The regular school election will be held on Tuesday, September 8. Three of the five seats are up for election on the Earlham School Board. School board members are locally elected public officials charged with accountability for student learning, determining educational goals, setting policy, overseeing school finances and other duties. School board members are elected to serve four-year terms, with elections taking place in odd-numbered years. Those elected receive no pay. The filing period for school election candidates ended on Thursday, July 30 at 5 p.m. Nomination papers were delivered to the county auditor on Friday, July 31. There are five candidates running for the three open seats: Jan Fletcher, Julene Mutchler-McNeal, Rex Stancil, Marvin Taylor, and Jessica Tiemeyer. Andrew Arnburg, David Morford, and Steve Willem are not running for re-election.
Partners in Education (P.I.E.) will be hosting a school board candidate forum on August 31 at 7 PM in the school auditorium. Interested voters can listen to the candidates to respond to a series of questions about their candidacy. A brief introduction, written by each candidate, is provided below in alphabetical order.  Address: 555 NE Sycamore Age: 64 Years in District: 39 I have been married to Lynda for 42 years. Our daughters, Megan and Jessica, both graduated from Earlham in ’97 and ’01, respectively. I graduated from Truman State University in ’74 with a B.S. in Math and Physical Education. I taught for two years at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri, and the next 35 years at Earlham as a math teacher, athletic director, and coach. In 2003, I completed my Masters in School Administration at Drake and served 9 years as Earlham’s 7-12 Principal, until I retired from education in 2011. Since retiring, I have stayed active in the school and community. I volunteer as host to officials at Friday night football games and have been the “Voice of the Cardinals” for home track meets. I am the Chairman of the Trustees for the United Methodist Church and on the Board of Adjustments for the City. Once a week, I deliver Meals on Wheels to people in our community. I am running because service is important to me. I want to enhance and help the school move forward and have a positive influence on the school and community.  Address: 445 NW 3rd street Age: 35 Years in District: 26 I grew up in Earlham and graduated in 1998. I then studied English at Drake University. I moved back to Earlham in 2006 so my oldest, Eva, could start school here. I am currently a stay-at-home mom. This year Eva will be an 8th grader. My middle child, Rowen, will be starting 4th grade this year. My youngest, Xander, will be in Kindergarten. My husband, James, works in Waukee and is a member of the Earlham Fire Department. I have been a volunteer for Freedom Fest for 8 years and have served on the Earlham Soccer Board for 3 years. As an Earlham Alumni and a parent of 3 current students I take great pride in our school and would like to do my part to help maintain a superior school district.  Address: 525 NW 3rd Street Age: 47 Years in District: 10 Married to wife Heather since 2002. Faithful Servant to Earlham Community Since 2006. Associate Minister Earlham Church of Christ 2006-2011. Senior Minister at Fairview Church in rural Stuart 2013 to present. Full time Minister for 23 years. Former Children and Youth Minister. BA and Master’s Degree. Specialized in Counseling. Earlham Ministerial Organization Member for 8 years. Director of Earlham Ministerial Organization 3 years. Current Volunteer as Crisis/Disaster Response for Red Cross. My goals are to Serve our community by giving every family a voice. Oversee the district budget making sure our income and debt capacity are used in a responsible way. I am running for the school board because to serve our community in the most responsible way possible paying close attention to the needs of parents, students and staff and the district overall.  Address: 145 SE Maple Ave Age: 42 Years in District: 15 I have been married to my wife since 2001, and we have two boys, 13 and 11. I grew up in eastern Iowa and received my BS in Biology from Northland College. I have worked over 17 years in the science and research fields, and am currently employed as a research scientist at an Ag Biotech company. My experience includes management of both $5 to 20 million dollar budgets as well as people, and is able to work in team environments. In every case my goal is to drive change within my organization that will improve processes and create efficiencies, using research to compile facts and data in order to make critical decisions. I regularly Interact with our end-user clients and am held accountable for my performance via metrics reporting. I am driven, responsible, professional, hardworking and a lifelong learner. I look forward to meeting and hearing from all of the Earlham community. I am running for school board because I want to use my skill sets to give back to the community I love.  Address: 19291 365th Street Age: 32 Years in District: 10 I am excited for the opportunity and consideration for School Board. My husband, Zeke and I moved to Earlham 10 years ago and quickly started a family. We have 3 young children, Blake will be starting 3rd grade this year, Peyton is excited to be starting 1st grade and our youngest, Reese is 1. With our young family, we are committed to Earlham Community Schools for the next 17 years. I have spent time volunteering at the school in classrooms as well as provided support to local Earlham organizations. I am passionate about giving back to the community and feel this is a great opportunity to do so. I work full time as a Human Resources representative, always considering the best interests of our employees and company. I truly believe that my professional experience will help guide me in making strong, long term decisions for our students, staff and community. I am running to serve our community. I want to continue to grow educational opportunities for students while promoting long-term growth and opportunity. |