VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — On the ballot for the District Three seat for Vigo County School Board, you’ll find incumbent Stacy Killion and candidate Mark Lee.
Killion said she wants to continue building upon a competitive salary for teachers if re-elected.
“From bout 47 school corporations within 16 miles driving, we were ranked 46 in starting teacher pay,” Killion said. “With the changes we just made, we’re now ranked 11, which is great and we’re attracting more teachers to come. But we still have to address the retention portion of that group of teachers that haven’t seen a lot of salary increase, so that’s a commitment I want to see the board continue in our next bargaining session.”
Lee said if elected he’d like to see the school’s cleanliness and appearance addressed, adding more staffing.
“We have a real shortage of full-time custodians, journeyman craftsmen, and maintenance people inside and outside,” Lee said. “We have 30 buildings and only have two electricians, one painter, and two plumbers, not enough full-time custodians. We need to improve personnel in those areas to make our schools look much better, more appealing to the public and students it serves.”
How would the candidates ensure accountability and transparency?
Killion said, “I’m happy to meet anytime and have phone conversations, which I have done, but it kind of trails off unless there’s a hot-button issue for people. I would just like to see everyday involvement and engagement with the board. I want to bring the community along with us because we need our community to support our school system, support our educators, and ultimately support our kids.”
Lee said he’d like to allow the public more access to what’s going no, including extending the public comment period in board meetings from three minutes to six.
“Instead of having things decided beforehand, I’d like to have actual discussions among the board members at public meetings,” Lee said. “Ask the superintendent to respond to questions at the board meeting instead of doing it all beforehand or afterward. I think the meetings need to be much more open, transparent to the public.”
Killion said she loves the community and the schools. She said she was active through her kid’s education experience and the school board felt like the next step.
“I was the PTO mom, the room mom, booster club, and worked the concession stand, I have a lot of appreciation for what our teachers do and what our schools do for our students, and I just want to continue that work moving forward,” Killion said. “I’m in my second year serving on the Indiana School Board Association, I’m the ‘Region 7’ director. So, I serve at the state level on school boards. I think that’s a great asset that I bring to the table.”
Lee said his experience will allow I’m to be the best advocate for students.
“I taught at North High School for 43 years, coached at Otter Creek for 42 years, I served as president of Vigo County Teacher’s Association for 23 years,” Lee stated. “I helped negotiate over 25 contracts over my career. So, I understand the day-to-day operations better than any other candidate that’s currently on the board or running presently.”
With one District Three seat open this election, residents of Vigo County will be given the chance to cast their vote regardless of the district they live in.
