Oak Ridge School Board candidates voice support for bond issue

All three candidates for the Oak Ridge School Board support the school district�s no-tax-increase bond issue on the April 3 ballot.

Board members Robert Grayhek and Jeff Hahs are running for re-election. They face a challenge from Job Corps heavy-equipment instructor George Below. Voters will choose among the three candidates to fill two seats on the board.

The proposed bond issue would fund construction of two elementary school classrooms, add vocational space to the high school, enhance school safety and make other improvements.

Improving safety and expanding facilities to accommodate increased enrollment are major reasons for the ballot measure, Grayhek and Hahs said in emails to the Southeast Missourian.

Below, who served on the school board from 2014 to 2017, said �Oak Ridge and the surrounding communities are growing. With that growth, the school is attracting new students and, consequently, more classrooms and lab spaces are necessary.�

Grayhek, an emergency management consultant, said the school district has taken steps over the last several years to improve safety by �securing doors and managing traffic.� Grayhek said the bond issue would take it a step further by centralizing the entrance to the elementary school, improving student drop-off and pickup areas on the school campus, and traffic flow for buses.

Hahs, an estimator and project manager with Putz Construction of Millersville, said storage areas are limited on the school campus. As a result, plans call for construction of a new central storage building, he said.

Both Grayhek and Hahs said the bond issue is a major step in implementing the district�s strategic plan, developed in collaboration with students, teachers and community members.

Below said in an email the school board �should be focused on supporting the administration�s goal of attracting and retaining the best teachers.�

He added, �Students learn best when they are challenged and inspired by talented teachers.�

Below said his past experience on the school board would be �an asset� as the district seeks to manage its finances. �Funding is always more limited than we would like,� he said.

Grayhek and Hahs also stressed their board experience.

Hahs said he has served on the board for 21 years and has �the expertise to assist the school through this building program, the setting of good policy and the hiring of certified teachers and support staff.�

Grayhek, who has served on the school board for six years, said, �I work well with a team, respect diverse points of view and support group decisions.�

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Oak Ridge, Mo.