Springboro Community City School District Board of Education

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Olga K. Verbitsky

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Charles W. Anderson

City: Springboro

Education: B.A.

Current Employment: Funeral director

Community Involvement: Springboro and Warren County school boards; Abilities First; Atrium Medical Center Foundation Board; Franklin Optimist and Rotary.

Why are you seeking elected office? I want to continue my participation on the Springboro school board.

Why should voters elect you? I have 12 years experience on the Springboro School Board and 38 years living in Springboro.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? To enhance the experience of every student in Springboro, continue to improve on our test scores, and make sure we are always improving our resources needed to prepare our students for college or to enter the work force.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? To support our administrators and teachers in their everyday activities and make sure we are encouraging creative thinking by all of our employees.

Anything else? Thank everyone for their support of Springboro Schools!

Frank Catrine

Caption

City: Springboro

Education: Bachelor’s degree, Capital University

Current Employment: Unemployed

Community Involvement: None

Why are you seeking elected office? I do not like the direction our schools are going. Our grade from the state report card has dropped. Personal and political agendas are driving decisions of the board. I want to see a return to putting the students and education as the only agenda.

Why should voters elect you? I am the only candidate that has publicly come out against mask mandates and all the principles and teachings of critical race theory. I also will not support special superintendent committees to get around sunshine laws. I have a plan to combat bullying in any form. Wasteful agenda spending needs to stop. Transparency and community involvement is much needed.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? Education and the students are No. 1 -- and tied to this priority is spending. No political or personal agendas -- including critical race theory and mask mandates. Transparency and community involvement.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? Audit the budget -- make sure all spending aligns directly with education. Redirect spending and budget where necessary. Not support in any way anything that does not benefit all students. This will include improved anti-bullying initiative. Any meeting, discussion, etc. of the board -- including budget and contract negotiations -- fully open within the law

Anything else? Critical race theory and its principles are being pursued in our schools. Things are hidden from the public intentionally. A vote for me puts the students first - and will help start bringing our community back together.

Daniel Gudz

City: Springboro

Education: M.B.A., Wright State University

Current Employment: Molina Healthcare

Community Involvement: Springboro school board

Why are you seeking elected office? I am running for reelection because I believe that it’s important for adults to contribute and give back to a community through service. Being a board member on Springboro’s Board of Education allows me to do that. My wife and I have lived in Springboro for over 15 years, and one of the reasons we decided to move to this community was the excellent school district. I believe that my service on the BOE will help sustain and improve upon the excellent performance and reputation of our school district. My professional background and training is in finance, so I tend to focus much of my time and energy working with our treasurer, Terrah Stacey, to ensure our district continues to be able to provide excellent educational services in a safe and modern learning environment.

Why should voters elect you? I’ve served on the Board for 4.5 years and in that time we’ve made significant progress in stabilizing our financial situation, successfully ran five-day a week, in-person and virtual education in 2020-2021 during COVID. We have also continued to improve educational offerings to our students, especially at the higher grade levels. We are now focused on ensuring all students are able to get back on pace due to the disruptions due to COVID.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? 1. Ensuring that all of our students get back on pace in terms of their educations following the significant disruptions we’ve faced due to COVID. All districts are currently behind in terms of where students should be relative to educational benchmarks. It’s up to our district to accelerate student development and learning so that all students can get back on track as soon as possible. We have a plan in place and the right staff to accomplish that goal 2. Our facilities across our district are in need of evaluation, and a long-term replacement strategy needs to be finalized. Springboro is once again experiencing significant grown in new housing, which means more students is in our future. We also need to modernize certain facilities either through renovation or replacement. Clearcreek (PK-1) and Springboro Intermediate (sixth grade) are the two buildings that need to be addressed first. 3. Continuing to partner with our treasurer and finance committee to ensure that our financial forecast remains within our expected revenues while also ensuring we start to accelerate work on all the deferred maintenance that has occurred within the district prior to the passage of our permanent improvement levy earlier this year.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? Develop a master plan to determine what facilities issues need addressed and when. Additionally what, if any, additional funding would be required. We are also continuing to add resources within buildings to focus on literacy at the younger grades. We also continue to work with and support administrators and faculty as they determine the best opportunities to close educational gaps that were created or made worse due to COVID disruption.

Anything else? I appreciate that I was given the opportunity to serve Springboro Schools four years ago, and I think during my tenure our district has accomplished a great deal. There are still and always will be challenges, and I intend to use my experience and energy to continue to solve them with our incredible faculty, staff and administrators. Springboro schools is a major reason why my family lives in this community, and I want to continue to make our schools even better.

Brian Retterer

Credit: Heather Powell

City: Springboro

Education: Bachelor’s of fine arts in international theatre technology, Ohio Northern University

Current Employment: Software engineer

Community Involvement: I’m currently volunteering with the AfterProm committee. I built and donated the costs of a website (BoroAfterProm.com) to be able to take the fundraisers to the next level. AfterProm can now sell fundraiser items and collect donations electronically. My wife, Heather, and I are currently running the Flock-a-Friend fundraiser! As a parent, I have volunteered in many ways through the schools and community. Since the high school doesn’t have a PTO, we have donated things for the yearly collection, such as hand sanitizer, tissues, snacks, etc., to the teachers through the years. In spring of 2020, when the pandemic hit, I put out a call to my friends in the tech world for Chromebooks. I was able to collect or purchase 15 new or refurbished Chromebooks. I made these available, for free, for any family or student that reached out to me from my social media posts to ease the technology strain COVID-19 put on students and parents. In fall of 2020, when two teachers were having sound recording issues I bought and sent in two lapel microphones they could wear while recording their lessons to help the Model B students. At a community level, I was recently appointed as a community member for the Springboro Board of Zoning Appeals. I’ve served on two different HOAs for eight years and was a member of the Theta Chi Zeta Kappa Alumni Board of Directors for five years.

Why are you seeking elected office? The students. We, as parents, readily express our opinions about the schools, but has anyone listened to what our kids are saying? I am the dad of two very smart and opinionated teenagers. Their thoughts matter. The students are in the thick of it daily and they are affected by the decisions of the board. I want to see more student involvement through the implementation of student representatives to the board of education. What better way to provide a safe, positive, productive and nurturing educational environment for our students than to have their voices be respected as a part of the board of education? The student representatives would apply with an application, an essay, two teacher references, a principal reference and two peer references. Ideally, these need to be students who are involved in a wide range of activities, but can also take the position seriously. This group will be a part of making sure Springboro is supplying the best education possible. The student representatives will be able to tell the board about actual struggles they, and their peers, face in the classroom. This is also another way to be able to provide support to our teachers and staff. Having student representatives will also provide an opportunity of growth for the students. The district will not be able to grow successfully without focusing not only on what we are doing now, but what we can do to better support our students, teachers and staff in the future.

Why should voters elect you? My only agenda is to do what is best for the students, teachers and staff. Being an elected board member is not a status for me. I know that every child is different. That every student comes from a different background, has their own struggles and needs their own individualized support to succeed. I want to make sure that our school system is doing what they can do to make sure no child falls through the cracks. As an elected school board member, I will make sure that every child has the support they need to speak up and let their voices be heard. As a software engineer, I understand the importance of technology and will do what is best for our district to be current technologically. In order to do this, we will need to become more fiscally responsible as a district and I will make sure to follow the numbers and prioritize spending in the correct places while cutting costs in others to maintain the best educational environment possible. I am not afraid to question things that don’t make sense, which means I will not just be a rubber stamp on the board.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? If elected, I will focus on inclusivity, technology and growth. Some of the main goals of our school board are to provide a safe, positive, productive and nurturing educational environment. There are still many reports of bullying and discrimination in our schools. Thus, we are falling short at that main goal. I will focus on ensuring our students, teachers and staff have the individualized support they need to succeed. Technology is more and more of a necessity in education and life. The unfortunate part is that not everyone has the same access to the technology required for school work. A lot of homework and classroom assignments require technology and reliable internet. The lack of technology should not be a limiting factor for a student doing their homework. We need to work as a district to make sure that every child’s needs are met. In order to do this, we need to look at where we are at now while still preparing to be ready for the growth of the community and our school buildings. Springboro has seen massive growth in the last 20 years, and new subdivisions are still being built. We need to be looking at our current buildings and preparing for the future to accommodate our ever growing community. This means being fiscally responsible in the now and preparing for the cost of future growth. The important part of this is that our students, staff, and teachers have everything they need to be successful.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? We need to be listening to our students in every way possible to help with getting an insight into what is happening at the school. One of the best ways we can do this is through the implementation of student representatives to the board of education. By providing a place for student representatives, they would be able to voice their concerns and issues around inclusivity, technology and other daily issues. We have seen this kind of program work well in other districts, and it is time we implement a student driven system in Springboro. In order for us to be prepared for growth, we need to make sure we are fiscally responsible now while planning for the costs of the future. I plan to accomplish this by making sure we prioritize spending in the correct places while cutting costs in others to maintain the best educational environment possible. I would like to see Chromebooks available to each student as needed so the family isn’t shouldering the cost of the “bring your own technology” system. Many of my girls’ classes assign homework that requires a computer or Chromebook. If our teachers are assigning work like this, then the school needs to ensure each and every student has the technology equipment that they need.

Anything else? I am very passionate about providing the best education possible for the students of Springboro. As a therapeutic foster dad, my approach to parenting is different and I would like my presence on the board to be different, too. I am not afraid to ask the tough questions, have tough conversations, and speak up for our students, teachers or staff. While I may not have an answer to every problem, I am willing to go out and find solutions. I am not afraid to learn new things. The best thing about education is it is never ending. I truly believe that the moment you stop learning is the moment you begin to fail. The more open you are to the advice of people around you, the better the decisions you make will be. My whole life, I watched my father, Dave Retterer, teach at the collegiate level for nearly 40 years. My father is also the mayor of my hometown and has been for 18 years. Before that his father, Jake Retterer, was a high school teacher and principal at a public school for over 25 years, as well as the Claridon Township clerk for 19 years. My maternal grandmother, Anna Joseph, taught elementary school for 12 years. Even my wife’s mom, Janet Powell, taught at public middle school and high school for over 30 years. I’ve learned from watching them that teaching is not easy and public service is important.

Dave Bruce Stuckey

City: Springboro

Education: Master’s in education

Current Employment: Retired teacher

Community Involvement: Board of education for eight years.

Why are you seeking elected office? To make sure that our students and staff continue to have what is needed to be successful. That is why we ran in 2013, because the previous board then was not doing that at all. In fact they were tearing our school system apart

Why should voters elect you? After living here over 40 years and teaching here for 35, they know what I stand for and my other two board members that are running with me. They know we have no agendas, and will let the superintendent and his staff run the school the way it should be.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities? One, financial stability. Two, resources for our teachers and students. Three, ensure that we hire the best staff members that we can.

What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? The above answers will be taken care of by our superintendent, treasurer and staff. Our job as a board is to make sure they have what they need to do those things.

Anything else? The present board has faced many obstacles and challenges. We have taken them head on, along with our administrative staff, to make Springboro a stronger school system.

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