The Perry Community School District Board of Directors thanked its two outgoing members for their service Monday night before swearing in its new members to four-year terms.
PCSD Superintendent Clark Wicks presented plaques to Casey Baldwin and Kyle Baxter in gratitude for leading the school district through the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19 and in a series of successful district construction projects.
Baldwin was appointed to the board in 2017 on the untimely death of his mother, Director Marjean Gries. He was elected to a full term in 2017. Baxter was elected to the school board in 2013 and reelected in 2017.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Baldwin said, his voice quivering when he spoke about his mother.
“It’s been four years, and I still get emotional,” he said.
PCSD Secretary and Business Manager Kent Bultman then administered the oath of office simultaneously to the board’s incoming members, Eddie Diaz and Travis Landgrebe.
The board then reconstituted itself with officers, with second-term Director Linda Andorf elected as board president and third-term Director Jim Lutmer elected as vice president. Diaz, Landgrebe and third-term Director Kenia Alarcon round out the board.
Mandy Myers, president of the Perry Education Association, read a statement from the union to the school board:
On behalf of the PEA we would like to welcome our new board members, Mr. Diaz and Mr. Langrebe. We would also like to thank Mr. Baxter and Mr. Baldwin for their years of service to the board. Mr. Diaz ran a campaign based on three issues: increasing academic rigor, the hiring and retention of high-quality staff and increasing family engagement. The PEA looks forward to supporting these initiatives and any others in any way we can.
PEA acts as the main bargaining unit for teachers. Most of our contact with the board occurs during contract negotiations. But we hope to expand our interactions with the board. PEA believes that when teachers feel supported and that their voices are heard, they are more satisfied in their job, which will help retain staff and allow them to be better educators for our students. PEA is also meant to act as a voice for teachers, who are very comfortable sharing their concerns or questions with our union representatives. So we have an unwritten rule: when three or more teachers come to us with the same issue, we bring it to Mr. Wicks and the board. Our goal is not to attack or insult the board or Mr. Wicks when doing this. Our goal is to be the voice of teachers, especially those too timid to speak up on their own. We look forward to working with the board in order to address teacher concerns and to find equitable solutions.
We understand that the union and the board will not always be in agreement, but we feel that with open communication and shared goals we will be able to work together to make Perry Community School District an even better place for students and staff. Welcome again, and thank you all for volunteering for this, often thankless, position.
The board then moved to conduct its regular business, including approving an increase in pay for substitute teachers from $125 a day to $135 a day effective Jan. 1. Wicks also told the board that the district was standing by in case the federal courts permit the OSHA rule for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations to take effect for the PCSD.
