Four seek three seats on South Range board

Four people, including three incumbents, are seeking three seats on the South Range Board of Education.

NAME: Brian Bagwell

PRIOR PUBLIC OFFICE: Board of Education for past six years

THREE GOALS:

To operate our district in a financially responsible manner. South Range has a yearly budget of nearly $15 million. We, as a board, owe it to our community to ensure money is being spent effectively to enrich the education of our students. This board has worked with our insurance company and employees to have single-digit price increases in insurance premiums in the past two years. Before that, increases ranged from 9% to 12% yearly. We will continue to manage these costs by shopping for plan options and educating the plan participants on best practices for efficient use of the policy. Additionally, we will continue to investigate opportunities to provide better and more cost-effective services through outside agencies and grants.

I will continue to help plan and budget for the future success and sustainability of our district. We have expenses such as building maintenance, a bus fleet and planning for future growth opportunities. Planning has started by budgeting for roof repairs and bus replacements. This current board has a wide range of expertise to cover all aspects of the district. As a business owner, I have firsthand experience in creating plans for capital projects and saving for emergencies. We will plan and forecast for these expenses to ensure transparency and viability for our district.

Increase the program offerings to prepare our students for workforce opportunities following graduation. We have already implemented building trades and drone aviation programs for our students. I will continue to encourage our administration to prepare students to enter the workforce following graduation. I personally donate materials to the building trades program and have offered my time and experience in ag related fields to start an agricultural trades program. The Mahoning Valley has a severe shortage of labor in skilled trade fields. By showing students these options during their time in school, we can help provide training to give experience in well-paying careers.

NAME: Laura Chismar

PRIOR PUBLIC OFFICE: None

THREE GOALS:

Openness: Our school board is lacking transparency. Aug. 21, 2024, was the last public meeting that was recorded and posted to our district website. The current response policy for our Board of Education should be better described as a “non-response policy.” The president allows the opportunity for public questions and comments twice during a meeting. However, these questions and comments are seemingly ignored as the policy does not allow for conversation. Personally, I have received follow-up phone calls from one sitting board member, but I know of no other patrons who have received that mutual respect. The policy I will fight to adopt is one where the board and administration will have an honest and cooperative relationship with the citizens of South Range. I will fight to put the board meetings back online as fear of open meeting lawsuits by the current board and administration should not trump the public’s right to see what is going on with their school district. I believe the use of executive session is being abused by the district, and I am a firm believer that if it is not necessary to enter into executive, the board should refrain from doing so.

Quality of Education: The current board and administration have seemingly lost focus on what the purpose of the school is. Putting the education for the students of this district is a top priority of mine. Over the past four years, I have spent countless hours volunteering as a parent helper in the elementary school where I have seen far too many issues that I cannot leave unaddressed. Staff within the school, including teachers, aides, cafeteria staff, custodial staff as well as members of the transportation department, have voiced to me that they feel unappreciated by the board and administration. While the current board has appeared to be fiscally responsible, they do not distribute cuts equally throughout the school. The board has given the administration nearly 20% pay increases, while at the same time, academic programs, expenses for learning tools and curriculum have been cut. The school is here to educate the kids of the district, not to supply comfortable jobs for the superintendent and treasurer. The outrageous contracts that the current board has signed with the Mahoning County ESC leads me to believe that the education of the kids is secondary to the bottom line of the treasurer’s balance sheet.

Safety: The safety measures within the district are sufficient according to state standards. We have the appropriate number of officers located within the building. And the expected number of safety drills is in accordance with state law, etc. But this appears to be the limit that the board is comfortable spending public funds. The lack of proactive stances continues to be a problem within the district. In the day and age where tragedies take place within public buildings, I feel like our staff and students deserve a safe environment. The board has continually ignored the request from community members to implement the most basic safety measures that leads me to have minimal confidence that they are well prepared for an emergency. While our current board claims to be fiscally responsible, the board president seemingly pressed the rest of the board to move forward with a $25,000 marketing contract for marketing and crisis management. I believe both academic and safety priorities should have come before that contract. In fact, when I inquired at a recent board meeting why the marketing contract was needed, the superintendent replied with a list of ways that the functions of the contract would make his job easier and that the professional marketing company would do a far better job than he. I don’t believe that is a sufficient reason to spend $25,000.

NAME: Liz Johnson

PRIOR PUBLIC OFFICE: South Range Board of Education 2021-current

THREE GOALS:

I am passionate about education and volunteer every week working with South Range students who need extra assistance. I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education. My 20 years of teaching experience provides an innate understanding of curriculum, testing and the critical relationship between teachers, administrators and the school board. I understand the high expectation of teaching and earned my Ohio Master Teacher certification through Ohio’s state department. I was involved in picking the new math curriculum that was implemented this school year. I want to continue to work with the staff and administration to promote rigorous curriculum and course offerings aligned with careers and college.

I have assisted in expanding co-curricular / extra-curricular (activities) that inspire and challenge. I advocated for South Range eighth-grade girls to be invited to the Northeast Ohio STEM Goes Red for Girls experience. I brought back to South Range the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge. Co-curricular / extracurricular activities play crucial roles in shaping well-rounded individuals and helps students make connections outside of the school day. I will continue to push to have all students get involved in activities that build leadership, teamwork and character. This involvement can improve academic performance and future employment of our students.

I will continue to be fiscally responsible. I was able to assist in increasing wages for staff without increasing taxes. I am assisting with the capital maintenance and transportation planning for long-term sustainability in our district. I will continue to preserve a balanced budget while supporting academic excellence.

NAME: Terri A. Lally

PRIOR PUBLIC OFFICE: South Range Board of Education for past eight years

THREE GOALS:

1. Reduce the district cost of College Credit Plus by increasing faculty accreditation.

2. Support student growth and opportunity: Continue expanding student activity, athletic and extracurricular programs while maintaining strong financial stewardship

3. Strengthening school culture and support: Build on positive behavior and interventions and supports to encourage respect, responsibility, and high expectations for all students so they can thrive. And Preserve and celebrate our traditions: Uphold the spirit and pride of our district through our traditions, such as the Raider regatta, student clubs, pep rallies and community involvement in our buildings that unites the community, students and staff.