ThisWeek UA 06/09/2011
With two three-term members of the Upper Arlington Board of Education announcing they would not seek re-election in November, several candidates have already thrown their hats into the ring.
Current board members William Catalano and Gloria Heydlauff have both decided to retire from the board at the end of their current terms, while incumbent member Robin Comfort said she plans to seek re-election to her seat.
The other announced candidates are Nancy Drees, Peter Hahn, Stacey Royer and Lori Trent.
Board members Marjory Pizzuti and Robert Arkin both have two years remaining on their current terms.
“Losing two 12-year members of the board is hard, because continuity is so important,” Comfort said. “Four years was enough to get my feet wet, but another four years will give me a real leadership opportunity.”
Comfort is the current school board vice president and, according to her press release, worked to develop the current school district strategic plan and serves on the Upper Arlington Education Foundation board.
Candidate Drees said she believes that the current school board is heading in the right direction, and she wants to make sure that continues.
“Fortunately, our board has a solid financial foundation,” Drees said. “I feel the board is always looking for ways to keep our schools sound, and I will continue that so that we can weather the coming (state budget) cuts.”
Hahn said he suffered through a failed levy campaign while he was a high school student, which inspired him to work on school funding issues as an attorney and volunteer and now to run for the school board.
“I value what we already have — excellent schools — and we need to continue that tradition of excellence,” Hahn said. “My guiding principle is kids first. Whatever cuts we need to make, we can’t do that at the expense of our kids’ opportunities.”
According to Royer’s press release, the five-time PTO president also believes in continuing the tradition of excellence that the schools are committed to. She said her participation on the school district’s revenue review committee reinforced her commitment to the fiscal responsibility the district has demonstrated over the years.
Trent said she agrees that the current school board has been fiscally responsible. She said she intends to use her experience in private industry and as a public school teacher to continue that fiscal responsibility.
“As an educator and a business person, I believe our schools are at a crossroads financially,” Trent said. “We’re blessed with an excellent education system but we must continue to challenge ourselves to do even better.”