Each year, the ballot for seats on the seven-member Hillsboro R-3 Board of Education usually attracts at least a half-dozen or more candidates. In the April 3 election, despite continued controversy at board meetings, only three candidates are seeking a pair of seats, each of which carry three-year terms.
Incumbents Lisa Welker and Erick Stephenson are seeking second terms, while Jon Schuessler is looking to unseat one of them.
WELKER, 56, lives at 5621 Lake Hill Drive, Hillsboro. She and her husband, Kenneth, have two children. She is retired after teaching sixth-grade communication arts and social studies in the district.
A 1980 graduate of HillsboroHigh School, she has an associates degree from JeffersonCollege in 1982, a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from SouthwestMissouriStateUniversity in 1984, and a master’s degree in education from WebsterUniversity in 1988. She is a member of the Greater Hillsboro Library Committee and volunteers at school functions, at Hillsboro Christian Church, for the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society and with the Boy Scouts.
Her daughter, Jennifer Welker, is a fifth-grade teacher for the district.
STEPHENSON, 39, lives at 7979 Hillsboro House Springs Road, Hillsboro. He and his wife, Mary, who teaches first grade in the district, have three children. He is a pharmacy manager at Walgreens in Fenton. He received an associates degree from JeffersonCollege in 1999 and a bachelor’s degree from the St. Louis College of Pharmacy in 2003. He is a volunteer at his children’s schools.
SCHUESSLER, 41, lives at 9212 Hwy. BB in Hillsboro. He is single and works as a private tutor. A 1994 graduate of HillsboroHigh School, he received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1998 and completed graduate work at WebsterUniversity for secondary mathematics teaching. He is a volunteer with the Missouri Adopt-a-Highway program.
What are the biggest problems facing the school district and how would you address them?
Welker: Public schools face problems with funding, poverty, student behavior and attendance, but at the top of the list is safety and security. Our students and their families need to know that everything is being done to protect them. This summer we are updating buildings with safer entrances, applying protective film over glass doors and adding security cameras. The board will be making important decisions regarding security personnel on campus and having discussions on how to better protect our students.
Stephenson: ■ Decrease in the amount of state funding and uncertainty with regards to the role of charter schools and the potential impact on public school funding. To address this concern, we need to work with city and county leaders to encourage business and residential development, which would increase our tax base.
■ Lack of an early childhood program. We need to perform a needs assessment to determine how to best serve the students. This will help us determine the size of the program needed, which will allow us to have a better handle on size, space and funding needed.
Schuessler: The district isn’t planning for a rainy day, instead, it’s taking on more debt. Interest payments already cost $1 million per year. Expenses like the Hwy. A land lease need to go. It’s a gross overpayment at nearly $40,000 per acre, plus expansion makes no sense when enrollment has declined for 10 years. Priorities are also upside down. Too much money is spent for administration – money that should be going for supplies, teachers, maintenance, food service and transportation. Finally, basic building maintenance has been neglected for decades, despite multiple bond issues.
Why should voters elect you to this position? List your goals, if elected.
Welker: Board members are required to attend monthly meetings, sit in on committee meetings and be available when needed. I am more than willing to continue to dedicate my time and my educational experience. This is a position that I don’t take lightly, and understand the commitment that is needed. I have a deep connection with this district. I’ve been a student, teacher, and a concerned parent and patron basically my entire life. I am committed to helping our students get the best possible education.
Stephenson: Because of my contributions and conscientious decisions made in the last three years. I serve on the insurance committee, which was instrumental in saving money on insurance premiums in the face of increasing health care costs. I also serve on the facilities committee, which was the guiding force in the passage of Proposition Hawks last year. As a lifelong resident of Hillsboro, I understand the role that the district plays in our community. I am committed to making sure that Hillsboro R-3 is always successful.
Schuessler: I will work hard to investigate budget items and contracts. I will bring concerns about facility maintenance and curriculum into public meetings instead of leaving them on autopilot. I will pressure the board to conduct its meetings in a timely, respectful and welcoming manner, instead of standing on formality or going behind closed doors when convenient. I will not be a rubber stamp. Most of all, I will not take the taxpayers’ money – or their children’s education – for granted.
The school board recently voted 6-1 to not add a year to the superintendent’s contract, meaning that Aaron Cornman’s contract will end after the 2018-2019 school year. How did you vote or how would you have voted and why?
Welker: In January, I voted with the majority of the board to not extend the superintendent’s contract. Because this was a personnel matter that occurred during an executive session, I am not at liberty to share the discussion, reasons or other information regarding that vote.
Stephenson: I voted not to extend Cornman's contract. Due to this decision being a personnel issue, and out of respect for Cornman, those conversations and reasons need to stay in executive session.
Schuessler: I am not on the board. I have no access to workplace details, nor confidential information, about the superintendent’s performance. I will not gossip or speculate on the matter when the whole picture is unavailable.