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2010-02-09

2010-01-19

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Thursday, April 02, 2009 11:55 AM

Map by Elliot Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

Candidates from across Franklin and Anderson counties will vie for school board offices in Tuesday’s vote. Local districts with elections next week include Ottawa, Central Heights, West Franklin, Wellsville and Garnett.

Candidates square off on Ottawa issues

By JODIE GARCIA, Herald Staff Writer

Big-impact issues like a future bond issue for new and/or renovated schools, balancing a budget and achieving No Child Left Behind standards will be on Ottawa school board members’ plates now and in the future.

Six candidates, including two incumbents, are running to fill three at-large positions in the April 7 Election.

Darrell Bourque

It all boils down to money, Bourque said.

“That’s going to be a big issue,” he said, referring to budget cuts and potential impacts for the Ottawa School District. “It’s going to impact the entire district.”

Bourque, who is retired, worked for the Ottawa district for 38 years, where he taught biology and human anatomy. This is his first time running for a board.

“I’ve seen things come and seen them go,” he said. “I just wanted to apply that experience to the benefit of the district.”

Bourque said he’s not running because of a single issue or problem.

“I don’t have any hidden agendas, no axes to grind,” he said.

Bourque, who has lived in Ottawa since 1965, is married and has three adult children.

Brandon Jones

Jones said this is his first time running for a school board. He said his mother was a teacher and his family was very active in his school community growing up.

“The school is the most important organization in a small town,” he said. “It’s a great place to serve the community.”

Jones, Osage County Attorney, has lived in Ottawa since 2005.

He and his wife, Heather, who is Franklin County Attorney, have two children, Sydney and Landon.

Jones said his top issues include dealing with budget cuts, continuing to comply with No Child Left Behind standards and overseeing the district’s strategic plan to address increased enrollment.

Jones is president of the Ottawa Optimist Club and a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. He’s also on the board of directors for Services Offering Safety, a battered women’s shelter in Emporia that serves several rural counties.

Other memberships include the Lyndon Lions Club, Kansas County and District Attorney’s Association and the National District Attorney’s Association.

Roger Lawrence

An interest in the future of his neighborhood school sparked Lawrence’s interest in running for the school board, he said.

In addition to plans for Eisenhower Elementary School, Lawrence said another top issue for him is finding a way for the district to satisfy No Child Left Behind standards in a cost effective manner.

Lawrence, director of imaging services at Ransom Memorial Hospital, has lived in Ottawa since 1993.

He and his wife have five children.

Lawrence is a member of the Ottawa First United Methodist Church where he has served on the administrative board and currently serves on the Pastor Parish Relations Committee.

MaLinda Manis

Manis is a lifelong Ottawan who moved away for two years and returned in 2007.

A part-time licensed practical nurse, Manis said she’s taken an active role in her children’s education, including serving on site councils and PTOs.

Manis and her husband, Shane, have a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Juleah.

She said this is her first time running for a board.

“I want to join a team that’s already doing a great job and be part of the future,” Manis said.

“I want to add a new face to the school board and be active in ensuring every child in this district has a safe and healthy environment to learn and grow in.”

Jeanette Lowry

“I hope the people of Ottawa feel I’ve done a good job,” Lowry, who’s in her 12th year on the board, said.

Born and raised in Kansas, Lowry has lived in Ottawa since 1991 and is a Spanish teacher at Central Heights middle and high schools. She has a husband, Forrest, and two children, Megan and Marissa.

Lowry is a member and past trustee of First Baptist Church.

She’s president of the Central Heights Education Association and a former Parent-Teacher Organization officer for Eugene Field Elementary School. She also is organizing American Legion boys and girls state activities for Central Heights students.

Lowry said her top issues for the Ottawa school district include continued excellence in education, working through a master plan for facilities and continued maintenance efforts.

“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve on the Ottawa School Board, and I continue to learn,” she said. “I don’t think you ever stop learning as a public servant.”

Marge Stevens

She’s a longtime Ottawan, and a longtime area educator.

Stevens taught in the Ottawa School District for 27 years and has been a substitute for West Franklin, Central Heights and Garnett school districts for nine years.

She’s lived in Ottawa for 39 years and has been on the school board for eight.

Stevens and her husband, Chuck, have three children, 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

She said she enjoys tutoring elementary students and those at Ottawa’s Adult Education Center. She’s also a church librarian at First Christian Church and on the advisory board for the Adult Education Center.

Stevens said her top priorities include a new bond issue the board is working toward, along with getting elementary schools equitable and continuing to make decisions for the district in light of a tight economy.

Stevens said she thinks her age is an advantage and that she brings a lot of experience to the school board. She said she thinks the board should have a mix of ages, genders and socioeconomic backgrounds.

She said she listens to the public, and she regularly receives calls from residents who sometimes go straight to her before speaking to a teacher, principal or superintendent first about their issues.

At any rate, many Ottawans know her, Stevens said.

“If they think I’ve done a good job, they’ll vote again,” she said. “If not, they won’t.”

Herald staff writer Jodie Garcia can be e-mailed at jgarcia@ottawaherald.com.