Early voting for the Nov. 5 election is already underway.
The Northwestern Local School District recently scored the highest grade in Clark County on state report cards with an overall B grade. The district has almost 2,000 students enrolled.
More on Northwestern: Northwestern best performing school in Clark County on state report cards
Here is more information on the candidates:
Jill Acuff
Acuff is in her 12th year on the Clark County Developmental Disabilities Board, four of which she has served as president. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological science from Wright State University and an associate’s degree in marketing from Sinclair Community College.
Acuff said she has two children in the Northwestern district. If elected, she said her top priority will be, “to open communication between board members, the Superintendent, staff, students and the public.”
“Being on the Developmental Disabilities Board for 12 years has afforded me the ability to advocate not only for my daughter that has Down Syndrome, but for hundreds of people like her,” Acuff said. “I am also knowledgeable of the Student Handbook having used many of the steps in it to handle what my daughter needs. I believe this will help me transition to be a confident board member and give our community a voice they might not have without me.”
Karen Elder
Elder has been an educator for 28 years with experience as a teacher, literacy specialist, instructional coach, curriculum coordinator and project based learning specialist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Education from Wright State University and a master’s degree in Implementing an Independent Reading Program from the University of Dayton.
She also holds an elementary license 1-4, principal license 4-12 and superintendent license.
Elder said she believes the biggest problem the district faces is school funding allocated to the district.
“My top priority is to ensure that Northwestern continues to be financially responsible while meeting the priorities of the district’s strategic plan,” Elder said.
When unforeseen circumstances change the budget, adjustments must be made to cover the district’s unexpected costs, Elder said.
“These adjustments have a negative effect on all areas of the district budget,” Elder said. “We have an upcoming levy renewal and it is imperative that the Superintendent and school board work together to explain to the community why passage of this is important.”
Brian Hart
Hart has 22 years experience as an auto mechanic with Ford Motor Company and four years experience as a member of management in both the parts and services departments.
He hold an associate’s degree in Automotive Service Technology from ITT Technical Institute and 57 certifications that range from how to answer the phone professionally to how to identify signs of money laundering.
If elected, Hart said his top priority would be moving more towards a, “real world skills based curriculum and away from standardized testing.”
“I would also prioritize advocating for additional programs at Northwestern that would be geared towards problem solving rather than memorization,” Hart said.
Hart said he believes the district can do better by using community resources to, “expand student’s knowledge.”
“While it would be naive to say we do not need to follow state regulations, I do believe we can become a stronger district by implementing a little more common sense and spending resources wisely,” Hart said. “A resource doesn’t mean just money. We have an entire district full of people who went to school, work and apply thing they learned every day. Why not use that?”
Dan Kegley
Kegley is the owner of Dan Kegley Construction located in Springfield. He is a board member of the Building Industry Association of Clark County, where he is the president, and a board member of the Zoning Commission Board of German Township.
If elected, Kegley said he would like to see more STEM opportunities offered within the district and would also, “continue to prioritize the physical and emotional safety of students.”
Kegley said one thing the district could be doing better is communicating with the public.
“I believe that more information provided to our community about our students, staff and how our tax dollars are being spent, will result in more public support in the future. For example, some tax dollars must be spent on specific projects, and to unknowing community members, if left unexplained, could cause a lack of support in the future,” Kegley said. “I will always be open to listen to the community, parent and staff concerns and will communicate these concerns to the board and Superintendent for discussion.”
Joseph Tedeschi
Tedeschi is the only incumbent in the election. He was appointed to Northwestern’s board in June of this year after Elizabeth “Libbee” Hastings resigned “due to a disability”.
Tedeschi is also a sergeant with the Springfield Police Division.
He holds an associate degree in criminal justice from Eastern Gateway Community College.
In the short time since he has been appointment to the board, Tedeschi said, he has already had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of district business.
“One thing that has become clear to me is a board member must work with the other members, staff and administration to achieve positive results for our children,” Tedeschi said. “My top priority will continue to be working effectively for all students of Northwestern Schools.”
Since becoming a member of the board, Tedeschi said he has become more aware of issues regarding finances.
“The amount of money needed to effectively operate the schools is costly. Northwestern is not unique in this matter, as all school district are faced with increased operating costs and revenue issues,” Tedeschi said. “As a member of the school board it is important that I do my part to make sure our communities money is being used wisely.”
Ryan Wallace
He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from The Ohio State University and a law degree from St. Louis University School of Law.
If elected, Wallace said he will implement a five-point plan. The five points are: recruit and keep talented educators, improve communication and transparency for parents, increase emphasis on the trades, leverage College Credit Plus and create new community value.
Wallace said he believes the district does a lot of things well, which is why this election is so important.
“We need qualified, motivated leaders who care about Northwestern’s community. Leaders that are directly invested in Northwestern’s success. As a bonus-dad to a seventh-grader at Northwestern Junior High School, I think the thing that stands out the most to my wife and I, is that the Northwestern community feels like family,” Wallace said. “That’s something you can’t teach. It’s the ‘IT’ factor. And Northwestern has ‘IT.’”
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