Voters in the Northwest R-1 School District will choose two school board candidates in the April 6 election from among three candidates.
Chris Shelton is seeking his fifth three-year term on the seven-member board and the other incumbent, Terri Green, a retired administrative assistant in the district, is trying for her second.
They face a challenge from Jacob Mohnke.
SHELTON, 52, is the owner of Shelton Collision. He and his wife, Kerri, have three children and five grandchildren. He is a graduate of Northwest School District.
His wife is a teacher for the district, as well as two of his siblings-in-law.
GREEN, 61, retired from the district in 2017 as the administrative assistant at Northwest High School. She is employed by Sunnyhill Inc. as a human resources generalist. She and her husband, Mark, have two children and four grandchildren. She is a 1977 graduate of Northwest High School.
Her niece, Kristy Wingenbach, is a data management technician for the district. Her nephew’s wife, Grace Green, is superintendent of elementary schools for the district. Her daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Green, is an administrative intern at Woodridge Middle School. Her husband’s cousin’s wife, Lisa Barnhart, is an administrative assistant for the district.
MOHNKE, 40, is a stay-at-home father. Previously, he was in nonprofit fundraising, project management and sales. He and his wife, Erin, have two children. He received a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 2004.
What experience do you have (elected office, civic organizations, volunteer work, etc.) that might serve you well in this position?
Shelton: I have served on the school board for many years and I serve in leadership roles at my church.
Green: I am completing my first term on the board after working as an administrative assistant at Northwest High School for 24 years. I am the youth leader at St. Martin’s United Church of Christ in Dittmer. I organize and have served as the director for a youth canoe camp for more than 20 years. I also served on our church council for nine years.
Mohnke: I have had several volunteer opportunities with youth. I have been a basketball coach and referee of all ages. I have been a leader and chaperone for high schoolers as well as a prekindergarten leader and teacher at my church. I have enjoyed helping special-needs youth through the Tim Tebow Night to Shine Program.
What are the biggest problems facing the district and how would you address them?
Shelton: Funding always will be a huge hill to climb because the state has no consistency in how it funds schools. It is hard to run a $70 million-plus entity when you are never sure what your funding will be. We try to plan a few years out and look at every possible scenario and make the best decisions with the facts that we have. Making sure every student has what it takes to be successful is another challenge. Serving more than 6,200 students with various needs and different learning abilities is challenging but we have an exceptional staff.
Green: COVID-19 is by far our biggest hurdle right now. This includes getting students back to school full time safely, continuing to provide a safe place for everyone, retaining qualified staff by providing adequate and fair pay and continuing to keep a balanced budget. As students return to school, we will need additional staff and programs to address learning gaps and their social and emotional health. It’s also important to make sure we provide adequate pay. All these items hinge on a balanced budget and smart spending.
Mohnke: Our biggest problems are external. Outside forces hope to change our traditions and take our healthy youth out of school. We need to protect them from people who have selfish agendas instead of thinking about what is best for our community.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Shelton: I have served for many years on the board and I have a pretty good idea of how things are run and need to run. First is the students. Whatever needs to be done to help them be lifetime learners and be an asset to our changing world is my top priority. If you keep your focus on the students, everything else will take care of itself.
Green: I’m proud to be part of this district and board. My immediate goal is to address the challenges that COVID has caused. We must work to bridge the learning gaps that students are experiencing and address the social and emotional well-being of our students and staff. This pandemic has had a tremendous impact on the last two school years, but the effects are long-term. I will work hard to continue to maintain a balanced budget, provide essential services to students and fight for adequate compensation for staff.
Mohnke: I moved to Jefferson County because I don’t like the waste and direction of the “high performing” schools in St. Louis County. While there are plenty of things our district can do to improve, my goal is to make sure we don’t continue down the path of teaching that America isn’t a great place and that our kids can’t learn safely together. I am prepared to fight for the students’ rights. I am also going to prop up the teachers who align with these ideals and want to work hard.
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?
Shelton: I am not sure anyone can give any grade. It is easy to second-guess every decision in times like these. We have pushed out as much information to our families so they could make the best decision for their students. We understand that students need to be in front of teachers, but that plan must include safety. Other districts have implemented plans that have involved a lot of changes. We have kept a steady schedule that has allowed our families to have a more consistent life instead of wondering from week to week what will happen next.
Green: A. We were able to offer a choice to either attend school in person or learn virtually from Northwest teachers without having to outsource to another platform. We hired virtual elementary teachers, which allowed us to reduce the number of students in our classes. Secondary teachers learned how to best educate hybrid and virtual students using Google features. They have been able to build relationships and connect in different ways. The district’s response to the pandemic was thoughtful and effective.
Mohnke: B. In comparison with other districts, our leadership team has acted prudently. It has taken bold and brave steps to meet the needs of the students, teachers and parents. It is unfair to guess what could have happened if things were handled in other ways, but I think we could have been a little more aggressive in our approach. Hindsight is 20/20 and certainly we have all learned a lot to help guide our decisions moving forward.