(Geronimo) – The outcome will be split down the middle as only half of the candidates seeking a seat on the Navarro ISD Board of Trustees will be elected to the district position Tuesday night. That’s because eight candidates will be seeking one of the four available seats on the school board.
That list of candidates include Incumbents Donna Gilliam and Hank Dietert; SeanLuc Tubre; Tank Malinovsky; Eric Monkerud; Dan Reinhard; Lacey Gosch and Dru Canion. At the start of the campaign season, each trustee shared why they wanted a chance to serve the district. The following comments were made during the KWED Candidates Corner featured in the Seguin Daily News.
For Gilliam, it was getting the chance to continue what she has already started.
“The district is currently in the process of constructing a new high school where I have spent numerous hours planning with the board, architects and contractors. I feel that being re-elected, I can continue the progress of the new high school construction without losing transition and training time,” said Gilliam.
Dietert also believes his time on the board was well spent and wants to continue the district’s direction.
“I feel that I am part of a team of 8 that is striving for excellence and have a great relationship with those in the community and on the board, so I want to continue and finish those challenges with the school board as a strong and unified team,” said Dietert.
With three children attending school in the Navarro ISD, Malinovsky believes he has a personal obligation to serve the community and to address a few challenges.
“The health and safety of our students, teachers, and staff would be first and foremost. I would like to see security measures on all campuses improved in every way possible, both inside and out.
Addressing the mental health of our students, teachers, and staff is another challenge. Another challenge would be to improve our district in every other facet or category.
There is a tradition of excellence at Navarro I.S.D. on and off of the field.
That being said, I know there is still room for improvement everywhere,” said Malinovsky.
Having been a product of the Navarro ISD, Tubre believes it’s important to expand the programs available to students today.
“While Navarro has made great strides in advancing the programs we offer to our students, there is still more we can do. Adding sports like soccer, and CTE programs based around trades and technology, we can prepare our children to step into the world more prepared for the next step. I also want attention turned to our elementary school. With all the growth our school has experienced, our youngest students are missing programs,” said Tubre.
Reinhard says he believes having served as an educator for 18 years more than qualifies him for the job.
“I can bring a perspective to the board from someone who has been on the inside, knows what has worked and hasn’t worked, knows the needs of teachers and staff, and can add some valuable insight that can help to move the district forward as we grow. I also have helped plan and design a new Career & Technical Education center in a previous school district and these are valuable skills needed as the district is building a new high school,” said Reinhard.
Zeroing on the fast growth of the district is Gosch. Gosch says as a former employee of the district and as a parent, she feels she can help support the district in preparing it for not only that growth but also in helping it meet its current needs.
“The district has experienced a lot of change in the last three years, as a former employee of the district and a parent, I seek to utilize my knowledge of schools and experience in education to help support the future of the district. The reach of a School Board is limited in scope, yet the potential to provide guidance to the Superintendent and oversight of the district finances is needed to develop and maintain a strong school system. As the growth continues, the district must be future focused because maintaining the status quo is never possible. Organizations must prepare for the future with the intent of maintaining those processes and procedures that made the organization great. The vision is not to lose the identity of Navarro ISD, but to utilize the best parts of the organization and propel those ideals forward as we adapt to the progression of future changes and growth for the community, “said Gosch.
Canion says he too believes it’s important to keep that eye on growth and to establish the foundation now to support it.
“With the growth we have now and the growth to come in the future, we need to make sure that our kids of the district and the teachers that educate them are afforded all the tools and opportunities to continue to be a premier school district. We need to look at things like teacher to student ratios, addition of new programs, as well as any and all extracurricular opportunities. We need to plan for the district’s future; ten, fifteen and even twenty years down the road, to assure the very best in education in the district where teachers want to be long term. Our kids are the priority, and if we want to make a difference you have to get involved,” said Canion.
Unable to provide his comments was Candidate Eric Monkerud.
Due to the Navarro ISD operating under what is called at-large voting, voters may cast their ballots for all candidates in the jurisdiction.
That means in this race, voters will be voting for none, two, three or four times for one candidate. This also allows individuals to vote up to four times for one candidate.
Polls during the Nov. 8 General Election will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.