Four candidates are competing to fill three seats in the Fulton 58 School District Board of Education during the June 2 municipal election.
The election was previously scheduled for April 7 but was postponed in response to COVID-19. Candidates include Joe Davis, Connie Epperson, Todd Gray and Emily Omohundro.
This is the second of a two-part series of Fulton candidate profiles and includes Gray and Omohundro. The first part ran in Wednesday's paper.
Todd Gray
Todd has served on the Board of Education since 2014. He is a captain with the City of Fulton Fire Department and has sat on Missouri fire safety and education commissions. He graduated from Fulton High School and has one child currently attending and one child that has graduated from Fulton Public Schools. His wife, Stacy, teaches at McIntire Elementary School.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
Why I decided to run for re-election is my passion for Fulton Public Schools. I am extremely proud of our students and staff. I have been engaged with providing the best experience for our students in the district. I have a vested interests with having one child as a Fulton graduate in the district and one child that is currently attending Fulton Public Schools.
What are your qualifications?
What makes me qualified is I have served two terms as a board member, and I understand the importance of this positions. I have proven I have the ability to put in the time and dedication for this very important position.
What do you see as the biggest issue facing your school district, and how do you plan to solve it?
I believe the biggest issue in Fulton Public Schools is the available space to provide a quality education. The district enrollment is increasing, and we as board members need to make sure we have that space for our future students. One of the ways to fund the space issue is the no-tax-increase bond that will be on the ballot in June.
What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers in your district?
My strategy for attracting new staff is to build off of what we have in place now. I believe Fulton Public Schools has one of the best staffs in Missouri. Each building in our district was recognized for some type of achievement in 2019, and that is something to be proud of. Regarding retaining teachers at Fulton Public Schools, my strategy is for them to understand I am a board member that will listen to them and try and provide them with the materials that are needed for them to be successful in their position.
Emily Omohundro
Emily is a Fulton native and 2003 FHS graduate. She and her husband, Matt, have young three children: Lila, Max and Moses. Lila is a kindergartner at Bush and is loving her school experience as a Fulton Hornet. Emily works as an attorney and is an owner of EdCounsel, a firm dedicated solely to the representation of public schools in Missouri, working daily with school leaders and school boards by providing practical legal guidance in order to allow schools to focus on the important task of educating kids.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I am finishing up with my third year on the board. I decided to run for re-election because I am passionate about our school district and the students we serve. We have worked hard as a board, planning for the future of Fulton Public Schools, and I wish to continue to do my part of that important work.
What are your qualifications?
As an attorney who works exclusively with public schools, I am immersed in a world of working with educators, finding solutions, managing risk, researching the law and developing policy. That allows me to bring my knowledge and experience from working with more than 240 Missouri public schools to the board room as we discuss what is best for the students and staff of FPS and the taxpayers who support our efforts.
What do you see as the biggest issue facing your school district, and how do you plan to solve it?
The district is growing, and the needs of students are changing. Perhaps the biggest issue facing the district at this time is how to address our growth and maintaining and upgrading the spaces we use to effectively serve students. Our current board has dedicated a lot of time to developing a facilities plan to address these needs, and the passage of the Proposition S will be critical in order to ensure our facilities meet our growing needs.
What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers in your district?
With the passage of the operating levy, we have been able to increase compensation for teachers in order to be more competitive in the market, however, competing with nearby larger districts is not a sustainable goal within our budget constraints. FPS must be a place where teachers love to work and want to stay and grow professionally. Ensuring our culture is positive and our working environments are well maintained is just as important as compensation.