Six candidates are competing to fill four seats on the North Callaway 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 Jamie Hill, incumbent Sandy Lavy, Kendall Pipes, Timothy Safranski, Ann Schmidt and Rebecca Wall.
This is the second of a three-part series of North Callaway candidate profiles and includes Pipes and Safranski. The third part will run in Thursday's paper.
Kendall Pipes
Kendall Pipes is a 2000 graduate from North Callaway and a self-described "proudest husband to my lucky wife and the okayest dad to our four children." His children all attend North Callaway schools, ranging from preschool to junior high. Pipes has lived within the district since fifth grade. You may know him for being an enthusiastic spectator at youth sporting events within our community: "The Tu-Tu Guy." He recently left a job of 18 years, took matters into his own hands and started the family's future legacy on his farm, Reject Ranch.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I decided to run for school board because the largest number on my tax bill is the North Callaway R-1 School District. I believe I can be a voice for a lot of people in how and where our money is best put to use to help make North Callaway great again.
What are your qualifications?
I worked for Mertens Rock Quarry for 18 years after graduating from North Callaway High School. Through the years, I obtained a very unique set of skills including budgeting, management of people, communication skills and leadership qualities. Along with commitment, I acquired a very strong work ethic.
What do you see as the biggest issue facing your school district, and how do you plan to solve it?
I feel it is hard to narrow it down to one or two issues - I know we have a lot. Many will give their opinions on the biggest issues districtwide, but I believe we have a lot of little issues. To quote the late Benjamin Franklin, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." If we start to fix the small things before they become bigger issues, the management of each problem will be easier to handle. I also believe that if we openly communicate with our Thunderbird families more thoroughly, we will create and maintain a more transparent atmosphere to continue to grow in the future.
What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers in your district?
I'm not sure what the current strategy is to the above question, but I don't think it's a four-day school week or the salaries that are offered, like some may believe will keep employees around. It seems like we are continuing to have issues with getting and keeping quality staff. I believe that if we implement some core values, such as adaptability, commitment, enthusiasm, joy, knowledge and leadership - to name a few - for obtaining new staff, we will grow to be the family that I remember my teachers being a part of when I was a North Callaway student.
Timothy Safranski
Timothy Safranski grew up in the Columbia Gorge in Oregon. After graduating from Oregon State University (animal science) he moved to Missouri to pursue graduate education at Mizzou. He accepted a job with the university in 1996. He translates science to livestock production, working in Extension, teaching and research. He moved to the Hatton area in 1997, where he lives with his wife, Trista, and their four children. Besides raising cattle, sheep and rabbits, the family is active locally in North Callaway schools, Thunderbird Wrestling Club, 4-H, Fulton Fins and YOCC swimming, Wyatt's Warriors/Super Sam Foundation and St. Brendan's.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I serve. I either currently or have recently served on local (Thunderbird Wrestling Club), state (Missouri Pork Association), regional (Midwest Section of the American Society of Animal Science), national (The Livestock Conservancy) and international (International Conference on Pig Reproduction) volunteer boards. My service was not in order to achieve some preconceived agenda but because others believed I could benefit the organization and asked me to run. Community members asked me to run for the North Callaway School Board.
What are your qualifications?
A willingness to spend time to learn the issues and make decisions moving the district forward. Having four children in school in the district provides experience from the parent side. I teach and advise college students, and so (I) have some experience working with students entering college with different levels of academic preparedness. Most importantly, though, the commitment to attend meetings, read materials and listen to people in the district. I will use that and my experience serving on boards at all levels to make decisions.
What do you see as the biggest issue facing your school district, and how do you plan to solve it?
I am not running to "fix" anything. Without details needed to honestly judge what the biggest issues are, I know teacher retention is a big issue and not an easy one to fix. The salary discrepancy between our district and others is wide, made more problematic given many of our teachers live in and commute from other districts. We need a creative approach to raising funds in order to retain good teachers. Features that may make us a much better place for teachers than some of our neighboring districts (good students, involved parents etc.) should be marketed to potential teachers and may allow us to not fully match salaries, but the gap must be narrowed.
What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers in your district?
See above. The first step may be a survey of current teachers about why they stay and of some that have left to find out why. We all have stories from individuals we know, but a more comprehensive assessment would provide a more robust and objective framework from which to design a mature recruit and retain strategy.