6 seek 3 seats on Marion-Florence school board

Six candidates have filed for election to the Marion-Florence school board, two for each of three open positions.

Longtime school board members Jan Helmer and Doug Regier are not running for re-election.

The candidates are Josh Housman, Molly Guinn, Alysha Haines, Roman Hofer, Jenna Meyerhoff, and Amy Soyez.

Guinn, appointed to fill an unexpired term when former school board member Steve Janzen resigned, is re-running to retain her seat.

Superintendent Justin Wasmuth said he was glad the slate of candidates was so large.

“It’s always good we have people compete,” her said.

He thinks more young parents want to be active in the business of the district.

He also said he was glad campaigns have been civil.

“In a bigger district, it often gets political,” Wasmuth said.

Josh Housman

Josh Housman, a father of four Marion-Florence students, said he wanted to make sure all students had ample opportunities.

“I wanted to run to help give back to the community and also improve students’ opportunities and achievements,” Housman said. “I want to make sure the kids all have opportunities to get a good education.”

Molly Guinn

Guinn said she was proud of the curriculum provided, specifically at the secondary level.

“I feel that the district does a good job of supplying students with numerous non-traditiona’ courses of study,” she said.

Guinn said that as a parent, she had a vested interest in the district’s success.

“The decisions made by the board of education directly affect my children and family on a daily basis,” she said.

Alysha Haines

Alysha Haines said her work as a nurse practitioner gave her expertise in disease and injury prevention as well as child development.

“One of the ongoing challenges the district has been facing is maintaining adequate custodial staffing,” Haines said. “I’m interested in learning what strategies the administration has already implemented and would like to help brainstorm new ideas to ensure our facilities remain clean and well-maintained.”

She also wants to strike a better balance between summer athletics and letting students get a meaningful summer break.

“I strongly believe that athletics play an important role in our schools, and I don’t want to do anything that would diminish those opportunities, but it’s equally important that our students have time to rest and recharge during the summer months,” she said.

Roman Hofer

Roman Hofer, an account manager at MB Foundation in Hillsboro, said he had a good understanding of business operations, finances, and customer service.

He’s not sure what school programs could be changed.

“School funding is a hard and delicate thing,” Hofer said. “I don’t think a person can come in and say, ‘this should be cut back,’ and ‘this should be added to.’ ”

He noted that curriculum standards were passed down from the state.

“Schools then look for resources that can be used to teach the curriculum,” he said. 

Jenna Meyerhoff

Meyerhoff, a mother of four children, said running for school board was a way to serve her community.

She doesn’t propose big changes in how the schools should be run, but she wants to be supportive of teachers and administrators while she learns what changes can be made to further improve the school system.

She’ll soon have a child in each school building, and that will give her insight into the way things are working, she said.

“I just feel like we have good schools here in Marion and I want to see them grow and excel,” she said. “I feel like I bring a different outlook to the school board. I am the parent of four children in the school district, and one of them has special needs.”

Amy Soyez

Amy Soyez advocates for additional resources for staff, such as competitive salaries, paying for retention, and rewarding teachers for going above and beyond.

She characterized herself as an advocate for law enforcement in schools. Being involved with the office of her husband, Sheriff Jeff Soyez, will give her an advantage in working with the schools, she said.

She hesitated to list areas that she thinks need improvement.

“I can see areas we can improve but would like to talk to staff first,” Soyez said.