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Monongalia County Board of Education Candidates

Posted on: Friday, 5 May 2006, 09:00 CDT

By Evelyn Ryan, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

May 5--THE DOMINION POST is presenting coverage of the Monongalia County Board of Education races today and Saturday. Today we present profiles of all the candidates. On Saturday we will publish candidates' responses from three question-and-answer sessions -- one for each district -- conducted by the newspaper's Editorial Board. Kevin Armstrong

Kevin Armstrong's job takes him into a lot of schools across the eastern part of the United States.

He is regional sales manager for Josten's, a firm known for providing class rings, yearbooks, caps and gowns and other items to schools. It also provides education consultants.

He's also owner of Mountaineer Motivation, through which he speaks in schools on the East Coast about safety, motivation, and reaching out into communities and forming partnerships with businesses.

Armstrong has been in the Morgantown area for almost nine years. He and his wife have three children, all students at Cheat Lake School.

"I think I've got a lot of ideas that are out there," he said. "There are many many good ideas out in the education community."

He wants to make his expertise a resource for the county, a resource that will bring ideas from other school districts that may be able to solve local questions.

"I'm in schools on a daily basis," he said. "I want to start helping local schools as much as I help schools in Kentucky."

Armstrong admitted he has a lot to learn if elected.

"There are three things I feel truly strongly about," he said. "One is completion of the bond construction in a timely and fiscally responsible way."

The second is morale in schools, which needs improvement, he said. This includes the need for better teacher pay.

The third is involving the community, bringing in subject-matter experts, to involve more people in working with the board and schools, he said.

"I want to create an environment of cooperation, not an 'us vs them' type of thing," Armstrong said. "I look at bringing more of these people in to create a place that belongs to all kids."

He wants to see better recognition of students for their academic achievements to help promote education and academic performance.

"I don't have an agenda," he said. "I want to create a place where kids can excel, where all kids can belong. I just see a tremendous opportunity here." Stephen L. Cook

Incumbent school board member Stephen L. "Steve" Cook is no stranger to politics.

The Cheat Lake resident served 13 years in the state Legislature, in both the House and Senate. And he's finishing his second four-year term on the Monongalia County Board of Education.

"When I originally ran for the board eight years ago, it was with the objective of helping to get a school bond issue passed," he said. "We failed in first attempt; succeeded in the second. I would like to see through the construction we have under way."

If returned to the board, his primary goal would be to see that the excess levy renewal vote is approved at the November general election, he said.

"I think passing the excess levy is critically important to maintaining the kind of quality we have in the system and the variety of programs," Cook said.

"The excess levy provides about 21 percent of the revenue we work with and helps us to be the kind of outstanding school system we have."

Cook, 64, has other goals he would like to accomplish.

"We need to provide a significant increase in the salary supplement we give to our faculty and staff," he said. "Those supplements have not been increased since 1988. Our teachers do not rank high when compared to the other 54 counties and they should, given the quality of service they provide."

Cook is married, with three children, two stepchildren and four grandchildren. He's a faculty member with WVU's Institute for Labor Studies and Research. He's been in Morgantown since 1967.

He was state labor commissioner from 1977-1979. He also served 16 years as assistant business manager for West Virginia Laborers District Council, and was president of LIU Local 814, which represents WVU and Ruby Memorial Hospital. Sharon Pillai

Sharon M. Pillai prides herself on being actively involved at Cheat Lake Middle School, where her 11-year-old daughter attends classes.

She's temporarily put her career as a registered nurse on hold to stay home with her daughter. And, like any stay-at-home-mom, she keeps herself involved with her daughter's school.

"I do a lot of volunteer work at the school," she said.

This gives her an opportunity to see how education has changed since she herself attended Monongalia County schools.

A Morgantown native "born and raised," her father was James "Bud" Dalton, who used to own Dalton Trucking and Westover Glass and Mirror, she said.

She decided to run for the Monongalia County Board of Education "because I talk to a lot of parents and I talk to a lot of teachers, and I hear two main complaints."

The complaints? Teachers talk about their need of a pay raise, she said, and parents and teachers feel they have a lack of communication with the Board of Education.

"I think that's what prompted me to get involved and run," Pillai said.

How would she deal with the issues?

"I think the pay raises have to be a collaboration of the school board as a whole," she said. "I am a staunch supporter of teachers. I would support giving them a pay raise and making them happy and more competitive with surrounding areas."

As for communication, "I think board members need to be in our schools, they need to be known," she said. "Teachers need to feel they can come to the board if they have a problem."

She's also been active with projects as a member of her neighborhood association board, and worked with Girl Scouts and the Morgantown Theatre Company.

This is the Morgantown native's first run for elected office. Her husband is chief of vascular surgery at Ruby Memorial Hospital. WESTERN DISTRICT David Durham

His experience with youth sports prompted Westover resident David Durham to throw his hat into the ring for one of four school board seats on the May 9 ballot.

"I told someone the other day the last thing I ran for was president of the Morgantown High School band in 1972," he said. "I was a drummer."

The Morgantown native grew up on Willowdale Road and attended Wiles Hill Elementary School and Morgantown Junior High (both now closed). He graduated from MHS in 1973.

He also sees life in the school system as the parent of a sophomore at University High School and a county school graduate now attending WVU.

New school buildings and middle school girl's softball combined to cause Durham to decide to run for the board. He was part of a citizens group promoting passage of the 2003 school construction bond, talking to people about the need for new schools.

And he had to work with the board to establish the middle school girl's softball program.

"I found it interesting," he said. He applied for the vacancy when board member Michael Yura resigned, but the seat went to fellow Westover resident Mike Kelly.

So when the election rolled around, he decided to try again.

What would he like to accomplish if elected?

"I would have to say the most controversial issue I'm interested in is drugs and alcohol in the schools," Durham said. "I think there are issues that need to be addressed that aren't being addressed."

He defined these as a growing problem, citing the presence of illegal drugs in the schools, particularly high schools.

Durham said he taught at WVU for 10 years before moving to a post as a liaison between the College of Engineering and potential employers -- agencies and corporations that want to work with the college.

"I've been with the university for 28 years," he said, listing experience as a research technologist, faculty member and administrator. Michael L. Kelly

Like many parents, Westover resident Michael L. Kelly volunteered at the schools his three children attended.

But unlike most, it turned into an after-work career as a "roadie" for the Westwood Middle School steel drum band, The Panhandlers.

"I've always been interested in the school board," he said. "I think it's an extremely important position. We're dealing with our children's future, and that is, in essence, our future."

So when Michael Yura resigned from the board after moving out of his district, Kelly was more than willing to be appointed to replace him.

"I think it's an exciting time to be on the board," Kelly said, pointing to the construction program that will end with a new high school, two new elementary schools and major additions at three others.

"I went to Riverside when it was an elementary-junior high," he said. "I went back a few months ago and took a tour of the school. I was talking to a little girl about going to school there for nine years. She paused and said, 'You should have studied harder.' "

Riverside only goes to fifth grade now.

Kelly lists opening the new schools as his main priority. His second priority is to help find a way to increase compensation for the teachers.

"I don't know what the plan will be," he admitted. "This is not a situation where we can just start writing checks. I would like to see them get more funding of some sort. So much of what we do is mandated by state and federal law, and there's not a whole lot of wriggle room."

He has other ideas he would like to see developed -- teaching children how to think, how to learn, to know what questions to ask; broadening their exposure to careers, and developing a closer relationship between the board and residents of the western end.

Kelly and his wife are the parents of two daughters and a son who's at Westwood Middle School. One daughter graduated from Fairmont State, the other is attending WVU.

He's a member of the Greater Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization, past president of Westover Rotary, and COMPAC, a local transportation planning committee. Justin Duane Prickett

The youngest candidate for the Monongalia County school board believes his age would be a benefit to the board.

Justin Duane Prickett, who lives on Fairmont Road, is just 24 years old. This is his first run for public office. He's single, and describes himself as "an entrepreneur."

"Being fresh out of it, I can see where there are places for improvements in the school system," he said. "The biggest issue is you have is that people, when they go to college, they are completely unprepared for what they're going to do the rest of their life."

He graduated from University High School, and attended Fairmont State.

"I believe a lot of your preparation should be done in high school, such as grammar and stuff. I don't believe you should have to take English again in college to learn to write.

"I believe we should already be where can go in and follow proper procedures for writing term papers, with proper grammar. Obviously there's an error somewhere."

That's not his only concern.

"In all honesty, I've seen there's a lack of educational decisions being made. It seems to be more political decisions that what's best for education," Prickett said. "Education seems to be last on their agenda." Joseph Statler

Incumbent school board member Joseph C. "Joe" Statler can trace his roots back seven generations in the Core area of Monongalia County's western arm.

He proudly notes that his alma maters include Jake's Run Elementary, Clay-Battelle Junior High and Clay-Batelle High School.

He keeps a close watch on CBHS, where his youngest daughter is a junior. Her older sisters went on to WVU after graduation.

Statler had run for the board when the late Stacy Groscup was still a member. "I lost to Stacy until he decided not to run again" in 2002, Statler quipped.

But his campaign was based on a more serious note.

"I just wanted to make a difference," he said. "Not that I had an axe to grind against the school system. I wanted to make things better for the students."

He also represents views from the county's more rural area.

"I'm not saying we were slighted before," Statler added, "but I am out here, I know the people, and I am able to bring those views to the board."

He wants to continue on the board to finish the 2003 school bond construction program.

"We still have Easton and Woodburn elementary schools to be addressed, and we still have issues of overcrowding at Cheat Lake," he said.

"I still want to strengthen the education program, the math and reading," he said. "We have a lot of good students coming through, but we still have some that are not up to standards, who are falling through the cracks. We still have to do something about that."

And he wants to see higher attendance at the Monongalia County Technical Education Center . While MTEC is considered a vocational school, it offers classes ranging from computer-aided drafting to medical careers to culinary arts.

"We don't have enough students taking advantage of those classes," he said. "I'm not taking away from the college bound; but they can do both."

Statler is a member of the Greater Morgantown Metropolitan Planning Organization, Monongalia County Extension Service Committee, MTEC Advisory Committee, Monongalia County Schools Foundation board and Read Aloud Board. Joseph Strakal

Joseph Strakal, a resident of the Fort Martin area, hopes three previous runs for the Monongalia County Board of Education give him name recognition for his latest effort.

Strakal, a Western District candidate, said he's in his "late 70s," when asked his age. He's married and has a son at Morgantown High School.

"I'm retired, I do nothing," he joked. "I have a small farm at Fort Martin, and I'm working on clearing my property. ... I retired from military and then retired from civil service."

Why is he running for the school board?

"I feel as though I'm qualified for it," Strakal said. "I want to be on it. I have a lot of good ideas. When I was town commissioner in Maryland, we planned for the future, and I did well with that."

He has no particular issues he wants to get out in this campaign.

"I'm still a firm believer in community schools and not consolidating everything," he said. "I was watching TV the other day, and I saw where California had consolidated schools, and it's now going back to community schools because its a lot better."

Strakal has served on the Monongalia County Development Authority, an appointed position, since he returned to Mon County.

"I was born up in the Pursglove area; my family was miners," Strakal said. But he chose the military over coal mining as a career.

In many families, when the father is a coal miner, his sons become coal miners. Why didn't Strakal consider that as a career?

"My dad took me down, he wanted me to work down there. I looked in the mine, and the lights went down in a curve. I asked him if the lights went all the way and he said, no, they end down there. I said that's as far as I'm going."

He enlisted in the U.S. Navy. When his enlistment was up, he joined the U.S. Army.

"I really enjoyed every place I went," he said. After 26 years, he retired and took a civil service job. CENTRAL DISTRICT Clarence Harvey Jr.

Clarence Harvey Jr. decided to run for the Monongalia County Board of Education after seeing Bill and Melinda Gates on "Oprah," talking about the state of education today.

The 79-year-old retired Mon County educator and former school board member said he had a feeling "that I'm not carrying out my responsibility."

A University High School graduate, Harvey went on to become a teacher, starting in 1948 at Daybrook Junior High School. His career included serving as a principal and central office administrator before retiring. Elected to the school board in 1984, he served 14 years in the post.

"With all those years of experience, I thought it was selfish of me to sit up here and do odd jobs and this and that, and not offer that experience to the kids and citizens of this county," he said.

To learn how schools operate, you need to "be in a teacher's shoes for a while, in a principal's shoes for a while, in the Central Office for a while.

"It also helps to have been a parent of three children attending Mon County schools," he added. He and his wife had three children, one who died; a son who's dean of graduate studies at Fairmont State, and a daughter married and living in Jacksonville, Fla. They have seven grandchildren.

Harvey said he doesn't have any particular issue to campaign on.

"I absolutely think the Board of Education has done a tremendous job with this bond issue," he said. "I have no axe to grind. What I would like to do is simply offer what help I can to the people of this county -- if they want it."

He is concerned about the national tendency to restrict access to public bodies.

"It's not just locally, but nationally," he said. "We need more openness in the meetings of our governing bodies, whether the county commission, board of education or Congress. There seems to be an atmosphere of wanting to be secret and pushing for secrecy. That makes democracy a travesty." Barbara Parsons

The first thing Barbara Parsons discovered when she took a seat on the Monongalia County Board of Education was totally unexpected.

Being a school board member, she said, is a lot of work.

Parsons, of Central District, was appointed to the board in 2000 when then-board member Anthony Derry moved out of state. She ran and won a seat in 2002.

Now, she wants another term.

"There's so much to learn," she said. "You don't want to waste all of that knowledge."

She praised the working relationship between present board members.

"I think, as a board of five, we operate exceptionally well. We have differences of opinion, we share those differences, we hammer things out, we come to a consensus and then we go. It's not about personal agendas."

Parsons and her husband have two daughters who attended Mon County schools and graduated from WVU. Parsons came to Morgantown to attend WVU. She has a bachelor's degree in family resources, a master's degree in human resources and a doctorate in education administration.

As a working mother, she wasn't that involved in the school system while her daughters were in school. She became interested when she took part in a task force that put together a proposal to improve the school system's relationship with the community.

She lists building credibility and trust between the school administration, school staff and the public as one of her primary goals.

"I would like to finish the new schools on budget ... and just provide the students the best curriculum as we can put together. I certainly would like to see us enhance our offerings in the area of technical and vocational education. The future is going to have more demand for students with skills out of vocational and technical education."

Parsons is a graduate of Leadership West Virginia and coordinates Leadership Monongalia. She served on the Morgantown Utility Board for 10 years and was facilitator for COMPAC, a community transportation group.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

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Source: The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.)

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