Residents of the Festus R-6 School District will go to the polls on April 6 to select two members of the Board of Education.
Four candidates have filed for the two available seats on the seven-person board.
Michael Wolk is seeking a fifth three-year term while Doug Wendel is trying for his fourth. They face challenges by Marcus Genova and Mary Renner.
School board members are unpaid.
GENOVA, 40, and his wife, Kelly, have one child. He is a former U.S. Army field artillery officer and works as the environmental and public affairs manager at the Holcim Cement Co. plant in Bloomsdale. He received a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the U.S. Military Academy in 2002 and a master’s degree in engineering systems management from Texas A&M University in 2011.
His wife is a middle school teacher for the district.
WOLK, 50, and his wife, Lori, have three children and one grandchild. He is a body shop manager at Sapaugh Motors in Herculaneum. He is a 1988 graduate of Festus High School.
WENDEL, 51, and his wife, Lynne, have three children and two grandchildren. He is a Festus police officer. He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Southeast Missouri State University and a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from Lindenwood University.
He was contracted by the district through the Festus Police Department to provide security at extracurricular activities before he was elected to the board.
RENNER, 34, and her husband, Adam, have two children. She is a health care education specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs Employee Education System. She studied addiction and prevention studies in 2009 and 2010 at Allen County Community College in Burlingame, Kan., and received a bachelor’s degree in criminal science in 2007 and a master’s degree in criminal justice in 2008, both from the University of Central Missouri, and a master’s degree in adult education in 2017 from University of Phoenix.
Her sister-in-law, Katie Norrick, is an elementary teacher for the district.
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Genova: My West Point education, military duties and business background gives me a breadth of service experience when working in committees with government and the public. I understand the budgeting and cooperation required to achieve success in a large organization. Most recently, I served as a parent representative on the district’s Comprehensive School Improvement Plan committee and volunteered my time to help several school groups.
Wolk: In addition to my school board experience, I am an active member of the Festus-Crystal City Elks, the current vice-president of the Festus Cross Country Booster Club and my employment provides me the opportunity to deal with the public, many of whom are Festus residents, on a daily basis. Over the years I have devoted much of my time helping different groups in the district and have served on several school committees.
Wendel: I have served on the board for nine years and I am its current vice president. During my tenure, I have attended numerous seminars to better understand the roles of a school board member and how school districts operate. I have a master’s degree in criminal justice administration and work daily dealing with budgets and ensuring that citizens’ needs are met.
Renner: I am a member of PEO International and the Optimist Club. I attend Good News Community Church.
What are the biggest problems facing the district and how would you address them?
Genova: The past year has uncovered several underlying issues that we can improve. Festus urgently needs a technology integration specialist to support student achievement in the classroom by implementing organized and effective educational technology and helping parents and students overcome technology obstacles. Too many buildings in our district have a student-to-counselor ratio at or approaching 500-to-1, well over the Missouri average of 339-to-1. We need more counselors to support students’ social-emotional well-being and guide our graduates toward rewarding careers.
Wolk: Festus remains in good financial position, which is a testament to the administration and staff being good stewards of tax dollars. Thanks to taxpayer support, we have current and upcoming building projects that are necessary to keep up with the population growth and to provide for the education and activities of students. We need to continue to work with teachers to provide them the best resources to maintain our high academic achievement, and this is the area where we need to focus as things continue to change in the world of education.
Wendel: While financing is always a challenge, our district is currently in good financial shape. We will have to continue to be fiscally responsible while exploring avenues for expansion. With enrollment increasing, we will need more classroom space and additional teachers. The board already has had some preliminary discussions on where classrooms could be added. Also, while we have done a lot in the way of technology upgrades the last few years, we will need to continue to ensure that our students have access to a quality learning environment.
Renner: COVID turned the education process throughout our country upside down and created educational issues that must be addressed. The loss of three months of school in 2020 plus the challenges faced in the current school year has teachers and students playing catch-up, and leaving students lagging from where they normally would be. Development of a comprehensive strategic plan that includes input from teacher, parents, IT professionals and secondary education is needed to identify what intervention is needed and how to achieve optimum results. Preparing our students to be successful requires us to be adaptable and both proactive and reactive.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Genova: As the product of public schools, the spouse of a Festus teacher and father of a Festus student, I have the rare opportunity to see the school community from multiple perspectives. I will serve the community by asking tough questions as well as voting to responsibly expand our technology resources, facilities and staff to serve our growing community.
Wolk: As a graduate, parent of graduates and a current student and grandparent of a future Festus Tiger, I remain committed to ensuring the success of our district. I am honored to have served the community in this role for the past 12 years and I’m especially proud of the staff and students for their hard work throughout the past year. A board member’s role is to represent the values of the community and staff and to support the administration, and I hope to continue to work for the taxpayers in ensuring our kids receive the best education, which they deserve.
Wendel: I have always based my decisions on what is best for the children and taxpayers of the district and if I am elected again, I will continue to do this. I strive to achieve a balance when making decisions that takes into account the best interest of the students, the parents and employees. My background also brings a strong understanding of safety and security and I will continue to use this knowledge to make sure our schools remain a safe place for our children to learn.
Renner: I care about kids, education, our community and our future. I understand what the role of a board member is and will approach those duties with professionalism, objectivity and intensity. My goals include:
■ Development of a strategic plan addressing challenges caused by COVID.
■ Community engagement focusing on short- and long-term goals.
■ Curriculum review to ensure our students are truly prepared to succeed upon graduation regardless of their career paths.
■ Ensuring we are providing adequate resources to our faculty.
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?
Genova: To assign a grade to the entire board would not be fair. Broadcasting the board meetings spotlights the members who have done their homework and those who have not. We need leadership and communication now more than ever. I applaud the staff for working five days a week, serving both in-person and online students, all while disinfecting classrooms to keep school in session. Even when we return to a traditional school year, our student population will continue to grow, and technology-based learning will expand. We will need engaged school board members to support the administration.
Wolk: Our staff work tirelessly to maintain Festus’ high standards, and this year presented new challenges. Surveys indicated that 82 percent of parents wanted five-day, in-person options for students, and Festus is the only district in the county to offer this. As a school board, we didn’t vote on this issue, but we supported our administration and staff with their decisions, so I give the district an A for this year. The goal should be to return all students to in-person and we have the staff to make that a reality.
Wendel: A-minus. Before the current year started, a survey showed that more than 80 percent of parents wanted their children in school five days a week. With this in mind, administrators developed a plan to accomplish that, and I made my decision to support the current plan based on that survey. Every staff member has excelled in his or her daily duties to help make this school year a success. They have gone above and beyond what is required during a normal school year so our children can get the education they deserve.
Renner: C. This pandemic was an unforeseen happenstance that created enormous challenges. Losing the last quarter of the 2020 school year, while frustrating and disheartening, it did give districts time to develop a plan for the start of the 2021 school year. Our district should have used this time to standardize our methods, ensure we had adequate resources available to our faculty and develop contingencies that could be anticipated. Although we could have done much better, we can learn from our mistakes and develop strategies to prevent them in the future.