Voters will take to the polls Tuesday and decide who will fill two seats on the Poplar Bluff R-I Board of Education.
With numerous potential issues facing school districts throughout the state of Missouri, school boards have been attracting much attention for issues such as curriculum and budget constraints.
This election will see two incumbents attempting to retain their seats: current board president Ken Davis and member Tim Gaebler. They are challenged by Heather Rommel, Jamie Hickson and Curtis Fouts.
Each seat will be filled for a term of three years.
Each candidate received the same questions in an effort for the voting public to become better acquainted with them and to help inform their decisions at the polls on Tuesday. The response of each candidate to the questions will be presented in ballot order. Answers have been edited for clarity and length.
Gaebler
Age: 59
Spouse: Cindy Gaebler
Children: David, Colter, and Alex
Occupation: Teacher
Education: Master’s degree
Current affiliations: Missouri School Board Association
Why are you running for the board? I’m running because, as an educator for 30 years, I know what is needed to move forward in a positive direction for the district and the students.
What characteristics would make you a good board/council member? I have an extensive professional background as an educator, and before working in education I helped run my family’s business. So I understand that aspect of an organization. And I have seen a lot of changes in the public education system and how it has affected students and faculty.
What do you hope to accomplish? I really want to be a part of seeing that every vacant position gets filled with a person who performs great in their job.
Are there any recent actions you agree or disagree with? As a board member, I have come to appreciate the fact that we must stand behind our superintendent and work together to be supportive.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the district, and how would you address them? I truly think the biggest challenge we have as a district is overcoming the education and time that was lost due to COVID-19. The shutdown and everyone staying home had a negative effect on students and their education. We have to find a way to fill those gaps as best as possible.
Are there any needs you want to address? Just making sure that we have the right people in the right positions to deliver the best possible education and services to every single student in our district.
Rommel
Age: 37
Spouse: Nicholas Rommel
Children: Makayla, Kayden, Jason, and Trinity
Occupation: Independent contractor for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Education: Master’s Degree
Current affiliations: None
Why are you running for the board? I worked as a teacher in the school district for 16 years. I believe that someone with education experience should be on the board. I know the good things and the things that need improvement in the district. Two of my children are currently students in the district, so I have the perspective as a teacher as well as a parent.
What characteristics would make you a good board member? Just being in this district for so long, I know what goes on. I taught in the classroom up until this year, and I have seen what goes on in the classroom for teachers and students.
What do you hope to accomplish? I hope to be a voice for teachers and parents, as well as the students. I want to be part of a board that makes decisions that will continue to lead the district forward in a positive manner.
Are there any recent actions you agree or disagree with? I agree with more things than I disagree with. I like how the board is expanding and adding improvement to the buildings and I really like the emphasis that is being placed on the Technical Career Center to help encourage vocational careers.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the district, and how would you address them? I can say there is a tremendous challenge in the classroom because of so many distractions because of technology, and a lack of discipline with the students. I feel there aren’t any real consequences for students. There must be something the district can do to address behaviors that interrupt the educational environment.
Are there any needs you want to address: I think teachers need to see more support from parents and the administration. I think communication needs to be improved and I think more attention needs to be paid to actual education and not just standardized testing. Things could certainly be improved for everyone.
Hickson
Age: 54
Spouse: Delorise Hickson
Children: Seth (21), Damon (15), freshman at PBHS
Occupation: Graphic designer and musician
Education: Some college
Current affiliations: None
Why are you running for the board? To learn more about how our school system works, and possibly contribute some new/different ideas.
What characteristics would make you a good board/council member? I’m always looking for a new challenge, and have had some success being the “one in charge” with various projects, etc.
What do you hope to accomplish? Hopefully, I’ll bring a different perspective to the overall process, and help set a wider path for those who want to help in the future.
Are there any recent actions you agree or disagree with? I’m interested to see how things progress under the new superintendent.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the district/city and how would you address them? Making sure our kids/students have the best opportunities available to them. I know that seems a bit broad, but, I feel there are always new ways to broaden our children’s lives... whether it’s new extracurricular activities, or adding new elective classes that address a need for knowledge about the modern world.
Are there any needs you want to address? My son tells me he’s not a fan of what the school serves for lunch, but, I think he’s just being picky. I’m a believer of the old saying, “You can’t please all the people, all of the time”...but, if we can do something to make our children’s lives better, we should at least give it a try.
Davis
Age: 68
Spouse: Patti Davis
Children: Rebecca, Jennifer, Jason, Amanda, Stephen, and Dawn (All of our children are adults, but we have 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.)
Occupation: Retired freight operations supervisor with XPO Logistics
Education: Memphis West Side High School graduate, 1974 Three Rivers College, additional hours
Current affiliations: Member of Westside Church since 1978; member of Poplar Bluff Mules Football “chain gang” since 1978
Why are you running for the board? I am running for re-election to be able to continue working on improving opportunities and skills which enable students to go into the workforce or a college of their choice.
What characteristics would make you a good board/council member? I believe students are a school board’s first priority — that students should be learning in a comfortable and safe environment. I believe a school board should act conservatively and responsibly when utilizing taxpayer’s money and/or grants.
What do you hope to accomplish? I hope to continue the progress the current board has made in building new facilities that benefit the student body — without deficit spending.
Are there any recent actions you agree or disagree with? No
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the district/city and how would you address them? The biggest challenge facing the PB R-I school district is employee hiring/retention. This includes all employees — bus drivers, clerical, custodians, maintenance workers, mechanics, nurses/medical aids, teachers, etc. We have addressed some of the issues of employee retention by providing financial incentives to all employees, attending job fairs, doing “grow your own” initiatives, etc. However, employee retention spending is difficult to balance against the pressing need for building maintenance/repair.
Are there any needs you want to address? PB R-I has several administrative support facilities in need of major repairs or replacement at this time. Over the past several years we have been able to build and/or remodel existing academic buildings. At this time, our schools, stadiums, playgrounds, etc. are in good condition. However, we now need to focus on maintaining these buildings, as we build or remodel support facilities. My goal is always to accomplish these projects without a raise in property taxes within our school district or without deficit spending.
Fouts
Age: 42
Spouse: N/A
Children: N/A
Occupation: Owner/manager Prestige Salon; owner commercial/residential rental properties
Education: PBHS, vocational degree
Current affiliations: N/A
Why are you running for the board? I don’t have a specific agenda. I just look at our future after employing some of the younger adults and I understand their values and goals are shaped in school. I feel like the future generation has gotten a little weak and might need to be strengthened and prepared for what the future has to offer for them.
What characteristics would make you a good board member? I grew up poor and didn’t have much direction. But I had a couple of teachers who helped change that way of thinking for me and prepared me for my future. I want to be part of something like that for all of the students.
What do you hope to accomplish? I would like to be part of a board that makes smart choices in order for the district to succeed. I want to see values strengthened among the students in the school.
Are there any recent actions you agree or disagree with? I have no problem with any of the recent actions taken by the board.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the district and how would you address them? I think the biggest challenge is a serious lack of discipline among the children in school. There don’t seem to be any real consequences for the actions with the students. I’m not talking about corporal punishment, but there need to be real consequences.
Are there any needs you want to address? Again, I think the biggest issue is a lack of discipline. Because reality is very different as an adult compared to when you’re a child. I just don’t think our youth are being really prepared like they need to.
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