Four candidates run for two seats on Scott City School Board

All four candidates running for Scott City School Board on April 7 have one goal in common: student welfare.

Incumbents Beth McDonough Cox and Gary Miller are running for re-election against challengers Sally Porch and Justin Braun. Only two of the candidates in the race can be elected for three-year terms.

Cox is president of the school board and has been a board member since 2012.

A Scott City native, she and her husband moved back to Scott City 16 years ago so their two children could attend. Cox said she wanted her children to be raised in a small school system.

Her oldest son graduated in 2012, and she now has a sophomore in high school.

Gary Miller

"With a small school, we need innovative educators who have creative ways to implement the curriculum," Cox said, but her ultimate goal is to ensure all the students receive a quality education and have access to the same resources.

Cox is a state regulatory compliance director at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Miller has served on the school board for the past nine years and has missed only one meeting, he said. He said school board candidates often say their children are a big part of why they run, but he waited for his children to graduate before running.

"All kids should be looked out for, not just if you have kids in school," he said.

Miller is retired from the Union Pacific railroad. He was born and raised in Scott City, and after traveling for his job, he moved back to raise his family.

Sally Porch

"Commitment, passion, dedication, leadership and ambition to strive for the best" are the qualities he said he would continue to bring to the board if re-elected.

After being off the board for a term, Porch is running again. She's been elected five times, with 15 years of service so far.

Her two children have graduated, and one is a teacher in the school system.

"An effective board is very team-oriented, working for the best student outcomes," she said. "I just missed being a part of that team."

She said during her time on the board, some of the biggest projects she worked on were a bond extension approved last year and plans to build a Federal Emergency Management Agency safe room. Porch is a registered nurse for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Justin Braun

Braun is the only candidate without experience on the school board, but he thought his past involvement in the district would give him a leg up in the election. He is the father of four boys who attend school in Scott City, and is a graduate of the school district himself.

"I just decided instead of sitting back and complaining about the work that other people are doing, I thought I could get involved and be a part of the solution," he said.

Between coaching sports in the summer, being a member of the booster club and having a large family in the district, Braun said he knows the majority of the children in school and what many of their issues are.

"I just want to be able to help them," he said.

smaue@semissourian.com

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