4 candidates seek 3 seats on Eugene school board

Four candidates will seek three available seats on the Cole County R-5 Board of Education in the April 7 municipal election.

Spencer Hoskins, Eliza Hinkle, Derek Sommerer and Matt Hale are seeking their first elections to the Eugene school board.

These seats are for three-year terms. Candidate filing for the April election closed Tuesday.

Hinkle has been a nurse for 11 years, and she is currently employed at Capital Region Medical Center. She has two children in the school district, and she graduated from Eugene in 2008.

"Being a native from Eugene, I have a great understanding for our district's character - the strengths that make our community unique and the flaws we will continue to strive to correct," Hinkle said. "Stepping back into Cole R-5 as a parent changes an individual's outlook on the education system."

Hinkle said she wants to dedicate her time to help provide quality education by putting students first.

"My goal is to continue to make the children the priority and focus on their academic success," she said. "To achieve success, the district's community is vital."

Sommerer was born and raised just south of Jefferson City. He has three children, two of whom are at Eugene High School. He works for ABB, an industrial equipment supplier in Jefferson City.

"I am running for school board because I value a quality education and want to make school the best possible experience for my kids," Sommerer said. "I don't have a particular agenda. I have not encountered any major problems in the last three years my kids have attended the school. I am going in with eyes wide open and looking forward to working with the other board members and the administration and students of the school to make improvements as opportunities present themselves."

Matt Hale is a lifelong Eugene resident and he has three daughters in the school district. He is self-employed in construction, and he volunteers with 4-H. He is also involved in the Hickory Hill Baptist Church sports ministry and teaches Sunday school.

Hale said it is important to him to communicate properly with the community and staff and ensure policies are being implemented properly.

"I want to make sure that the school is better for the kids and give the kids a strong foundation to build upon," Hale said. "Building a foundation for the kids from kindergarten and up is going to give them a brighter future."

The News Tribune previously published an article including an interview with Spencer Hoskins after he announced his intention to run for the school board in December.

"We need to look at updating facilities like our track so that we can improve and grow," Hoskins said at the time. "We were in a decline, population wise, and that's starting to grow again. I want to see us come up with ideas so we'll develop into a larger and better school district."

Editor's note: All candidates were given the opportunity to provide a photo to accompany this story. The News Tribune did not receive two of the candidates' photos.