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Celina school board candidates meet before a large audience at the Celina High School lecture hall on Thursday evening.
CELINA - Candidates in a crowded field vying for three open spots on the Celina school board told a large audience on Thursday night why they should be voted into office in the Nov. 7 general election.
The 11 men and women running for the school board seats made open and closing statements and responded to questions posed by and relayed to the Celina Education Association by audience members.
CEA organized the event which was held in the high school lecture hall.
Candidates over the course of two hours and in a CEA screening questionnaire made their case for picking up a seat on the school board.
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• Amanda Bruce said she's a lifelong Celina resident and former teacher. She and her family own two restaurants, giving her a wide range of experiences that would prove beneficial if elected to the school board, Bruce said.
"I'm running because I believe in our schools, our students and our teachers. I'm running because in years past we weren't given a lot of options on who was on the school board. That clearly changed this year," she said.
Bruce said she has a fresh perspective to add to the decision-making process.
"I'm running so I can try to help retain our teachers and our students in our school district. I'm running so I can help ensure our school system is run in a financially responsible manner," she said.
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• Jon Clouse said he taught at Celina City Schools for 40 years. He also coached football and drove a bus. Now retired, he found out how much he missed the school when his granddaughters became students. He also noted that after talking with others at summer gatherings, he felt called to run for the school board.
"I am not affiliated or influenced by a political party," he said. "The board of education is a nonpartisan race. My decisions will be based on what is best for students, educators and the district community as a whole."
Among his goals are to instill a positive attitude in the school, raise the level of respect for teachers and staff and improve the school board's communication with the community. These goals may stem the loss of students to other districts and attract and retain quality teachers, he said.
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• John Contreras said he's a safety manager for a general contractor that performs construction projects similar in scope to Celina City Schools' building project, valuable experience for keeping staff, students and visitors safe.
He believes in the power of action and the importance of providing a quality education.
"I believe that as an unbiased nonpartisan active participant in this school board, I can have a long-lasting positive impact on this community," he said.
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• Stacy Evers said she began her journey to school board candidate after her children entered school and she saw the conditions of the buildings. Over the years, she said she listened to friends, family members and others who voiced similar complaints.
"Public perceptions of school is that it is not and has not been financially responsible, that the school has not been communicating well with the community, that they actually feel some information is being hidden," she said.
The board needs to improve communications with the community, she said.
"This board has to rebuild trust in our stakeholders," she said
Evers said it also needs to work together as one team with a singular vision and no personal agendas and restore balanced decision making.
"Decisions need to be made that are effective, rational and intentional. Every family deserves this from their community school," she said, noting she's a school psychologist and every decision she makes is to serve children and their needs.
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• Tim Homan is a production planner with Crown Equipment Corporation in Celina.
"I'm an active, engaged community member and there's nothing more I want to see than this community succeed," he said. "I hold high conservative values and godly values, as well. I hope by being elected that I can say I had a hand in bringing back this community and restoring excellence."
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• Andrea Kuehne is a corporate recruitment and development manager at Cooper Farms.
"For almost two decades now I have been immersed in the Bulldog Nation. My children have been involved in sports, choir, band, AP and College Credit Plus courses, student council, the list goes on," she said. "This has given me a great, wonderful perspective into the successes and the struggles of Celina schools."
She said she's running for school board because the district is at a critical time.
"We have been entrusted with significant financial support from our community and hopefully the continued support from the renewal levy. So we need to handle that well," she said.
Kuehne said she truly believes that everyone wants the same thing - a quality education that sets students up for success and bright futures. This can be accomplished through effective systems, transparent communication and trust, she said.
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• Ashleigh Lantz said she's a former office administrator and project manager who today is a stay-at-home mom. Her children - and those of the community - are very important to her.
"I have a children-first approach and that includes academics, financial stability, curriculum and parental rights - I think that's very important to include parents - and also discipline and structure," she said.
She said she wants to ensure that the district retains teachers and student enrollment and brings back trust to the community.
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• Tiffany McKirnan is a physician assistant at Lima Memorial Hospital. She said the education she received at Celina City Schools was essential to her future success in higher education and her career.
When she and her husband discovered an outline for a particular area of instruction, they felt it was inappropriate for a second-grade student, she said. McKirnan said she also spoke about the matter with other parents and school officials before addressing the school board.
"Since that time many community members have reached out and asked for my involvement in this capacity, to put students first by protecting parental rights and community values, and I would be honored to serve my community in this way," she said.
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• Jessica Rolfes has been a teacher for 22 years. She said she's at the point in her life where she can commit to the school board. Rolfes said she has expertise in and has dedicated her life to education and is immensely passionate about anything school-related, including policy and educational trends.
Following her children through Celina City Schools, Rolfes said she's "really been able to get my feet wet in the district."
"I have fallen in love with the district," she said. "I have seen amazing things from our teachers and students and I just really want a part in the decisions for the future," she said. "I really want a part in helping Celina advance, and I would absolutely be honored and thrilled to be part of Celina City School Board."
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• Adam Schleucher said he's a managing partner of a successful farming operation and started a ground-up multi-state crop insurance agency.
Schleucher said when he heard there were three open seats, he called a friend, an assistant superintendent at a large school in northern Ohio. One part of his friend's advice struck a chord with him - anyone running for school board can't have a personal agenda or an axe to grind, he said.
Having neither an axe to grind or a personal agenda, Schleucher said he talked things over with his family and friends and decided to run for office.
"I want Celina to be successful," he said.
New board members have the unique opportunity to earn back the trust of the community and build bonds with teachers, he said. Schleucher said he keeps hearing the same things from people across the community, namely a lack of trust and communication with the school board, he said.
"Implementing trust, honesty, transparency and communication, I think we are at that point that we can reshape Celina schools and take on that huge responsibility of preparing our kids for their future," he said.
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• Julie Sommer believes her diverse background will help contribute toward the financial and academic progress of the school. It's time to give back to the schools that provided education for and set her children on a path to success, she said.
Sommer said she owned Hair to Please for 14 years before making the life-changing decision to go to college to pursue her dream of becoming an educator.
"Balancing full-time work, managing a business, raising three children and pursuing higher education at the same time epitomizes my tenacity and commitment to completing any endeavor I undertake," she said.
She said she has been an educator for the last 18 years at Marion Local School where she leads the writer development team and is a member of various Ohio Department of Education teams.
Sommer said she's experienced firsthand how strong leadership and hard work can lead a district to academic excellence. She also said she clearly understands the critical role of financial accountability in a school system.
