BLOOMDALE — There are three school board seats up for grabs at Elmwood Local Schools.
Nate Heiser, one of seven candidates running, introduced himself at Monday’s school board meeting.
Heiser, who has two children at Elmwood, said he will make decisions based on a reasonable and common-sense method that will always be at the best interests of the students.
For him to support a policy, it will have to be reasonable, make good sense and be in the best interests of the students, he said.
“If those three items are not met, then I would do my best to change that issue or policy … or else I will not be able to support it,” Heiser said.
He said he learned after speaking to residents and teachers that the consensus is there is a disconnect and frustration between staff and administration.
“I would like to establish a good relationship with open lines of communication between staff, parents and the administration with full transparency,” Heiser said.
He has four areas he’d like to work on and improve: the expansion of the gifted programs, surveys to everyone who gets a paycheck to learn their needs and what they think is important, prioritize early intervention and focus on teacher retention.
“Those students that excel at a rapid pace should continue to be pushed and supported to reach their full potential,” Heiser said.
Employees need to know we value their input, and their issues will not be disregarded, he said, and a priority list needs to be developed for the most important issues they face.
“We want to keep the good teachers in our district. If they are thinking about leaving for another opportunity, then we need to know why,” Heiser said.
No one will work as hard as me to ensure the best opportunities for students, he said.
Board member Debbie Reynolds said the district currently conducts “pretty thorough” exit interviews.
She reminded everyone of the three requirements of being on the board, including being a district resident.
She asked Heiser if he lived in the district.
He said that he lives on Purcell Road.
