A pair of longtime members of the Windsor C-1 School District Board of Education are seeking new three-year terms in the April 6 election.
Michael T. Dubis is running for his fifth term while Thomas A. Krupp is trying for his third. They have drawn challenges from Charles Huey and Ryan Strong.
School board members are not paid.
DUBIS, 50, lives in Imperial. He and his wife, Patricia, have seven children and one grandchild. He is a power supply supervisor for Ameren Missouri.
KRUPP, 61, lives in Barnhart and has three children. He is self-employed at the GFAI LLC Insurance Agency. He has attended some college.
HUEY, 36, lives in Arnold. He and his wife, Becky, have two children. He is a sergeant with the Missouri Department of Corrections. He studied political science and attended the law enforcement academy at Southeast Missouri State University.
STRONG, 39, lives in Imperial and is single. He is a software engineer. He is a 2000 graduate of Seckman High School and received a bachelor’s degree in fine art from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2005.
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Dubis: In addition to my tenure on the school board, I am president of Imperial Turners and Turner Camp. I was president of the St. Joseph Athletic Association and was an alderman in Kimmswick.
Krupp: I have served two terms on the school board. I was president of the Parents Teachers Organization for six years.
Huey: I am a past president of the men’s auxiliary of the Arnold VFW. I am a member of the Knights of Columbus, American Correctional Association and Missouri Correctional Officers Association.
Strong: I am active in Boy Scout Troop 416 and the Sister Christine’s Food Pantry at St. Joseph Catholic Church.
What are the biggest problems facing the district and how would you address them?
Dubis: The mental welfare of the students. This has been a very trying time with the distancing, mask wearing and quarantine guidelines put in place. Early on, decisions were driven by protecting the children’s physical health but no one knew how it was going to impact their mental health. Studies are showing the impact to mental health is becoming a bigger danger. My goal now is to get away from the “new normal” and get back to the “old normal.”
Krupp: Budget, working with Superintendent Joel Holland and other school board members, analyzing and putting into play the best practices to achieve the best outcome of what budget we have.
Huey: Not being in class five days a week for our students. We are now doing four days, with one day virtual. We should be in the class all five days because students have suffered from more than education. We have seen more mental health problems, children going hungry, children being abused at home and missing routine medical care. As a parent, I don't want our children falling through the cracks like this anymore.
Strong: The district needs more resources in people and technology. The district can use more space as well as improvements in facilities. We also need more mental health resources for students and their families. I would advocate for more competitive wages for faculty and staff. I would like to capture the online classes to be used in the future. To increase the technology in the district, I would reach out to local companies that need employees with specialized skills, for resources to fill their requirements.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Dubis: My commitment to the children, teachers, support staff and patrons of the district. I could tell you what I would like to do but instead I will tell you what I've helped accomplished over the past 12 years. During my tenure on the board, we’ve able to raise our operating reserves back to recommended level, the district was voted one of the top places to work in the St. Louis area and we’ve continued to safely educate children during the pandemic.
Krupp: To keep the district one of the top 100 places to work, keep our budget in check and working with the superintendent to maintaining the current reserves.
Huey: I will work to make sure all our students are back in school five days a week. I will work with teachers to make sure they have the tools they need to make sure our students get what they need to succeed. I will work with the different agencies to get a plan together so that the 2019-2020 school year never happens again.
Strong: I would like to share with the community how the board thinks about the issues they vote on. I would attend other districts’ board meetings to see what policies, activities and supplies they are looking for to better their schools.
What letter grade would you give your school board on its policy regarding virtual vs. in-classroom learning during the current school year, and why?
Dubis: A-minus. We had a couple small snags transitioning back to the four-day, in-person school week, but it has worked out. We would have liked to have supplied a little more personnel support for the virtual instruction.
Krupp: A-plus. We could never have done it without the administration, staff and teachers who jumped right in and made our job so easy with their hard work. The grade is for them.
Huey: B-plus. They have done the best with what they have had to work with. We have not had a pandemic like this in 102 years and the board has had no guidance from the County Council or the Health Department board. Unfortunately, we have to pick a side. Do we pick the side of making everyone feel good while sacrificing education and student mental health or the side of education and save a child from abuse and mental stress? Children need to be in school five days a week.
Strong: I admire the team effort the board puts forward. Many people feel very strongly that the schools should be fully open and as many people feel they should not. I give the board a B. Students do not have the space required to follow CDC guidelines. Isolation could have been handled more logically for people exposed to COVID-19. If one person in a home needs to quarantine, every person in that home should quarantine. The school was very clear with parents and students about what was expected.