The June 2 municipal election for the Moniteau County R-3 (High Point) School District Board of Education has four candidates seeking three available seats, all for three-year terms.
Incumbent Melanie Porter is seeking re-election, while Travis Pearson, George Wyrick and Daniel Carender are newcomers on the ballot for Tuesday's election.
The election was originally scheduled for April 7, but Gov. Mike Parson postponed all municipal elections to June 2 in light of concerns surrounding COVID-19.
The Democrat asked the candidates to answer the following questions.
Editor's note: All candidates were given the opportunity to respond and submit a photo. The Democrat did not receive responses from Travis Pearson.
Name: Melanie Porter (incumbent)
Years living in district: My husband, Doug, and I have lived in the High Point community together since we got married 21 years ago.
Occupation: I was a stay-at-home mom for all of our children until our youngest started school this past fall. I am now a preschool teacher in California.
Family: Husband, Doug, and six children who have all attended or still attend High Point. Trey (college freshman), Trevor (twelfth grade), Tristan (eleventh grade), Trishelle (tenth grade), Treagan (fifth grade) and Trynleigh (kindergarten).
Leadership experience: I have served as a school board member for three years. I was also a 4-H leader for eight years, a Sunday school teacher for nine years, and have taught at Vacation Bible School for several years.
Why are you running for school board?: I have seen the High Point school and community grow over the years, and I want to continue being a part of building that growth within our facility.
Why is public education important?: Public education is important to me because I feel it is the foundation that helps mold each individual child. You are given so many opportunities: advanced/specialized classes to meet everyone's needs, learning how to interact because of the diversity of the student body, the opportunity to be involved in numerous extracurricular activities, being taught by teachers that are state-certified and are constantly receiving more education to teach our children. I want to continue to be a part of helping each student in our community succeed in the public school system.
What skills or knowledge do you possess that could benefit the district?: I have helped out within the school building a lot throughout the years so I am able to see the needs firsthand. I don't have a single-issue focus, I am simply interested in the success of all students in the High Point district. I have sound judgment, am compassionate and work well with others. Since I've had kids in the district since 2006, I have seen what things have worked or haven't worked and have a vision for where I would like to see our district go
What issues are most important to you?: Ensuring that our students are getting the proper education they need and are safe in the school building is very important to me.
What is your view on Proposition No. 2 (debt service levy)?: I am in favor of Proposition 2. The needs of students have changed so much throughout the years and with that change, growth within the school building has become necessary. High Point has been creative at utilizing its space up to this point, but all of our kids aren't getting the proper education without the space needed for each of their needs. An expansion would be beneficial in so many ways. We would have wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, for example. Currently, none of our bathrooms are equipped for this, so we are not able to meet the needs of all. Another benefit to the expansion would be more private classroom space. Currently, the cafeteria is being utilized for testing and other various things because there is simply no more room. Thirdly, the possibility of implementing an Early Childhood program with the extra space is really exciting to me. Having this local program would benefit our kindergartners and kindergarten teacher because all of our students would come to school that first year better prepared. When voting for Prop 2, I would encourage voters to think about the needs of all of our children in the district!
What else should voters know about you before they go to the polls?: I am committed to being a positive and supportive voice for our taxpayers, students, faculty and administration. I would appreciate your support and the opportunity to continue serving you on the High Point School Board for the next three years.
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Name: George Patrick Wyrick
Years living in district: I have lived in the district for all of my life, 26 years.
Education: High Point and Eldon High School.
Occupation: I am a laborer for Wyrick Mechanical. My dad is the owner. We do plumbing, heating and cooling.
Why are you running for school board?: I am running because I know how important these schools are to the communities. I know a lot of these children personally through church. I do not have any children in the school which means no bias toward certain people and no agenda. I loved High Point and I want to help make it the best school possible.
Why is public education important?: It gives all children a chance to learn and grow and be who they want to be.
What skills or knowledge do you possess that could benefit the district?: Although I haven't filled many leadership positions, I believe that with the type of personality I have, I have the qualities to be a leader. I will stand for the students and what is best for them.
What issues are most important to you?: Definitely the expansion of the building. High Point is continuously growing and with the new additions, there will be more options to help further education.
What is your view on Proposition No. 2 (debt service levy)?: This expansion is much needed. As the school grows, we become more crowded. Having more available classrooms would only benefit the children in the long run.
What else should voters know about you before they go to the polls?: I am a lifelong High Pointer. I recently built a house in the school district and am a member of High Point Baptist Church.
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Name: Daniel Carender
Years living in district: 40 years
Education: Attended High Point R-3 and Eldon R-1 and graduated from Ironworker's 396 Apprenticeship Program in 2005.
Occupation: Journeyman ironworker employed with Callaway Energy Center.
Family: Wife, Lauren, and twin boys, Grant and Connor.
Leadership experience: General Foreman and many supervisor roles during nuclear power plant outages. I also run my own small business out of my home.
Why are you running for school board?: I seek to be intricately involved in my children's future, as well as their peers'. This is my home - I want the best for the future of our community.
Why is public education important?: It is important because it's paid for by the people of our community. That community expects their school to uphold the best standards as an investment in our children's future.
What skills or knowledge do you possess that could benefit the district?: I have been in building trades most of my life, I feel with the upcoming building proposal we have, I can help guide our school in finding the best path. My wife and I are also very involved with High Point PTO and know the teachers and staff well. We know the needs and wants they have to keep our school and kids happy and safe.
What issues are most important to you?: Safety is number one! We are rural - we need measures to keep our kids safe if our law enforcement can't get to us quickly. Also, finances are an important consideration for me. I want to ensure our school continues to be the best it can be and we can continue the pride we have in our community.
What is your view on Proposition No. 2 (debt service levy)?: At this time, we don't have a debt service levy. Our school is very overcrowded. We have teachers having classes in closets and hallways, our teachers have their workroom in the cafeteria, and we need more room desperately. We have used up every bit of available space we have. We need this levy to pass, for the future of our school. We are growing - that's a good thing.
What else should voters know about you before they go to the polls?: My wife, Lauren, is hoping to serve as the president of our PTO this next school year. She and I have the best interest in our school. We are doers. We want to see our children grow and continue to flourish like they have. I am honored to be a part of our school, and I would appreciate your vote in this election.