Incumbent candidate for Blair Oaks School Board Doug Moeller said he'd prioritize high-quality education, recruitment and retention of teachers and staff and fiscal responsibility if re-elected to the board.
One incumbent and four challengers have filed for three three-year positions on the board.
Moeller has spent more than two decades working as a farm assistant on Carver Farm for Lincoln University. He and his wife of 32 years, Sandra, have two adult children who attended Blair Oaks.
Part of supporting good education, he said, is completing phase 2 of construction of the high school to provide a facility that is conducive to learning. The board voted Tuesday to hold off on phase 2.
"My top priority is to continue providing the best education for the students of Blair Oaks district because I feel that we have the best students around and the best parents around," he said.
Moeller said plans to support recruitment and retention of quality staff and teachers all come down to money.
"We have to be competitve with our wages and our benefits, stuff like that, so that's an ongoing discussion with any school, is the money to be able to pay your teachers competitive wages...so you can hire them and retain them," he said.
As a taxpayer himself, Moeller said, he's conscious of how the district spends its money.
"It all comes down to the kids and taxpayers' money," he said.
Moeller said he's a qualified candidate because he's already served six years on the board. During his time on the board, Moeller said, the district has built a new high school, created the intermediate school, and started a preschool program.
He was born and raised in the area.
"I feel that I know the people up there. I feel that I know what they want, and people can come to me and talk to me face-to-face -- I'd rather be face-to-face -- and I'll listen to them," he said.
His job at Lincoln University has given him the chance to mentor students. Moeller's also served on hiring committees and worked and volunteered in various capacities that required him to maintain a budget.
"I'm here to make the best better," he said. "I feel that Blair Oaks is the best, and I hope to help make it better."