WHITLEY CITY — With the General Election just two weeks away, The McCreary County Record has surveyed candidates in the three school board races on the ballot.

    Each candidate was presented with identical surveys geared toward giving our readers an opportunity to learn more about those wishing to serve them. Candidates responses are listed by district and by order in which they were received by the newspaper:

    • District 1: Nelda J. Gilreath and Greg Chaney

    • District 3: Roxanne Shook and Joyce Kidd

    • District 5: Johnny Barnett and Deborah Gibson.



BACKGROUND

    GILREATH: My husband Vernon and I are lifelong residents of McCreary County. We were educated in McCreary County School system, as were our daughters, Jeanna and Lisa. We graduated from Cumberland College and chose to spend our teaching careers in the McCreary County School System. Vernon taught 31 years and I taught 32+ years. We have both been strong supporters of education. What better qualification could I have for this office than having spent these years in a classroom teaching students to grow and expand their knowledge? I have received boundless rewards as I taught many students to reach their full potential.

    I have received school board training from the Kentucky School Board Association. Serving as the school board member for district 1 the last 4 years has been very rewarding.

    CHANEY: My parents are Dean and June Chaney, my grandparents are Beulah and the Late Earl Braden, the Late Ralph and Jean Chaney. Lisa and I have been together for 13 years with 3 children Randi Elaine, Rachel and Zach as well as granddaughter Riley King. I am a 17 year veteran of the fire service currently serving as Chief of the South McCreary Fire Dept. I have been involved with youth to collegiate athletics for 18 years, with the last 8 years as a volunteer coach.

    SHOOK: My name is Roxanne Shook.  I am the current McCreary Co. School Board Member for District #3 which covers Stearns, Smithtown and CoOp and I reside in the CoOp area.

    My parents are Buddy (Judson) and Lexie Wright. I've been married to Wayne Shook for 33 yrs and we have two great kids!  Our son is a sophomore at McCreary Central High School and our daughter is in kindergarten at Pine Knot Primary.

    I am currently employed as a cashier at Highland Telephone CoOperative for over 11 yrs and before Highland, at Academy Broadway Corp for 10 yrs where my last title was Raw Materials Inventory Manager.

    I feel my work and family history suites me to be a school board member as I am familiar with computer technology, payroll, human resource issues, insurance, inventory, requesting/comparing quotes for products/services, as well as working within a budget, whether it be a work one or my own home budget, etc., but most of all working with the public as well as co-workers in my everyday duties.

    I am proud of the fact that I feel I am trustworthy and dependable, with great work ethics, but I am most proud of my husband on whom I greatly depend, our children who complete our life and give us great joy, but in all things giving God the glory and thanks for our many blessings.

    KIDD: I am the daughter of the late Loyd and Marie Tucker. I am married to Steven Kidd in which we have 5 children and 14 grandchildren. I have 11 years of experience of serving on the McCreary County Board of Education. I also have 17 yrs of banking experience, and graduated from Georgetown College with a Banking degree. I have worked with financial and budget needs for many years.

    BARNETT: I am a lifelong resident of 42 years of McCreary County. I am married to Amy Patrick Barnett for 10 years. I have three sons: Alex, a senior at McCreary Central High School; Aaron, a sophomore at McCreary Central High School; and Benjamin, a 3rd grader at Whitley City Elementary School.

    Achievements and qualifications include: Current Vice Chairman of the McCreary County Board of Education; Attends Annual Kentucky School Board Association training (completed 48 hours of certified training); has attended 74 of 76 School Board meetings; Attends McCreary County School District Activities; SBDM Council Member for 2 years at McCreary County Middle School; Active member for McCreary County Little League for 14 years, president of the McCreary County Little League Organization for 2 years; member of the McCreary County Sportsman Club; served as a member of the Whitley City Fire Department.

    GIBSON: I am the daughter of Thelma (Bolin) Lyons and the late James  Lyons. I have five brothers: Jim, Danny, Cotton, Wayne and Kenny. I have one daughter, Corinda (Rendy Vanover) Toy, and three grandchildren: Maggie, Emma and Abram.

    I worked in our school system for 22 years in the Vocation department. I also worked with a group called AFS (American Field Service) which involved raising money to do short term exchange with other schools across the USA. More than 250 students made the trips. With over 280 college hours I have training in several areas (social work, bullying and special education). I served as Board member for 2 years, finishing the term of Mr. Perry.

    I have an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice; working on degree in Christian Counseling; Member of “Some Gave All” (supports our military); Member of the Kentucky Colonels; Involved in Mission work; Supervision of my church’s Puppet Ministry; Involved with fundraising for McCreary County Backpack Meal program.



WHY DO YOU WANT TO SERVE YOUR DISTRICT AS A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION?

    GILREATH: I chose to seek the office of School Board Member because I am, and always will be interested in our school system and the education of our young people. I will always promote education as a way to seek a better life, both financially and personal growth.  I am one of a family of seven. My father insisted we all work toward a college degree. He very strongly supported education although he did not have this opportunity himself. All seven received a 4 year college degree. I and two sisters taught in the McCreary County Schools and the other four had successful careers in other areas of the country. I am running because I care for the students of our county. I have been honored to be your board member for the last four years. During this time, it has been very rewarding to see countless students honored for achievements in various programs offered by our schools. The classroom teacher is the backbone of our educational system. Having been there, I feel I recognize the needs of the teacher. I will continue to focus on providing teachers the tools and materials they need to educate our young people and move our educational system forward.

    CHANEY: I want to be on the school board because I care about children and their parents, I care about educators in this district and I care about the future of McCreary County.  I want to help mend the fences that have been broken in our community and to restore trust and integrity where it's needed. I want to make sure that as a school district we continually strive for excellence rather than settling for politics as usual. I want to help make productive change that will benefit the many rather than the select few. As your board member I will be an advocate for our students, parents, teachers, staff, and our community who all deserve to be treated with respect and sincerity when decisions are made that affect their well-being. The future of my family and every other family is invested in what happens with this election. I believe that if we are to move forward in providing quality schools for every child here in McCreary County, we have to change because the future of our children is too important to vote the same.

    SHOOK: My main reason is I have two children who attend school in the McCreary Co School District.  As a parent, I'm concerned about the education my children are receiving. As taxpayers, we ALL have a right to know that our money is being used in the best interests of all our children.

    If I had been told a couple of years ago that I would be a school board member now, I would have said, “Are you kidding?!” But there's a time and place for everything and sometimes you feel that you have to step up to the plate and do your part.

    From the time my son started school, I've thought about what I can do as a parent to make sure he gets the education he deserves.  First thing I realized is education truly does start at home. I have to do my part like making sure he attends school every day for that is instruction time that can't be made up, working with him on his homework, communicating with his teachers, voicing my concerns as well as listening to their concerns.

    As a school board member and as a parent myself, I feel I can bring parents' concerns and feedback straight to the board to address students' needs.

    KIDD: As a proud graduate of the McCreary County School System, your board member for 11 years, and a lifelong resident of McCreary County, I am eager to give back to our students, parents, teachers, and community members the commitment to excellence in education our community deserves. The McCreary County School District is a school district that has the opportunity to be rich with academic and extracurricular opportunities, and as your board member it will be my goal to preserve these invaluable opportunities in light of the current economic and political climate. In order to accomplish this goal, I will focus on making fiscally responsible decisions that will benefit the students and teachers working in our schools as well as the community at large. My experience has a board member has given me valuable insight into the unique issues and concerns faced by the faculty, staff, and students in our schools. This experience will be invaluable as we face the challenges of the next several years. Coupled with my educational and professional experiences within the district and community, as your board member, I will be able to dissect issues from multiple perspectives and make informed decisions that are best for kids and our community. Because I genuinely care about the education of our young people, I will be honored to serve you as your board member.

    BARNETT: I feel as though children are our most valuable asset. I have always enjoyed serving my community and would appreciate the opportunity to further help our children in their education and the life they have ahead of them.

    GIBSON: In the two years I served as board member we moved forward on a lots of issues. Air conditioning was put in the gym for the first time. Smart boards were placed in our classrooms, new playground equipment was placed at Pine Knot. Backstop and new bleachers at Whitley Elementary, new equipment in the art dept. at Pine Knot along with the remodeling at our High School. We cut wasteful spending, without cutting teachers. I started a program to say thank you to our Cooks, Janitors, Bus Drivers and Aides. We had our first dinner the first year I was in office. The second year it was canceled because I lost the election.

    I want to make a difference in the life of a child. I want them to have all the tools needed to make their educations the best it can be.



WHAT ISSUE(S) CONCERN YOU MOST IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEM?

    GILREATH: Funding local education in Kentucky has become a real problem. As your current board member, I have talked to several people in other counties and find this is a big issue statewide and nationwide. The steps we have taken have helped us to the point where we are in a better situation than most. I will work with local, state, and federal agencies to insure our continued funding and strive to receive additional funding for our schools.

    Student achievement is a big issue. Our students are improving but we still have room for improvement. I will continue to visit our schools, encouraging teachers, students and other employees to strive for success. I will focus on being a team leader, reflecting my continued commitment to our students. Our goal should be to graduate well educated young people ready to pursue more education or enter the work force as a well-rounded individual.

    CHANEY: The stakes are higher than they have ever been in our school district in regard to the major concerns that we face. Increasingly, I hear parents, teachers, taxpayers, and business leaders here in McCreary County calling for improved student achievement, and rightly so. Although I commend our schools for the improvements they have been able to make, a major concern is that I am very alarmed about the current focus and vision for the future of our students here in McCreary County and the lack of support for our schools.  We cannot continue to play political games with the futures of our children and expect things to change. As your board member I will work to provide an environment that will be supportive of our students, parents, teachers, and community members in an effort to produce a common goal that will better prepare our students for the future. Because of our current situation financially in our district I am reminded of what Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Einstein makes a great point and I believe it is time that we make a change so that we can begin to see the results both financially and academically that we know all of our children deserve.

    SHOOK: The two most important tasks for a school board member are the education of our children and the stewardship of the tax dollars that make public education possible.  

    With that being said, the issue that concerns me most is with the passage of Senate Bill 1 in 2009, Kentucky Legislature enacted a new accountability system called “Unbridled Learning: College/Career Readiness for All” that went into effect for the 2011-2012 school year.  It comes with funding issues right off the bat. As Kentucky State Legislature addresses budget issues, funding for school districts have dropped drastically.  School districts must put into place advanced curriculum to be globally competitive as well as students being either college or career ready, meaning students should not have to take a remedial course their first year of college that they have to pay for but get no credit for and students should be able to get a job right out of high school with the basic tools they need to succeed in that job.

    McCreary County School District actually jumped ahead a couple of years ago and initiated curriculum that would prepare students in Math and Reading in anticipation of the new harder core system all while working with less funding each subsequent year. The decreased funding also makes it hard to provide our teachers the professional development they need to support effective instruction for the harder core subjects they have to teach while the number of students in each class has risen due to budget restraints along with cuts in staffing.

Our task is to find ways to overcome budget issues and still provide the education our children deserve.  We do that by working together as a board, in conjunction with the School Board Administration, Principals, Teachers and staff.

    Applying for grant monies such as the “Race to the Top” memorandum the board approved at the last meeting is one tool school districts can use to help meet their needs.

    We will work hard to find innovative ways to provide the best curriculum that nets the most from the limited budget we have to work with using student achievement data in making those budgetary decisions.

    KIDD: With the intense public and media scrutiny on school districts today, not to mention the poor economy and ever changing testing system here in Kentucky, school board members must not only work smarter, they must work harder for the students, parents, teachers, and community members than ever before.  A school board member must be skilled interpreters of school law, expert managers, and vigilant overseers of taxpayers' money in an effort to meet the major issues and concerns that school districts face. As your next school board member I realize we have many challenges that must be faced. For example, one of our greatest challenges confronting our school board today is to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn. As your board member I will work hand in hand with our schools to provide that opportunity while simultaneously meeting the needs of the teachers as well as the community as a whole. Another major issue that is directly related to providing students with the best opportunity to learn is addressing the financial issues currently facing our schools. As your board member I will work to review our current financial status as a district and provide a balanced budget that will support student learning by helping provide the funding to the schools to put quality teachers and staff in the classroom. Finally, as your board member, I want you to know that your concern, is my major concern, and I will work tirelessly to meet the needs of our students and address the issues that are currently hampering our students from receiving the best education possible.

    BARNETT: 1. Student safety. I would continue to make the schools a safe and clean environment where students can be comfortable and learn.

    2. Teachers and staff are working very hard and we need to reduce the teacher to student ratios in the schools. Smaller class sizes provides for more teaching and more teacher planning time.

    3. Provide additional money for staffing and school needs. (Extra Teachers, staff, SROs, etc.)

    4. College Readiness. Provide money and resources that will help the students prepare for college and the workforce.

    GIBSON: Wasteful spending, handing out jobs to get votes is wrong.

Putting the students and their needs first.

    One of our schools is without a Science teacher. We have to place a major importance on placing the right teachers in the right job. This is a disgrace to our students and our school system.

    Making new policy that will benefit our students and not put more money in the pockets of others.

    I plan on working with the SRO (when they get back to work) on bullying. No child should be afraid to come to school.

    More cameras on the buses to protect the driver and the child.

    The main thing is to stay on a clear path doing what is best for the students. Once I am in office I will be able to understand more about what is going on and do the right thing in making it right.