Elections for seats on the Hillsboro R-3 School District’s Board of Education usually draw a healthy number of candidates, and this year is no exception.
Eight candidates are seeking the three seats available in the April 4 election.
John Lewis, one of the current members whose seat is up for re-election, opted against running for a third three-year term, leaving the position open to at least one new member.
The other two incumbents, Angie Oshia and M. Beth Petry, are seeking new three-year terms. Oshia was elected in April 2016 to serve the final year of an unexpired term and Petry is seeking her second term.
Others seeking board seats are Chad Edward Nicholas, Jane Heine, Zachary Gibson, Dennis Bradley, Jon Schuessler and Dan D. McCarthy, a former board member.
Nicholas and Bradley did not return Leader candidate questionnaires.
OSHIA, 40, lives at 4205 Lockeport Landing, Hillsboro. She and her husband, Tom, have four children. She is a part-time programmer and on-air personality for KJFF Radio and works for Scholastic Book Fairs. She formerly was the IT vendor manager for Emerson Electric Corp., an account manager for American Red Cross and community relations manager for ITT Technical Institute. She attended Jefferson College and is taking courses through Southern New Hampshire University. She is also the vice president of the Guardian Hawks, an adult leader of Boy Scout Pack 406 and works concessions for high school basketball and soccer games.
HEINE, 45, lives at 5276 Glade Chapel Road, Hillsboro. She and her husband, Steve, have six children. She is a nurse practitioner and professor at Goldfarb School of Nursing at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. A 1990 graduate of Rosary High School, she received her registered nurse certification from Deaconess College and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Goldfarb School of Nursing. She volunteers at each district school.
GIBSON, 41, lives at 9634 Meadow Trail, Hillsboro. He and his wife, Chrystal, have two daughters. He is an agency sales manager with Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance Services in Arnold. A Bismarck High School graduate, he attended Southwest Baptist University and Mineral Area College. He is a member of the Festus-Crystal City Elks and attends Oak Bridge Community Church.
His wife is a paraprofessional at Hillsboro Primary School.
PETRY, 63, lives at 4217 Hansard Lane, Hillsboro. She and her husband, Joe, have two children and three grandchildren. She is a retired teacher from the De Soto School District. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from University of Missouri in Columbia and a master’s degree in education from Southwest Baptist University. She is a member of Hillsboro United Methodist Church, where she is an administrative board chairman and a chair of its Harvest Festival.
Her daughter, Stephanie Lehman, is a kindergarten teacher in the district.
SCHUESSLER, 40, lives at 9212 Hwy. BB, Hillsboro. He is a private tutor. A 1994 graduate of Hillsboro High School, he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri S&T) and has completed graduate work in secondary mathematics education from Webster University. He is a founder of the Missouri Volunteer Movement, a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, and is part of the Missouri Adopt-A-Highway program.
McCARTHY, 68, lives at 153 Pioneer Trail, Hillsboro. He and his wife, Elenora, have three children and seven grandchildren. He served on the school board from 2011-2015. McCarthy is retired from Little Sisters of the Poor in St. Louis. He has a bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University and is a teacher in the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church’s Parish School of Religion as well as a volunteer with the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Department. He has coached youth athletics, is a member of the Knights of Columbus and helped start the high school’s soccer program.
What are the biggest problems facing the school district and how would you address them?
Oshia: Meeting the district’s financial needs and to provide the most conducive learning environment to our students. The passage of Proposition Hawks will help the district meet learning and wellness, security and safety, technology and maintenance and code compliance needs.
If I had the ability to make one change in the district, I would begin with an early childhood education facility. Providing fundamentals is an essential building block to start a strong foundation in learning.
Heine: Large classroom sizes, poverty and lack of parental involvement. The primary school has classrooms of 23 or more students and many teachers do not have an aide. Many of our students lack resources because of poverty. The lack of parental involvement in the schools is multi-factorial; many parents are struggling with working more than one job and are unable to be involved. All of these factors require our district to have excellent leadership that will put our students’ educational needs first.
Gibson: Maintaining the improvements of the various facilities, keeping up with technological advancement and improving safety and security. Exercising fiscal responsibility is vital. We as a board need to ensure that the district uses its resources, invests in maintenance, keeps current with technology, improves and implements effective safety programs and faculty training.
Petry: The budget. Providing intriguing, up-to-date programs for students to master skills for college, tech or prep training or life skills within the financial restraints of our operating budget is no doubt always the challenge. Supporting the April bond issue, encouraging grant applications and competitive bidding will help face these fiscal challenges.
Schuessler: Over the last 10 years, student enrollment has dropped and inflation-adjusted revenue has been flat. Debt payments are rising, benefit costs have doubled, administration costs have tripled, yet the average teacher’s salary has fallen by 4 percent (when adjusted for inflation). Clearly the focus is not where it should be. This comes from a failure of leadership. The board surrenders too much authority to outside agencies, particularly the statewide, privately run Missouri School Boards Association, which writes a great deal of district policy.
McCarthy: On the surface, it would be money to operate, maintain and promote programs; however, in my opinion, it is trust between community, parents and educators. The answer is to be real and listen to the community and educators.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Oshia: I will have children in the district for many years to come. I will advocate for our students and will strive to put resources in place to serve our students. I bring new concepts with realistic expectations for positive change. My goals are to:
■ Rebuild trust.
■ Advocate for students.
■ Focus on technology.
■ Offer competitive salaries.
■ Improve recruitment and retention of staff.
■ Maximize the budget.
■ Empower teachers.
Heine: With six children in the district, I have a vested interest in the improvement and continued quality of the school district. My goals include improving transparency of the board’s and superintendent’s decisions. Also, to improve the infrastructure to accommodate our growing district. The safety of our teachers and children is paramount, and there is much improvement to be made in this area. To provide our children with the best education we need the best teachers, staff and administrators. I will use a common-sense approach using my experience as an educator to help make our district the best it can be.
Gibson: I wish to be a voice of the community. I want to take the input of the people and relay those ideas to the board and administration. I would apply due diligence on the governance of current school board policy, work with other board members on the legislation of policy and enforce decisions based on board policy. The utmost importance of being on the board would be to offer the best educational environment for students, have the best work environment for the faculty and to have a district that is one of the most esteemed in the state.
Petry: Consistency is important to the board at this time. Being on the board for the last three years has been a huge learning curve, even with my career in education. Someone taking my place would start all over. I would like to see a cohesive, well-trained board that works as a team to always put students as the No. 1 priority. Communication at all levels would be welcoming and guided toward improvements. Encouraging innovative ideas to assist with recurring situations when tried-and-true procedures are failing is a must.
Schuessler: I will serve as an effective advocate for fiscal responsibility, citizen engagement, teacher freedom and practical education. I will be accessible to the public and to school employees. I will be open to discussion but I will not change my vote just to fit in or make a deal. In short, I will not let the students down.
McCarthy: My previous experience and working with people, my involvement with the soccer program and my ability to listen and solve problems.
The current school board recently voted 4-2 not to add a year to the superintendent’s contract, reducing the contract from three years to two. How did you vote or how would you have voted and why?
Oshia: I voted not to extend Dr. Cornman’s contract. The Missouri School Boards Association recommends being fiscally responsible with multiyear contract extensions. I don’t believe superintendents should be given “rolling contracts” just because that has been the norm. This practice hamstrings school boards that may want to part ways with a superintendent. My vote was against a one-year extension of Dr. Cornman’s contract, not against Dr. Cornman as a superintendent. I am optimistic that with clearly defined goals, our district will continue to improve in many areas. Our expectations have increased and that will directly impact our district progress.
Heine: I would have voted to not add a year to the contract. Our district has been through many scandals and negative publicity over the last several years. Our superintendent has made many poor decisions and it is time for a new leader. One of his poor decisions was to not allow the primary school to be evacuated after hazardous fumes entered the building, causing illness to teachers and students. Another example is the nepotism involving potential employment of the superintendent’s spouse. The district also has lost excellent employees throughout Dr. Cornman’s tenure that point to a lack of leadership.
Gibson: Had I been on the board, I would have taken all matters into consideration before casting my vote.
Petry: I voted to maintain a two-year contract for the superintendent. I am not a supporter of multiyear contracts, which ties the district to the individual, but not the individual to the district. In most instances, the board, if asked, would allow an individual to be released from his or her contract. However, the district is financially liable for a contract for its entire length, with no option to shorten it other than a buyout. This is not a financially sound practice.
Schuessler: Other than the nepotism controversy surrounding the hiring of his wife, I know very few actual details about the superintendent's management. From the meetings I attended, it seems that the board defers to him much more than they should, but that is as much their fault as anyone's. I cannot speculate on how I would have voted. It would be irresponsible to base my answer on hearsay. However, if the board believed that the superintendent was not doing his job properly, it should have bought out his contract rather than risk future harm.
McCarthy: As a citizen, there is a reasonable assumption that the action would be justified as fiscally responsible because administrative salaries have accelerated over the years.
The school district is seeking a $12 million bond issue April 4 for capital improvements that would allow an extension of current debt service taxes, but would not require a tax increase. Do you favor the bond issue, and why or why not?
Oshia: I support Proposition Hawks. Our greatest challenge is meeting our financial needs to provide the most conducive learning environment to our students. Through passage of the bond issue, the district will meet learning and wellness, security and safety, technology and maintenance and code compliance needs. It will provide an opportunity for our district to keep making progress and will impact every learning center, from proposed classroom additions, security entrances and ADA-compliant restrooms. We have an opportunity to make improvements that enhance the learning environment that will ultimately impact our students’ experience.
Heine: I do favor the bond issue. Our district is in dire need of many improvements in facilities and transportation, among many other things. Our goals of providing excellent education to our children require the recruitment and retention of excellent employees, and for this we need a solid budget. This bond issue will help in budgeting to meet these goals without increasing taxes.
Gibson: I have read over the bond issue and favor it based on the improvements it will bring to the district. The bond will be used to enhance the learning environment by improving classrooms, implementing improved security measures, providing new technological tools and aiding in operational energy efficiency. Overall, it improves the current educational and workplace environment.
Petry: Most definitely yes, I am in support of this bond issue. This financial support is necessary to meet the needs of the district that cannot be met within the current budget. Additional space is needed at the primary and junior high buildings. Updating the plumbing infrastructure at the elementary and science labs in the junior high are high needs. Security entrances, similar to the intermediate building, would make all of our buildings safer for our students. Residents can think of this as a refinance, similar to what they might do with their home to update or add space.
Schuessler: I do not. The district’s “informational” mailers are actually promotional. It’s illegal to spend public money to try to influence voters. They advertise “no tax increase!” rather than explaining the bond issue as a tax extension that will cost $12 million plus interest. The district should be upfront about the cost rather than trying to trick people. Borrowing for planned expenses is a bad idea; only the banks benefit. The district should save money for future needs. Debt interest payments consumed over $1 million on average in the last five years. That’s $5 million lost to poor planning.
McCarthy: One needs to review the needs of the district. There have been past attempts to maintain buildings that are on hold. The bond issue needs some restatement of purpose.