Meadow Heights School Board: Lindsey Petton

Name: Lindsey Petton

Age: 36

Place of Birth: Cape Girardeau (hospital) - Patton, MO (lived)

Spouse, children's names

Stash Petton - Spouse

Gavin Brown - Son

Gunner Petton - Son

Occupation: Purchasing Manager

Employer: Mowear USA

Business owned, all or part

None owned

Previous offices held or sought

Sought-Bollinger County Commissioner

What makes you the most qualified candidate for this position?

I would never say I am the most qualified; however I have a truly vested interest in Meadow Heights succeeding. Not only am I a graduate (1998) of the district myself, I have two sons that are currently enrolled. I work for a local business (18 years) handling customer accounts and some accounting. I am a numbers person, and a people person. I am approachable and will listen to the community, being an advocate.

What do you see as the opportunities and challenges in the district?

Every school across the nation faces challenges, from policy and regulation taking time and money, to funding cuts. Those aren’t unique to our district. The unique thing about our small rural district is opportunity. We have personal and business growth. We have new businesses and existing businesses are increasing operations. Approximately 42% of our revenue is local assessment. It’s exciting to know we won't see a drop in local revenues in the near future.

What are your thoughts on a potential four-day school week?

Meadow Heights was recently in a very heated community debate over this. The model that was being presented at Meadow Heights R-II came with a loss of more than 100 instruction hours a year. When we aren’t performing at 100%, I cannot justify any loss of instruction for our students. If used as cost savings, it should only be a last resort, but should also be beneficial to the students and community.

How will you communicate your work to your constituents?

As I stated earlier, I am a people person; I am approachable. I will make myself available to listen to parents and staff with concerns. I do believe in following the chain when expressing a grievance, but that does not mean that I won’t be a listening advocate to all.

What are the factors on which you will base your decisions as a school board member?

I will look at all the information and try to determine the impact (positive or negative) to students & the community before making a decision. I will always try to look at things from all angles so I can make the best possible decision for everyone.