The board expressed that it was a tough decision, with more than 10 applicants to choose from, but they liked having a representative from the Rockway School area, Morris said.
“One big thing I’d like to do is to get people really involved in the district,” Barnes said.
He wants more people to attend board meetings and share their ideas for the direction of the district and for the board to be good listeners when new ideas come up.
“The more people, the better the decisions,” he said.
Barnes lives in Forest Hills and has two children who attend Shawnee High School. His wife works as a tutor at Rockway School.
The couple chose to live in that area 20 years ago and raise their family in the district because of the quality of the schools, Barnes said.
The owner of Barnes Rocks and Resources on Upper Valley Pike, Barnes formerly worked as a plant supervisor for Navistar.
Barnes will fulfill the remainder of Weber’s term, which runs through 2015, then can run for re-election.
“I had planned to run then, but this was a good opportunity,” Barnes said.
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