Age: 65
Current Occupation: Information Technology Director for an International company with offices in 15 countries
Past Experience: 12 Years on the Purdy R-2 School Board
Education: I, just like my entire family, graduated from Purdy High School
1. Why do you want to be on the school board, and what qualifications support your candidacy?
I would like to be re-elected because I have a strong desire to serve this community that I love and have lived in all my life. My qualifications are 12 years on the BOE for Purdy R-II Schools. I also feel that my work experience as an IT professional is beneficial to the work we do on the Board of Education. Technology is such a vital part of the educational process.
2. If elected, what do you see as your top priorities?
My top priority has been, and will continue to be, improving the educational experience of our students. There are changes lurking on the horizon for Public education. Open enrollment being the largest elephant in the room. We need to be ready to embrace these changes and get to work to make sure we are graduating productive citizens.
3. What will be your approach to managing the district’s finances?
Before financial decisions are made, I have always raised the question, “Will this expenditure benefit the children’s education?” I rely on our superintendents‘ expertise in presenting us a fair and balanced budget for approval.
4. Are there specific areas of the budget you like to cut, or any areas you would fund more?
For us to attract and retain quality teachers, we need to increase funding for teacher’s salaries. Teachers’ base salary at Purdy is not the lowest in the area, but it is not where it needs to be. Presenting a fair and balanced budget that reflects the intentions of the entire BOE is what we strive for.
5. What is the most important factor in graduating successful students from Purdy?
Purdy has programs in place that greatly assist students that are not college bound and prefer to go directly into the workforce to become productive citizens. For those that choose to go to college, we have college-level courses available to them and ACT prep classes that help meet the needs of those furthering their education. Excellence really is the Standard at Purdy R-2.
6. What (if any) capital projects would you like to pursue if elected?
Our voters recently approved a no-tax-increase levy for several capital improvements on our campus. Those have been completed within the last year. We are also building a new bus barn that should have us in good shape for capital project needs in the near future.
