotism in our district. Another problem is greed. Many employees haven’t had an increase or if there was, it was insignificant, yet most board members awarded this superintendent two significant increases at his request. How would I address this? Simple – just say no. He gets paid well above what people in the area get. We have to control spending to have the necessary funds.
Welker: I would suggest using some of the money designated for new textbooks to help update technology. Students need to use computers on a daily basis to prepare for college, a career or for standardized testing and some of our classrooms have only two computers. We can create mobile carts with sets of laptops to share between teachers and add to them on an annual basis. I also want to build strong positive relationships between our school staff, the community and the board by maintaining consistent communication between all parties. This will build trust and encourage more involvement so we can make a difference in the education of our students.
Stringer: Funding is inadequate to meet the needs of the district. Utilizing the funds we have as efficiently as possible is a priority. We need to update the technology throughout the district. We also need to address the salary schedule to keep and attract quality teachers and staff. Maintaining summer school and finding funds to offer early childhood education is important to improve the student success rate.
Stephenson: Lack of and/or decreasing funding is one of the most pressing problems faced by the district. We need to review our current budget, including expenditures, line by line to eliminate any unnecessary spending so that we can offer competitive salaries and retain the best talent. We also need to collaborate closely with our local and state government officials to develop additional funding opportunities.
Ruble: The district lacks resources such as up-to-date technology: computers (and ultimately tablets) for each student. We need to make sure the teachers have all the tools that they need. We also need to work on increasing the teachers’ pay.
We can begin to meet these challenges by making the classroom budget our first priority.
We must evaluate and improve efficiencies in the classroom, working with input from teachers. This connects to improving student success by striving for more parent involvement. We must begin working with outside revenue sources throughout the community. Through building partnerships with foundations, sponsors, volunteers and obtaining grants, we can help provide additional funding opportunities.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Bradley: My goals are:
■ Save residents from spending tax dollars unproductively.
■ Promote quality education.
■ Better prepare and encourage Hillsboro graduates for college.
■ Defend and improve safety standards.
■ Give support and recognition to teachers and staff.
■ Challenge ourselves to do better than just average.
Welker: I taught in the district for 30 years, which has allowed me to be involved in many aspects; therefore I can offer an insider’s perspective. I am familiar with the ongoing operations and feel that I have a good grasp of what the needs of our students are, as well as those of the district. I have established a rapport with teachers, staff, administrators, parents and the community, so I could be a conduit that will listen to their concerns and interests. I will bring an attitude of respect and professionalism to the board so that we will preserve the reputation of our school. I am committed to do what’s best for our district and for our students.
Stringer: My reason for seeking re-election is for service to the Hillsboro community. I have gained valuable experience in the past six years as a board member. Education is key in the development of children to lead quality, successful and productive lives.
My goals include:
■ Improve technology throughout the district.
■ Honor the written salary schedule.
■ Continue efforts to increase communication and transparency.
Stephenson: I am a Hillsboro graduate and lifelong resident. I have two, soon to be three, children in the district. This gives me a vested interest in the educational success of our students and the success of the district. In my role as a pharmacy manager, I oversee the operations, including personnel, finance and adherence to federal and state regulations, among other duties. This experience will allow me insight to make decisions as a board member. My goals include working on getting more funding, making sure there is more accountability both financially and professionally and to increase the transparency of all district actions.
Ruble: I have a master’s degree in public administration so I have the specific education on how to set policies and run a public organization. This includes understanding accounting, finance, program evaluations, public policy design, human resource and volunteer management and training and development.
As an insurance adjuster, I know how to work with others during difficult times and come up with solutions. I also have extensive experience negotiating legal and construction matters.
My goals are to:
■ Increase the teacher-student ratio during Common Core lessons to provide more one-on-one time.
■ Improve technology, including teacher technology and up-to-date tablets with apps on them to complete homework and a self-help resource for students who need assistance.
■ Improve facilities.