A forum is being hosted by the Sidney Education Association, the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers (a collective bargaining union for educators) to introduce and vet three candidates for the Sidney School District Board of Trustees. The forum will be held on Thursday, April 27, at 7:30pm in the middle school auditorium.
All three candidates who are running for the position will be at the forum. They are Randy Iverson, David Seitz and Janie Darby. Two school trustee positions will be filled, including a vacancy created by the departure of Missy Sanders from the board. The two positions will be filled by the two candidates with the highest vote tally.
Randy Iverson, who was chosen to replace Luke Savage after Savage was elected as Richland County’s Justice of the Peace, has been serving as a trustee since January. As he stated five months ago, he has planned to run for a full term in the office since he began serving. Iverson is the area manager for Motion and Flow Control Products in Sidney.
Iverson, a long-time Sidney resident whose wife works as a paraprofessional in the Sidney middle school, told the Roundup, “The biggest thing for me is our kids and school system, and doing right by them. My concern, coming on the board in January, was getting the superintendent position filled with a quality individual, which we did. We then had to fill the high school principal position and the position at Central School. Those goals were accomplished.”
Iverson, who has two daughters in the school district, continued, “The new goal we have to accomplish is transportation, making sure that our bus system works and works efficiently. Sometimes it’s hard to get enough employees. And, as always, the budget is a very big concern for us.”
Iverson expressed concern regarding anticipated national and state budget cuts and how those would affect the Sidney School District, saying, “The budget is a big concern. We don’t know how it’s going to come out yet, regarding where the government is going to be cutting funds.”
David Seitz, another long-time resident of Sidney, has a son graduating as a senior this May, and will have one child left in the school district. Seitz is also running for the position, and told the Roundup, “Essentially, my platform is that at this point in the district, we have a new superintendent and we need somebody with previous knowledge of the community and school system to help the superintendent know the community better. I would like to see the community work better with the school system. We need school pride, and that will transfer to the community. At this point we’re struggling as a community, and need to build unity between school and community.”
Seitz, a local business owner and insurance agent, reiterated that tough times in the community call for unity between school and community. Seitz said, “From a community aspect, ask anybody on Main Street and they’ll tell you their revenue is down. That’s what our community thrives from. And even though times are hard, if you have a strong school system, you have a strong community.”
“I have a wide-range of capabilities,” Seitz expressed, “from human resources to insurance to employment practices. I understand bonding and can read a financial statement and can help in a wide array of specialties. I’m a well-rounded person who can offer some assistance.”
Janie Darby is the third candidate running for the position. Darby, who is employed at the Sidney Health Center as a Health Practitioner in Orthopedics and a five-year resident of Sidney, explains her motivation for running, saying “First, my son is going to be in the high school and will be in for the remainder of the term. I feel like it’s a great community service, and I love to be involved in the school and will be happy to collaborate with others to make the school system as best as it can be.”
Darby continued, “I think the biggest challenge is our budget and funding, in particular federal funding. Sidney has seen some changes in our tax base and revenue, and so last school year we had to pass the mill levy and so forth. Being fiscally responsible and watching our budget, focusing on our educators having the resources they need, will be a priority.”
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