Four candidates are competing to fill three open seats on the South Callaway R-2 Board of Education during the April 4 municipal elections: Penny Felkner, Janice Howard, Stephanie Laney and Brent Woods. Woods, an incumbent, is currently vice president of the board.
This is the first part of a two-part series of candidate profiles and includes Penny Felkner and Janice Howard. The second part will run in Wednesday's paper.
Penny Felkner
Penny Felkner has lived in the district for 27 years with her husband Gary Felkner, her two children and two stepchildren, who all graduated from South Callaway High School. Felkner has worked for the University of Missouri, Columbia, in information technology for 18 years. She earned a degree in accounting from Missouri State University.
Q. What do you think is the biggest issue you'll need to solve, and how do you plan to solve it?
A. One of the biggest issues that's impacting South Callaway right now is the budget and the cuts from the states, plus the depreciation of the Callaway Nuclear Plant, which impacts budget to South Callaway school district.
With my accounting background, and with some of the experience that I've had with IT and budgeting in general, I hope to be able to find some ways that they can save money without cutting teachers, which is what they've been currently doing.
Q. What qualifies you for the position?
A. I'm a member of the community and someone who's always been involved with the school district. I got involved as soon as my kids were in school. That would make anyone qualified to serve on the school board.
Q. What is your greatest fear and your greatest hope for the community?
A. What I'm seeing right now is the fear that kids aren't being taught the tools they need to further education, whether that be going to college or going to trade school. They've had to cut some of the classes the kids may need, even to enter the workforce. They've cut some of the higher math classes, for example. I haven't been able to get clarification, but I've heard fear that they're cutting some of the business classes.
My greatest hope is that the students would be able to get the education they need so that they're able to go and have successful lives - it ties in with my fear. I want students to be equipped for whatever they want to do, whether that be go to trade school, into college or be successful in their career.
And I want them to be able to enjoy their time at South Callaway.
Janice Howard
Janice Howard was born in the Mokane area and is a 1979 South Callaway graduate. She's spent almost her entire life in Callaway County. Howard is an office manager at the Callaway 2 Water District and previously worked for the Danuser Machine Company. She has a husband of two years.
Q. What do you think is the biggest issue you'll need to solve, and how do you plan to solve it?
A. I've never served on the South Callaway board before and I'm not really familiar with the issues facing the board right now. I've been told I'll need to do some online training and go to a training class, should I be one of the ones selected, and I look forward to learning about how to do the job.
In my jobs through the years I've tackled a lot of different things that have come up. I'll give it the best I have, get the training and go from there.
Q. What qualifies you for the position?
A. I think I'm probably as qualified but no more qualified than any of the other candidates that are running. I was born in south Callaway, I've lived in the school district my entire life, except for about six years.
I would like to make a contribution to my area, to my school. I didn't further my education after high school, and I feel like the foundation that South Callaway school gave me has been a great asset in helping me earn a living through the years. I'd like to ensure that future generations have the same opportunity. I'm at a point in time in my life where I have the time to give to this.
Q. What is your greatest fear and your greatest hope for the community?
A. My greatest hope, I kind of answered with the last one. I'd like to see South Callaway schools provide the very best possible educational opportunity for all of the children that attend there.
My greatest fear would be the opposite - that they'd lose ground. I have no reason to think that they would. I'd like to see them remain strong.
Your schooling is a vital part of your life and can start you out well, even if you proceed to college. The beginning can really be a good foundation and that's what I'd like to see sustained.