North Callaway school board profiles: Schmidt and Wall

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 third of a three-part series of North Callaway candidate profiles and includes Schmidt and Wall.

Ann Schmidt

Originally from Iowa City, Iowa, Ann Schmidt attended the University of Missouri - Rolla and graduated with a bachelor's of science in engineering management with an emphasis in industrial engineering. She completed a master's of business administration at Marylhurst University. Schmidt is currently employed as the CFO for Gold Crest Distributing in Mexico. She and her husband of 17 years, Tim Schmidt (not the weather guy), have three daughters: Abigail, Megan and Emma. The family is involved with youth sports and enjoys a little bit of farming on the side.

Why did you decide to run for this position?

Our family has been in the community now for eight years. As we have become more involved with school related projects, functions and groups, I thought it was the right time to make an additional effort to support our community and schools.

What are your qualifications?

I believe that I understand the vision and goals of our community and will have the needs of our students and future students at heart to implement or modify policies and goals that will help support student achievement and the school district.

What do you see as the biggest issue facing your school district, and how do you plan to solve it?

One of the biggest issues we have for our school district currently is the transition for our elementary and middle school students in the new district plan. Change is challenging when things have stayed the same for years. Our community in general has taken a positive outlook on the situation, knowing the district has the students' best at heart. As the transition progresses, having transparency on the changes and showing the new district plan's added benefits will help the community understand the school board's direction and look forward to the new elementary school buildings in the future.

What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers in your district?

Anyone looking for a job has a main focus on salary and benefits. Continuing to provide the best benefit packages available for our teaching staff and competitive salaries is one of the keys to retaining quality teachers. They also have to be content in the environment that they are teaching in and with their coworkers. Providing the best environment for them to teach in, surrounded by staff that shares the same passion as they do, hopefully creates a positive workforce and tenured teachers that will show why North Callaway is a great school system to join.

Rebecca Wall

Rebecca Wall is a 1993 graduate of North Callaway and a 1997 graduate of the University of Missouri. She has been employed by the University of Missouri-MOREnet for 16 years. MOREnet provides internet and technology services to most school districts in Missouri. She also served several years on the Auxvasse Elementary School PTO. Her daughter will graduate from North Callaway in 2024, her stepson graduated in 2010, and all three of her brothers graduated from North Callaway. Her mom spent several years teaching junior high school studies at Auxvasse Elementary and her dad spent several years serving on the board.

Why did you decide to run for this position?

I want to ensure that our school district is well-equipped to serve all of our children now and into the future. I would like to be a voice for all students, teachers, staff and patrons of the district.

What are your qualifications?

I have spent most of my daughter's elementary years serving on Auxvasse Elementary PTO and volunteering at her school. I have 16 years of job experience in educational technology. I come from a long line of educators and administrators, so I feel I have a unique perspective on the needs of the district. I am passionate about advocating for the betterment of students.

What do you see as the biggest issue facing your school district, and how do you plan to solve it?

I feel there are multiple issues facing the district. Of primary concern is how is the district going to ensure the safety of students and staff in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Other concerns are being a good steward with the district's finances, making sure district buildings best meet the needs of our students and staff and attracting and retaining quality staff. While I don't have any specific ideas in mind to address these issues, I am happy to listen to the public, staff, students and teachers to determine how to best address the needs of the district. I am also happy to continue my own education as needed to best serve the North Callaway District.

What is your strategy for attracting and retaining quality teachers in your district?

While I would love to give every teacher a well-deserved raise and paid vacation, I know that is not economically feasible. I think there are multiple reasons why good teachers chose to leave a district, not just financial. I think the best thing a district can do to attract and retain quality teachers is to listen to teachers when they voice their needs, support them and prepare them as much as possible for the classroom.