BURRTON—USD 369 has four four-year term positions up for election in November. The positions are currently held by John Manuel Hernandez, Aaron W. Hurst, Angela Penner, and Mark Young. Seven—John Manuel Hernandez, Nicole Kirk, Craig Lang, Joni Embree-Meinders, Angela Penner, Emily VinZant, and Mark Young—have registered to be on the ballot.
Harvey County Now reached out to all of the candidates with the same questionnaire. Below are the responses received.
Nicole Kirk
Occupation: Accountant
Why are you running?
I am running to help make a difference in the lives of the children in our community by ensuring the education is the best it can be.
What qualifies you for this position?
I have lived in the community for over 15 years. I understand what it takes to make a small school function as I attend a small school. I have the financial background of school finance as I audited school districts for 6 years.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
Communication in our school system is not where it should be. If elected I will try to improve the communication between the school and the community as the community needs the school and the school needs the community.
What do you see as the biggest need for USD 369?
Our biggest need is to retain our biggest assets: our teachers and our students. Without teachers to teach our children there is no way to learn and grow.
What do you think will be the biggest opportunity for USD 369 during your term, if elected?
We need to work on the communication in our school between the board, administration, teachers, parents, and the community. Knowledge is power so we need to empower our community, teachers, students, and administration.
Name: Mark Young
Occupation: Self-employed
Why are you running?
I am running because I am currently on the board and I am aware of our goals and the direction we want to take the district. I want to continue that focus going forward.
What qualifies you for this position?
I have been on the school board for many years and have lived in the community my whole life. Being on the board currently, we have experienced many obstacles and have worked to overcome them.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
I hope to continue the school district’s focus and goals going forward. The school board and administration have worked hard to get the school district going in a direction that is positive and beneficial to the community.
What do you see as the biggest need for USD 369?
The biggest need for USD 369 is to be able to work with the community and be able to recruit new families to the district.
What do you think will be the biggest opportunity for USD 369 during your term, if elected?
The biggest opportunity for the school district is to always look for ways to engage students about learning. We want to show what our district does have to offer.
Joni Embree-Meinders
Occupation: Safety Manager/Admin Asst
Why are you running?
I am running for the school board to be an active participant in improving communication, building relationships, and advocating for our students and parents. Over the past few years, there has been a disconnect and decline within our school system. As a parent, I have experienced confusion and frustration in my attempts to work with the administration as an advocate for my children, while trying to navigate high school and higher education planning. As a resident, I have witnessed a breakdown in the relationship between school and community. As a school board member, I will work to provide positive change in these areas and others for the support of our students and educators.
What qualifies you for this position?
I have a vested interest in the success of our school for my own children who are students at Burrton, one in high school and one in elementary school. I have previously served as a substitute teacher at Burrton, which allowed me to build relationships with the students and observe the institution from a different perspective. It was a privilege to be able to listen to the views of the students and ask their thoughts on how to improve and grow the school. As a Burrton citizen, my heart is for this community and the presence of our school is vitally important.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
I want to bring back pride in our school, prioritize growth for our students, establish transparency for our families and educators, and implement long-term solutions rather than short-term, superficial shortcuts to address the issues that have recently plagued our district.
What do you see as the biggest need for USD 369?
Progressive ideas with renewed energy. There have been a lot of people who have fought for this school for a long time and may be getting tired. As a new contender, I can bring forward-thinking ideas and the full cup of energy needed to “tag in” to keep the momentum moving forward.
What do you think will be the biggest opportunity for USD 369 during your term, if elected?
I think the next term, elected school board will be tasked with saving our school. If significant changes aren’t made, we will be faced with a continued decline in enrollment which will result in a huge loss for our community.
Craig Lang
Occupation: Bold Logistics LLC
Why are you running?
To use my 17 years of experience as a (former) teacher to offer a new perspective to the school board.
What qualifies you for this position?
The knowledge and background I can bring to the board as a former teacher is something that hasn’t been represented on our board recently. I also have 12 years experience serving as a council member for the city of Burrton.
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
The longevity of our school district as a whole. WE NEED MORE KIDS AND FAMILIES if we want to keep our school. We also need to continue to serve and meet the needs of the students we currently have. Staff retention is also something I hope to help work on if elected.
What do you see as the biggest need for USD 369?
Again, student retention and staff retention is one of the current biggest needs to ensure the future of our district. Expanded opportunities for our students is something that HAS improved this current school year, but can also always be increased. I would LOVE to see our district be able to bring back a school librarian, a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher, and maybe even FULL-TIME Fine arts teachers (art, vocal music, & band).
What do you think will be the biggest opportunity for USD 369 during your term, if elected
Hopefully, LARGER class sizes, filling vacant staff positions, and enough student-athletes to have JV squads.
