The Hastings Banner — Thursday, October 13, 2022 — Page 7Thornapple Kellogg school board races attract crowded field
Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Ten candidates are running for four seats
on the Thornapple Kellogg Board of Educa-
tion in the Nov. 8 election.
Two of the available seats are for a full
six-year term, while there is also a four-year
seat and a two-year seat that will be decided
on as well to fill out unexpired terms of
board members who resigned in the past cou-
ple of years.
Five candidates are running for two six-
year seats – Derrick Brock, Jeff Dickman,
Allison Hinton, Katie Stanton and Tyler
Wenger. Dickman and Hinton are current
members of the TK board. A sixth candidate,
Chris Noah, appears on the ballot but he
withdrew his candidacy after the filing dead-
line.
Jake Welch and Brenda Hess are seeking
the four-year seat that will expire at the end
of 2026. Welch is an incumbent board mem-
ber.
Three candidates are running for the two-
year seat that will conclude at the end of 2024
- Kyle Badge, Krissy Hooson and Dennis
Landry. Hooson is an incumbent member of
the board.
Candidates for six-year terms
Name: Derrick Brock
Current residence: Village of Middleville
Occupation: Certified public accountant
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
After graduating from TK in 2006, I always
knew I wanted to raise my children in the
community I was so fond of growing up in. I
first considered running for the school board
in 2021, when I noticed a fracture between
the community and the school board. I then
decided, if I want my children – and all the
children of this community – to have the best
school experience and highest level of educa-
tion possible, the relationship needed to be
repaired. I believe the honesty, transparency
and trustworthiness that I can bring to the
board will help repair that relationship. I am
running to protect parental rights, protect our
students from indoctrination, bring more
transparency to the school board and put edu-
cation above all else.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
Recently, the Michigan Department of
Education has released guidance directed to
educators on how to speak to students about
specific topics. In these instructions, the
Michigan Department of Education are also
advising educators to keep information
learned during these talks from the student’s
parents. It is my opinion that the school
should never be able to hide information
about a student from that student’s parents.
Actions like these will lead to a breakdown in
the key partnership that is needed between
educators and parents. Let me be clear, I do
not have knowledge of this currently happen-
ing at TK. However, I am running for a
6-year term. If elected, the voters will get an
honest, transparent person who will defend
parents’ rights to have a say in their child’s
day-to day interactions with the school, with-
out being deceived.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
As a graduate from TK, I am proud to be
able to bring what I have learned from our
community to the school board. One skill I
learned growing up in this community was
being a part of a team. Our school board will
need to team with parents and educators to
tackle large hurdles that are currently present-
ing themselves in our school. The only way
we can overcome these hurdles is with solid
leadership and teamwork. Some other skills I
pride myself on upholding are trustworthiness
and transparency. I am one of two candidates
that have listed a lot of my stances on my
social media page to make it very clear where
I stand on issues. I have listed these issues to
let everyone know what I stand for and to
make it clear that I am a person you can trust
upholding for the beliefs I have shared.
What do you feel the role of the parent is
within the district?
Parents need be engaged with, not only
their student, but also their student’s teacher
to ensure support for our educators. As par-
ents take an active role in their student’s
education, they can ensure a safe learning
environment and ensure our school’s curricu-
lum is meeting community and state stan-
dards. If a parent finds the school lacks a safe
learning environment or the curriculum does
not meet community and state standards, it is
important to bring that to the attention of the
school board. For example, if parents find out
our schools’ testing scores are lower than the
state average, the community of parents have
every right to ask for explanations as to why
the schools has scored so low.
Describe your involvement in local
school and community organizations.
I was recently appointed to the Middleville
Youth Football board. I have coached for two
years in the youth football program. I have
also had the opportunity to coach soccer and
help with the youth wresting program. I enjoy
volunteering in various community events.
As someone who graduated from TK, I am
pleased with the growth of our community
youth programs, some of which were not
established when I was in school.Name: Jeff Dickman
Residence: Middleville
Occupation: Project manager
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
I believe that a quality education is monu-
mental in helping kids reach their full poten-
tial now and for the future. For my children,
as well as the other students in the district,
that education starts here at Thornapple Kel-
logg Schools. As a current school board
member, I believe that I have the experience,
training and knowledge, along with a calm
and discerning demeanor, to continue to be a
successful school board member. My priority
is representing the community in supporting
the education of all students.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
I do not have a particular issue making me
run for the school board. I do agree with the
goal of TK Schools in “Encouraging and
Developing the Greatest Potential of Each
Student” and will always do my best to sup-
port this for ALL students.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
I am in project management in my career
field, where I manage various projects and
people. I have one child who is a TK graduate
and have two that are current students. I have
previously served on church and youth camp
boards and I currently serve on the TK school
board. These experiences, along with consis-
tent and fair leadership and school board
experience, will help me be an effective
school board member.
What do you feel the role of the parent is
within the district?
I believe the role of parents is to support
their students both at home and throughout
their educational process. Parents should
have open communication and respectfully
work with teachers, staff and administrators.
Describe your involvement in local
school and community organizations.
I currently serve on the Thornapple Kel-
logg school board.Name: Allison Hinton
Current residence: Middleville
Occupation: Director of Operations, Unit-
ed Methodist Community House
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
To make a difference and to support educa-
tors. I truly feel if our educators are not sup-
ported and uplifted and trusted to do their
jobs, then our students’ education will suffer.
My work through the Y allowed me to work
in schools alongside teachers and with stu-
dents, thus, seeing the daily successes and
struggles teachers face. I want our school to
remain a sought-after school to highly edu-
cate all students equitably.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
Honestly, it is the state of our community
and the negative impact it has on our district.
Additionally, I work hard to bring all voices
to the table. As we emerge into a new dynam-
ic of LQBTQAI+ society and out of a life
altering pandemic, we have to look at life
differently. These are challenges to be met
head-on as we all work to educate differently.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
I am the daughter of a lifelong educator,
thus, I grew up surrounded by educators in and
out of school – those people had such a strong
influence on who I am today. I have served ona school board in Texas, so I bring knowledge
from that experience. I have worked in the
nonprofit industry for 27 years. My work
through the YMCA was youth focused – in
Barry County, I created and brought to our
youth the B. Bus Mobile Library, Y on the Fly,
Y Mentors, and year-round feeding. I worked
closely with district staff to bring these pro-
grams to TK youth. This allowed me direct
contact with teachers, administrators, and stu-
dents. I also served as a CASA volunteer and
worked closely with a TK student in special ed
for several years. During this time, I was able
to be in the classroom, helping her through
daily struggles. I also substitute taught in TK
schools. In our community, I taught Sunday
school and currently serve on the Staff Pastor
Parish Relations Committee for my church. I
have volunteered in various roles supporting
PTA programs and other school wide events.
Currently, I serve on the TK board after an
appointment in January 2022.
What do you feel the role of the parent is
within the district?
I feel my role as a parent is to keep myself
informed through the district website, by
reading building/principal/teacher informa-
tion provided, and by asking questions. Also,
it is to ensure my student is doing what he/she
is being asked to do, to raise a person that is
giving, service oriented and respectable.Name: Katie Stanton
Residence: Middleville
Occupation: Paraprofessional/substitute
teacher
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
Support parent and staff choice: I’ve felt a
pull in my heart to run ever since my daugh-
ter started attending school. Then the pan-
demic hit and many of the decisions parents
should naturally have been making for their
children were being decided by the school
board. There was a time we were not able to
attend school board meetings, our rights were
being infringed upon. When meetings were
finally opened back up to in-person atten-
dance, I was at every meeting.
Attending these meetings opened my eyes to
many decisions being made that did not align
with the wishes of the community. Over 75
percent of parents simply wanted a choice and
so did I. Attending online school was misera-
ble for my daughter, causing many emotional
concerns. Many students showed a decline in
test scores and mental health. I knew force was
not the answer. Board members took it upon
themselves to go behind the community’s
wishes at a backhanded attempt to influence
the health director to force medical interven-
tions on our children. I would like to bring trust
and integrity back to our schools by listening
to parents; allowing parents to make major life
decisions for their children while focusing my
energy on closing the learning gap and work-
ing toward academic excellence.
Save our hard-earned money: I’ve seen con-
cerns that should be addressed to support our
hard-earned tax paying dollars. The bidding
process should show the same details from
each bid. This is how a school will save taxpay-
ers money, by choosing the bid that is the most
cost effective – same details with different cost
per bid. Instead, what I have seen, was that
each bid showed different details, which is
more costly to taxpayers, shows company
favoritism and an ineffective competitive bid.
Whenever we spend money wisely, future
bonds are less. With a better bid process, we are
also able to put money towards our students’
education and support our staff financially.
Embrace transparency: Transparency builds
trust. This is something that can be improved
quickly. I will embrace transparency by:- Providing access to materials that the
board is going over. - Allow more open dialogue during public
comment and hot topics or ask for time to
reply after the meeting. - Bridge gaps by allowing open communi-
cation between board members and staff (via
email, questionnaire, one-on-one); Amend
the policies that restrict this open dialogue. - Record meetings.
Consistent policies need to be aligned at
each building: After talking with hundreds of
parents, it is clear there is weakness in policy.
Our policies require consistency and action that
is aligned for the students at each school. Phys-
ical harm should not be tolerated. Studies show
that with consistency, proper action, and parent
partnership, children that bully will not contin-
ue such behavior. Leaders at each school need
to collaborate to regain a focus that includes
age-appropriate discipline action and is aligned
with each building in the school district.
There is also a concern mainly starting at
the middle school with an excessive focus on
gender identity, students openly “making out”
in halls, and “furries” (students acting like
animals by barking, growling, meowing at
teacher/staff). This is simply disrespectful and
creates a hostile work environment for both
staff and other students. We need to empower
our staff with policies that can put an end to
these disruptions and create a precedence that
such behaviors will not be tolerated on school
grounds. If we are focused on giving students
an excellent education, we need to set bound-
aries for conversations regarding sexual ori-
entation and how students want to identify,
which could be different daily.
Other policies that have a direct impact on
our children:- Traditional bathroom settings.
- Embrace parental and staff choice regard-
ing medical protocols.
Our community deserves better with more
integrity and better policies.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
The consensus of top concerns and my
obligations: - Making certain our bid process saves
taxpayer money. - Do the audits that will stop and prevent
any temptation of embezzlement. - Respect parental choice.
- Bridge the trust that has been lost between
the community and the board. - Strengthen policies and procedures to
discourage discrimination/differentiation of
students. - Make certain our staff is being paid well.
I have been attending meetings for the last
few years and I do have solutions and ideas to
share and hopefully implement. The founda-
tion is always focused on swift action to
provide an excellent education.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
While attending college, I assisted people
with daily living skills as a Certified Nursing
Assistant. My degree encompasses a bache-
lor’s in business and elementary education.
I’ve previously created budgets, worked as a
paraprofessional, teacher and substitute teach-
er in many districts. I have many solutions and
ideas that have been successful at other schools.
For instance, it would be good to see a
co-op program that utilizes local business’
skilled trade expertise. This program would
also allow students the opportunity to create
a resume and prepare them for a professional
mock interview. This program has been a
success at other schools because it prepares
the student with skills and teaches them prop-
er business etiquette.
What do you feel the role of the parent is
within the district?
The vital role of the parent will always be
top priority with my decisions at the board
level. Please let me help convey your voice to
the board. That voice will be noticed within
our schools. It’s important to use the tools of
communication to reach out to parents and
vice versa. Parents should be allowed in
schools. Our teachers can use their help. Par-
ents can mentor their student’s education.
Studies show that family engagement leads to
student success. Together we can see our
scores rise and good traditions set back into
place. Let’s get back to the basics!
Describe your involvement in local
school and community organizations.
I’ve always helped at the schools whenever
I am able. My husband and I have volun-
teered to coach sports. I plan to continue
being the youth basketball coach. Now that
my youngest is attending school, I’m able to
volunteer more at the school and our church.
I’m also excited to attend more community
events. During the pandemic, there were
80-plus parents that filled out paperwork
showing their interest for their children to
attend a school that would allow choice that
the current board was not offering. I wasn’t
sure if my children would attend the school,
but I wanted to help the parents have a
choice. Focusing on an excellent education
and creating a positive social emotional
atmosphere is how we rise above the damage
created from last mistakes. My family is root-
ed at TK schools, and I look forward to being
a voice for our wonderful community.
Name: Tyler Wenger
Current residence: Middleville
Occupation: Sales associate at Greenmark
Equipment
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
I have been a resident of the Middleville
community for my entire life. I attended TK
from preschool and graduated in 2003. I grad-
uated from Michigan State University in the
fall of 2007 to obtain a bachelors of science
degree in crop and soil sciences with a concen-
tration in turf grass management. After a year
in the turf industry at the campus golf course I
came back home. I am now in my 15th year of
a retail sales position, 12 with GreenMark
Equipment handling agricultural accounts of
various backgrounds and sizes. During my
tenure at GreenMark, I have participated in
Agricultural Awareness day teaching 3thirdgrade classes around the area about the impor-
tance of agriculture and how our future will
rely on it to feed the world going forward.
My two specific reasons for running for the
TK school board are my two daughters. My
children both attend TK schools and I want to
be involved in their education. I believe TK
has the best administrators, teachers, support
staff and facilities and I want to be a part of
the future of TK and help to continue the great
things we already have going on in order to
ensure my girls get the same opportunities I
had as a student at TK.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
There is not one particular issue that made
me want to serve on the TK school board. I
genuinely just want to be a part of my daugh-
ters’ education, give back to the Middleville
community and to serve the amazing TK
teachers and staff.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
I believe I bring many unique qualifications
and skills to the TK school board. First, I am
an extremely hard worker. I was born and
raised on a farm here in Middleville. I am not
afraid of hard work and I am willing to put in
the time and effort. Second, I love this com-
munity. I have lived here my entire life. My
family believes in giving back to this wonder-
ful community because we feel very lucky to
be surrounded by great educators, facilities
and a community that values education. Giv-
ing back is a big part of who I am and my wife
and I are instilling those same qualities in our
daughters. Third, I am a very level-headed
person. I can have great conversations with
anyone. Whether they agree with me or not. I
enjoy hearing other people’s perspectives. I
know that I have so much I can learn from
other peoples experiences, so I believe in real-
ly getting to know a person in order to under-
stand where they are coming from in order to
come up with the best solution to a problem.
What do you feel the role of the parent is
within the district?
I feel that a parent plays many roles in a
school district. Number one, a parent is a
child’s first teacher. A parent is responsible for
ensuring that their child is prepared and ready
for school. Second, a parent’s role in a school
district is to support the educators and staff in
the schools. Parents and teachers should be
partners that work together. That means com-
municating respectfully, ensuring that the child
has everything they need to be successful.
Last, a parent’s role is to be involved in any
way that they can based on their individual
circumstances. Parents need to work hand-in-
hand with the school district in a positive way
in order to ensure the success of all students.
Describe your involvement in local
school and community organizations.
I have spent the past eight years teaching
third grade classrooms in the area with our
Barry County Farm Bureau’s Agriculture
Awareness Day. I also served on the county
Farm Bureau board for a four-year term and
served on the Middleville United Methodist
church finance committee. As my girls con-
tinue to move through the grades at TK, I
plan on serving with the TK Boosters and
other youth programs involved in the school.
I try to invest my energy on one board at a
time to ensure I am putting the most into what
is expected of me and properly serving the
boards that I have the honor of serving.Candidates for four-year terms
Name: Brenda Hess
Current residence: Middleville
Occupation: Parish administrator, Grace
Lutheran Church, Hastings
Why are you running for the school
board? What are your priorities?
As a proud 1985 graduate of Thornapple
Kellogg, I am running for the school board to
serve the community I love. I am a firm believ-
er in public education and will work hard to be
ensure all children receive the best education.
We have a great district with high-quality
teachers, staff and facilities. My top three pri-
orities are academic achievement, school safe-
ty and attraction and retention of teaching staff.
Is there a particular issue that makes
you want to serve on the school board?
As stated in my previous answer, academic
achievement and success in school for each
and every student will be my focus.
What skills and experiences do you
bring to the table that have prepared you
to serve as a board member?
I have 30 years of teaching experience in
both Niles and Buchanan Community Schools.
In addition to classroom teaching, I was a stu-
dent accommodations consultant and a litera-See SCHOOL BOARD, page 8