Washington County school board elections taking shape

With the statewide election filing period open until Sept. 16, several school board officials across Washington County said they did not plan to run again.

Washington school board members Heidi Vittetoe (District 5) and Jason Hamilton (at-large) said they did not plan to run for reelection, nor did Highland District 3 board member Kevin Engel.

“I have been on the school board since 2005, it seemed time to step aside and let someone else be involved in that,” Vittetoe said. “It’s been very interesting, and I have benefited a lot from the learning I’ve gotten from being on the board. I would encourage anybody to run for the board because it’s a good opportunity to participate in local governance and the future of our kids.”

Several board members up for reelection said they had not yet decided if they would run again, including Mid-Prairie board member Gabrielle Frederick.

“Right now I’m going out and getting signatures, I do want to run,” she said. “But I have a husband and two kids, and it’s really a family decision. I’ve enjoyed very much being on the board, but it has been time consuming.”

If she does run, Frederick said she hoped to continue to support the district’s new principals, as well as its students coming back to a school year where the effects of the pandemic remain unpredictable.

Whether she seeks reelection or not, Frederick said the board position was worth considering for anyone passionate about the roll.

“I don’t feel like I’m better than anyone else,” she said. “I think if someone puts their heart into this position and truly wants to do what’s best for kids and the staff at Mid-Prairie, I think they’ll succeed. We might not come up with the same steps to get there, but I don’t think there’s a set agenda … to be successful.”

Mid-Prairie board member Jodi Meader said she was similarly on the fence but leaning toward running again, pitching herself as a highly involved community member.

“I volunteered from the time my oldest was in kindergarten up until last year when we couldn’t volunteer because of COVID,” she said. “I’ve always been a part of the other side of that, being able to see how some of the policies come through to affect the classrooms and the children.”

In Highland, District 5 Director and board Vice President Megan Allen expressed some hesitation but said she would likely seek another term.

“I’m almost 95% sure I’m going to run again,” she said. “When work is piling on, you kind of wonder if it’s the right thing to do … I’m tentatively planning to run.”

Allen said she enjoyed her role on the school board and hoped she stood out as a strong critical thinker.

“I question everything,” she said. “I question what our motives are, what our goals are. I research a lot, like what different districts are doing surrounding us.”

All other school board officials up for reelection said they definitively planned to be on the ballot in November.

“When a person starts a project and gets things going in a direction that we think the school should be going, you want to see it through to the end,” Washington District 2 Director Jim Almelien said. “Working to get the things we’re planning on accomplished is the main reason I’m running.”

Almelien said he brought breadth and depth of working experience to the table that other candidates might not.

“I’ve got a lot of different aspects during my career,” he said. “I’ve dealt with construction, I’ve dealt with personnel, I’ve dealt with financials. I have a very vast background of knowledge that is helpful when we’re talking about things.”

Mid-Prairie board President Jeremy Gugel said he planned to run again as well.

“Right now we’re working on some different facility projects,” he said. “I just want to be able to be there to be a part of finishing those out and putting a plan together for facilities going forward.”

Gugel said he was open to feedback in his pitch to voters.

“What I feel that I bring to the table is a willingness to listen to any of the constituents,” he said. “I’m not really looking to push a particular item or agenda, but just to listen to those that are a part of the district and what it is that they want to see inside of their schools.”

Highland District 1 Director Rachel Longbine, who is up for reelection, said she was proud of the progress the board had made in her two terms and hoped to keep contributing for a third.

“My first couple of years on the school board were pretty rough,” she said. “There was lots of negative publicity and hard decisions to be made, and we’re finally on the upswing and our financials are looking good, our facilities are in a much better condition. I hope to continue building the educational foundation for our community.”