TERRE HAUTE —
Three Vigo County School Board seats are up for election this year, and all three incumbents say they intend to seek re-election.
The filing period began Wednesday and closes at noon Aug. 24.
In District 1 (Harrison Township), two seats are up for election. The incumbents are Mel Burks and Jackie Lower.
The District 3 seat (Otter Creek/Nevins townships) also is up for election, and the incumbent is Paul Lockhart.
On Wednesday, both Lockhart and Lower submitted petitions to the Voter Registration office for verification purposes. Ten registered voters must sign the petitions. Once verified, the petitions will be filed with the county clerk’s office.
Burks said Wednesday evening he will seek re-election to a fifth term. He assumed new job duties in January when he was named the chief executive officer of Hamilton Center.
“One of the things I like doing is working around kids” and being involved in things that benefit children, he said.
The school board has seven members.
Those who run for the School Board must be at least 21; a resident of Vigo County and of the district they want to run in for at least one year; and an Indiana resident for the last two years.
School board members are elected at large by voters throughout the county and they are paid $2,000 a year.
Lower, a retired educator, is seeking her second elected term.
“I enjoy working with the students, faculty and administration. I think the Vigo County schools are progressive in a lot of their ideas. I think we are very stable financially,” she said. “We get calls from all over the state asking about a lot of our programs.”
Challenges ahead relate to state funding cutbacks and a new teacher evaluation process required by state law, she said.
Lockhart is seeking his sixth nonconsecutive term. He previously served three terms from 1983 to 1994. He was then re-elected in 2004 and has served since that time. He is currently school board president. “I’m very proud of our schools and I want to see great things continue for the next several years,” Lockhart said. “I feel we have a great school system with outstanding staff and a supportive school community.”
The district has seen improvements in test scores and graduation rates, he said, “and I want to see that continue.”
The budget and financial constraints will continue to be a challenge, he said. “We have to lead in that area and continue to stay ahead of the curve,” he said. Because of state funding cutbacks, the district has had to reduce expenditures in recent years, but he noted it has done so without layoffs.
Staff reductions have occurred through attrition, Lockhart said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
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