By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Six candidates for St. Joseph school board gave their best pitches online Friday morning as the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce held a virtual candidate forum.
Rick Gillmore, a former business owner, favors pre-school from three years old to Kindergarten.
“I think that would be very beneficial to prepare the students socially and intellectually before they start their elementary school learning,” Gillmore says.
Josh Hall, who worked at KQ2, wants to open elementary schools earlier to serve free breakfast for students.
“Not just to allow for socialization, but for whatever we’ve got to do to process the students in now,” Hall says. “I think if we can rebuild the worker morale and the social scene at these schools, we’re going to be able to change community perception and that’s what my big goal as a candidate would be.”
Kenneth Reeder, a business owner, wants to increase transparency in spending taxpayer dollars.
“That’s the most important thing,” according to Reeder, “to build trust back with the citizens of St. Joseph and that very issue, the money issue.”
Brian Shewell, who came to St. Joseph to study at Missouri Western State University and stayed, says teacher recruitment and retention is a major issue for him.
“I believe that St. Joseph deserves to have the best teachers in the entire state and that comes with retaining and recruiting the best,” Shewell says.
Michelle Traster says education is especially important to her family with a child entering Kindergarten next year. She says the district must ease overcrowding.
“It’s not just overcrowded classrooms. It’s overcrowded buildings. Some of our buildings were built for elementary schools; they’re being used for junior high. They don’t fit there really well.”
Lori Witham, a former teacher, says when asked why she is running, she discusses her interaction with students she taught when a teacher.
“That’s my why,” Witham says. “Those students that continue to find you as an educator and say, ‘You helped me.’”
The forum was moderated by Barry Birr, the host of the KFEQ Hotline.