Meet the Jersey 100 School Board Candidates Part 2
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The Tuesday, April 4, consolidated election is next week, with early voting underway now.
There are several contested races on the ballot, with one being the Jersey Community Unit School District 100 School Board; there are five candidates vying for three seats.
Running in Township 8N Range 10W is Jake Warford and Brad E. Hagen; running in Township 8N Range 11W is DeWayne Lott; running in Township 8N Range 13W is David Gilman; running in Township 6N Range 12W is Judy K. Rowling.
The Jersey County Journal mailed surveys to each candidate and received responses from Hagen, Lott, and Rowling, which were published in last week’s paper (March 22). This week, a response was received from Warford. The following answers are in the candidate’s own words:
Jake Warford
1. Why are you running?
I have 2 children currently attending school in the district, and another starting in 2025. I have a vested interest in seeing our schools offer a quality education and extracurricular activities.
2. How are you qualified to help lead?
I have served on the school board since 2019, where we faced many challenging situations particularly due to the pandemic. I am an effective communicator, and I keep a level head in tense situations. I am able to evaluate problems objectively and work toward a solution with confidence.
3. What do you see as the primary work of the board of education?
To ensure that our schools provide quality educational and extracurricular activities for kids of ALL abilities. To be thrifty with taxpayer dollars and mitigate rising operating costs. To be watchful against overreaching state curriculum and operational mandates.
4. In your opinion, what is the biggest issue facing the district? How would you address it if elected?
One of our biggest issues today is staffing shortage. In this post covid economy, people are finding good paying jobs that allow them to work from home and that is a significant perk to compete against. It is also worth mentioning that state mandates over the last couple of years have made many teachers lose their love of teaching. To overcome this, I think we need to focus on our own graduating students. We need to identify kids who have an interest and aptitude for teaching, plant the seed for a love of education, and incentivize them to return home for their career.
