School board gets incumbent, two newcomers for board

JACKSON SCHOOLS

By Heather Kronmueller ~ Southeast Missourian

JACKSON, Mo. -- A dentist, a self-employed construction worker and a businesswoman will serve on the Jackson school board for the next three years.

Incumbent T. Wayne Lewis and newcomers Mack Illers and Terri Tomlin handily beat out Kevin Schaper, Fred O. Jones and Donna Tidwell for the positions.

Tomlin took 22.4 percent of the overall vote, Lewis, 21.6, and Illers, 19.2.

The vote meant a sixth term for Lewis.

"It feels good," he said. "I'm really pleased with the results."

Lewis said he's looking forward to the next three years as the district continues to grow.

"We have a lot of areas of concern that, unfortunately, are probably going to revolve around money," he said, referring to technology, classroom size and facilities. "We are literally one of the poorest districts in the state, but we will continue to be efficient. I feel we're going to have a wonderful group to work with."

Third time

For Illers, the third time running for the board was a charm.

"My grandfather once told me if you see something worth going for don't give up until you get it," he said. "This was my third time to run and I was very pleased when the results started coming in."

Iller feels the concerns he has as a parent are shared by other parents in the district. His daughter, Ashley, is a junior at Jackson High School.

"She has done really well in high school," he said. "I want to see all of the students have the opportunities they're entitled to make them successful."

Tomlin, who received the most votes of any candidate, said the numbers made her feel very confident about the next three years.

"I didn't run in the past because I didn't feel like I had the time," she said. "My son was in high school and I felt I needed to devote my time to him. Now that he's in college I feel I do have the time and the experience with other organizations to succeed."

Each of the newly elected board members agree maintaining the quality of instruction, keeping class sizes low and adequately funding the district will be the biggest issues for the board in the coming years.

Construction is currently underway to relieve overcrowding at R. O. Hawkins Junior High School, but all three members-elect say it's only a matter of time until other buildings start overcrowding.

A consultant for the school district is putting together long-range plans for each of the facilities in the school district. When complete, part of the plan will look at the future needs of the schools in regard to growth.

If more space is needed in the future, it would require money, possibly from the local level.

Tomlin said a lot of the decisions regarding funding will depend on how the state handles its budget for education.

If the funding from the state is not enough to maintain the quality of education in Jackson, all three members-elect agree it could mean an increase in the local operating tax.

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 128