FREDERICKTOWN — Voters will decide between four candidates running for two open seats in Fredericktown’s Board of Education this November.
Two of the four candidates are incumbents, each holding their seats for eight years.
Current board members Candi Gallagher and Todd McClay are up for re-election. They are running to retain their seats alongside newcomers Kristine Lindeman and Shelly Wenger.
Both seats due to be filled will commence on Jan. 1, 2024 and conclude on Dec. 31, 2027.
A topic every board candidate discussed was students’ mental health and steps to make such services more accessible. Recently, the Fredericktown Board of Education approved a contract with Mansfield Psychological Services to help with the increasing student caseload.
Here is a breakdown of each candidate:
Kristine Lindeman
Lindeman has lived in the Fredericktown Local School District for 23 years. Lindeman also has two daughters, one who graduated from Fredericktown High School in 2021 and one who’s currently in middle school.
Lindeman has served on the school’s PTO for eight years and as a classroom volunteer. She’s currently serving as the finance chair and children’s ministry volunteer at Cornerstone Community and is chair-elect for Richland Area Chamber and Economic Development, among other roles.
“Serving on the board will be a new way I can give back by using my background, experience and resources,” Lindeman said. “One important hat I wear is being a parent of a Fredericktown Middle School student so what direction our school is headed for her and all our students is very important to me.”
If elected, Lindeman said she’d first focus on familiarizing herself with school funding.
“We are very fortunate to have a treasurer and her staff who are knowledgeable and experienced,” she said. “I do believe we are at a crossroads with the needs of our current workforce, choices students have in the later part of their high school career and the different platforms of education.
“As a board member, I want to be a part of the decisions our district will be faced with as we see this shift in public education. Being proactive financially will be key.”
Another focus is strengthening the ties between the community and the district, Lindeman said.
Lindeman included the example of students touring local businesses within the district for potential job opportunities and seeing what skills employers are looking for in future employees.
“As a board member I would like to help keep the ship pointed in a direction that is best for our kids, our staff, and our community. I would like to see us improve recognition of our student’s classroom achievements,” Lindeman said.
“I would also like us to strive toward additional academic opportunities outside of our district. With some program research, I believe we can locate some new creative opportunities for our students in all grade levels.”
Candi Gallagher
Gallagher, current board president and first elected in 2015, was a teacher at Fredericktown schools for 32 years before becoming a board member. She thought it was the next step to serve her district and community.
When first elected, Gallagher wanted to make sure the district had a “first-class” education.
“As a board member, I’ve tried to stay engaged in the curriculum as far as making sure that we update ours (curriculum) for the students and staff and attend as many student activities as I can and provide the necessary support to help the students make sure they fulfill their educational needs,” Gallagher said.
This includes hiring the right people for staff and providing professional development for staff to stay on top of current education trends.
“Having a strong leader for a superintendent is important and good administration in place to offer staff support,” she said. All those come together and provide a safe environment for the kids to come in and learn.”
Fredericktown Local Schools scored 4/5 stars in the most recent statewide report card.
Another point for Gallagher is fiscal responsibility, striving to help the district provide an education for the students with the funds available in the budget so the taxpayers aren’t asked to approve a levy or bond issue.
“We always earmark money for curriculum every year so if the elementary needs a new reading program we want to make sure those monies are available,” Gallagher said.
“I feel I bring on significant insight and knowledge about schools and the function of a board member to be considered for a third term.”
Todd McClay
McClay was first elected to Fredericktown Local School Board of Education in 2015, running for a board seat to keep the respected reputation of Fredericktown schools, he said. Another point of pride was the challenge of keeping the district financially solvent and improving the students’ well-being.
Moving to the district 30 years ago, McClay became involved in the Citizen Advisory Council, which was composed of citizens who’d communicate with the superintendent.
A point for McClay if elected for a third term would be a razor focus on students’ mental health and wellbeing.
Ways to provide aid is by increasing access to mental health services, McClay said.
“I think it’s looking at different resources in the community and thinking outside the box for trying to get some of those resources to be able to help us,” he said.
McClay pointed to the hiring of a social worker this year, who started as part-time and was moved to full-time.
“If there are more things that need to be done, then I would say probably looking outside the box and looking at different referral sources in the community.”
McClay as part of the finance meeting says he and the board need to continually be cognizant of the school finances with the changes that come from the government and just to try to be able to improve or keep the school finances to a level where we can run the district.
Shelly Wenger
This would be Wenger’s first experience as an elected official if elected. Wenger graduated from Fredericktown High School and a bachelor’s science in civil/environmental engineering from Ohio Northern University.
Wenger has lived in the district for most of her life, she said. Wenger has two children in the Fredericktown school district, one a 2023 graduate and a freshman. Wenger is also an active 4H advisor, parent advisory council member and Fredericktown Music Boosters volunteer.
One reason Wenger decided to run for school board so different facets of the community can be represented throughout the board.
“I feel that the community business sector, in particular, is underrepresented on the current board,” Wenger said. “As a long-time member of that business community, I feel compelled to use my skills and experiences to serve the school and the community that has served me.”
Wenger’s experience with financial management, contract administration and staff management fits the board role.
Preparing the student body for the workforce is a priority for Wenger, she said.
“I have first-hand experience with the workforce in our community and I am familiar with its strengths and weaknesses,” Wenger said. “I feel that it is important for the members of the school board to have that familiarity to help guide the direction of student education in ways that allow graduates to better fill the gaps in our own community and incline students to remain Freddies post-graduation.”
Wenger said Fredericktown Local Schools are “blessed with an amazing staff and a supportive community and I can’t think of two more valuable assets for a school district to have. Our district also currently enjoys financial stability.”
Challenges Wenger include maintaining enrollment with so many educational options available to students, balancing resources required to ensure both educational excellence and student well-being, and promoting the recruitment and retention of talented staff.
“As a member of the school board, I would always encourage collaboration and communication between students and families, the administration and the community,” Wenger said. “I think that it will be important in the coming years to ensure that our students have varied and valuable educational opportunities in an environment that provides support and protection.
“To do that, it will be necessary to ensure fiscal health and to be creative in finding and developing avenues to increase resources. I think that it will become increasingly important to utilize the amazing Fredericktown community to help drive improvement in our schools and vice versa.
“Above all else, my priorities will always be to promote the educational and personal success of the youth in our community and to ensure responsible and thoughtful spending of district and taxpayer dollars.”