Russellville’s new school board members discuss goals

Adam Weber, Aaron Wyss, Ritchie Jenkins and Jenifer Seaver were elected to the Cole R-1 (Russellville) Board of Education in last Tuesday’s municipal election.

Weber, Jenkins and Wyss were elected for three-year terms, and Seaver was elected for a one-year term to complete the term of former board president Jerry Schulte.

Wyss said his primary goal is to make sure students are learning and having a good day-to-day experience.

“I want to find out how we can make those goals measure-able by looking at metrics like grades and disciplinary actions,” he said. “I also want to make sure we’re retaining the good staff that we have and we’re taking the steps necessary to be ready for growth.”

Weber said his top priority is evaluating the budget due to recent budget withholds.

“I think the budgets are probably going to be even more difficult than they have been, so I think that’s something that we’re definitely going to have to work on,” he said.

Weber’s other priority is supporting teachers because the staff is important for a small school district, he said.

“I think we just need to support teachers and try to do what we can to make sure we’re paying the teachers what is right and what we can afford,” he said.

Jenkins said his top priority is figuring out how the budget will impact the district. His other short-term goals are planning how to handle the district’s population growth from a facility perspective and planning how to return to school in the fall.

Jenkins said he wants to continue the success that the district has had and build upon it.

“The curriculum and things like that are pretty solid, and we’re starting to attract students and families from other communities, and so just kind of continuing on that momentum moving forward,” he said.

CMNI was unable to reach Seaver.