4 candidates for 3 school board seats

PERKINS — A group of incumbents and one challenger are seeking seats on the Perkins Schools board of education. Jason Dulaney, Scott Hart and Bradley Mitchel are all current members of the board and are running for re-election. Eric Lapata and Ted Kastor are also current board members, but their terms will expire in December 2025. William Willis IV is a new face running against the current board members. These are their responses: Q: What is your background? Willis: I am a 1995 Perkins High School graduate with a bachelor's in sociology, anthropology and criminology with a concentration in law enforcement from Eastern Michigan University. I have been married for 17 years with four children — ages 15, 11, 8 and 6 — all of which attend Perkins Schools, and I have been a nuclear professional for more than 20 years. Mitchel: I am a husband of 26 years, father of two teenage daughters and physician anesthesiologist at Firelands Regional Medical Center and Magruder Hospital. I have lived in this community for 17 years and have a Perkins graduate and another child in high school at Perkins. Hart: I am a senior engineer at Tenneco engineering research and development facility in Milan. I have been married for 17 years. I am the father of a freshman daughter and a sixth-grade son who have solely attended Perkins Local Schools. Dulaney: My name is Jason Dulaney. I'm married to my wife, Caroline Dulaney. We have two sons, Wyatt Dulaney, he graduated from Perkins, and he's a sophomore at Bowling Green State University. My youngest son, Keegan Dulaney, is a junior at Perkins. I've lived in the district since 2000. Q: Why are you running? Willis: I have always had a desire to serve and serve our young people in the community. I have been involved since a young age with coaching, volunteering, serving, leading and mentoring youth and young adults. When I began to see the focus being challenged in our schools on the basics and our youth suffering because of it, I felt led to get involved and wanting to be part of the fight for our Pirate youth and their future. I want to ensure that the focus remains on life principles and higher education without bringing in theology and personal beliefs into the school system. Mitchel: I have always had a primary focus on education: from our youngest students learning the basics to our brightest students exposed to gifted education, College Credit Plus and AP courses. I feel strongly that quality public education is essential for society to thrive. This passion for education and advocacy for students are the primary reasons that drive me to serve on the board of education. I believe that people need to be involved in their community and actively contribute to the common betterment. I also believe that board of education members need to promote accountability and transparency to taxpayers who they represent. Members need to represent parents and address issues related to education, curriculum and safety among others. Hart: My children are a big influence and inspire me to continue the work that being a member of the Perkins Board of Education entails. I am running for Perkins Local School Board because I would like to continue to be involved and drive the efforts to ensure that Perkins Schools remains a sought-after educational institution. Dulaney: I'm running for a third term and final term because I'd like to see my youngest son graduate from high school and leave the district in a better place than I've found it for future generations. Q: What is your top priority? Willis: My focus and first priority is the safety, security and good health for our students and staff to be successful. That means building support and excitement around new district buildings and facilities to provide a safe and secure atmosphere for the students and staff. That includes providing the staff the means to uphold a professional and respectful atmosphere for teaching and learning to be conducted and continuing to do the things that are working well and look for innovative ways to improve performance and ensuring our students continue to be taught reading, writing, English, math and science without the influence of theology and/or theories. Mitchel: My top priority is providing the highest educational opportunities to all students, as I am a product of the public school education system. We have areas in our school report card that need serious attention and improvement. I would like to see continued focus and progress in these areas. Another immediate top priority is selecting our next superintendent. As Mr. Boggs has retired, we face the task of interviewing and selecting the next leader of this district. This is an extremely important function of the board of education, and I have been through this process two previous times. This experience can be very beneficial. Hart: The top priority is to always ensure that our students can develop to their full potential. I want to ensure that the processes for our students in academics and athletics can be sustained or further developed to ensure success and future growth. Another priority I have always had and will continue to focus on is to ensure that Perkins Local Schools remains fiscally responsible throughout daily operations and ongoing development of the district. I continue to strive to constantly improve the overall learning experience for our students while being mindful of the continued cost. I was fortunate enough to be a member of Perkins Local School Board when we hired the current school superintendent and treasurer for the district. With the upcoming retirement of superintendent Todd Boggs, I look forward to again being a key member engaging in the vetting process of selecting the new future superintendent to lead Perkins Local School District. Dulaney: My top priority has always been education and it'll continue to be my top priority moving forward. I think the rigor of our education is important and I want to stay focused on that for these last four years if I'm elected again. Q: Can you make a pitch for why people should vote for you? Willis: First and foremost my desire is that the Perkins Township community will show up and vote at a higher percentage than the 33% seen two years ago. And why you should vote for me is that I have organizational experience to assist the school district in being successful and the desire to see Perkins Local School District return to top 100-ranked school system in Ohio that I remember going to school in the 1990s. We owe it to our students and staff to be as successful as we can and to provide top-notch performance and it starts with the school board. You vote for me and you get a responsible, loyal, accountable, honest, transparent and hard-working school board member. Mitchel: I have had the privilege of serving on the Perkins school board for over 12 years. During this tenure, we as a district have accomplished many things, but have numerous challenges and goals left to address. We safely and effectively implemented in-school instruction during the COVID pandemic, which many schools across the country were unable or unwilling to do. My historical knowledge and experience offer a stable and consistent representation and accountability to taxpayers and parents. Some people have specific agendas when running for such a position; I do not have any self-serving agendas. Hart: Perkins Schools has continued to evolve through my time on the board, and I will continue to drive to see that we continue to build on the positive momentum should I be re-elected. My family and I chose this community years ago to call home, our family is invested in this community, and the school system is the cornerstone of any community. I mention a sense of drive instead of involvement because drive is a more defining measure of what is required to assist in the continued success of Perkins Local School District. Dulaney: (Dulaney did not provide a comment.) Editor's note: This story has been updated.