SHELBY — Four candidates are vying for two open seats on the Shelby City Schools Board of Education.
Incumbent Carl Ridenour is on the ballot along with political newcomers Heather Brown, Rick Lewis and Brad Ream.
Longtime school board president Laurie White has chosen not to seek another term. She is in her 16th year on the board.
Ridenour is coming to the end of his first term. A 1982 Shelby graduate, he sent two children to the school. He has been in the insurance industry since his 1987.
Mr. Ridenour spoke about the Board’s accomplishments during his first term.
“One of the things I’m proud of is how our district improved on the state report card,” he said.
Shelby achieved an overall rating of 4. This means the district exceeded expectations.
“Our role is to foster an environment where teachers, staff and students are conducive to success,” Ridenour said. “I’m very happy to get a 4 on my report card, but I want to aim higher. One of the good things about our community is that we’re always striving to move forward.”
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Brown says ‘it’s the perfect time for me’ to run
Brown graduated from Shelby College in 1994 and has never left the community. She and her husband Chris own Snap Fitness. Brown serves as a group fitness instructor. She also sells real estate.
“This is the perfect time for me (to run),” Brown said. “I’m done raising children. The flexibility of owning a business allows me to really devote my time and energy.”
As a member of the school board, she said she wants to keep children safe, give them a quality education and prepare them for the future.
Reese is a North Fairfield native and has lived in Shelby for 28 years. He has been the pastor of Connect Church for 22 years and has been in his ministry for 44 years.
“It was a call from the Lord,” Lewis said. “I like helping people.”
He began his career as a pastor at the age of 16.
“It wasn’t like pulling a number out of a hat and seeing what I would do,” Lewis said.
He said he is committed to the safety and well-being of students and believes in the role of parents as the primary champions of their children’s education.
Ream graduated from Plymouth in 1972 and has lived in Shelby since 1984. After Reem pursued a career in his education field, he retired in 2009. He spent his 35-plus years at Pioneer’s Career and Technology Center, working as a career assessment specialist.
Ream is involved in numerous organizations and has raised over $10,000 for childhood cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Ream: “I felt it was time to give back.”
“I’ve been asked several times over the past few years, especially now that I’m retired,” he said of his decision to run. He “felt it was time to give back.”
Mr. Ream describes himself as moderate and thoughtful.
One of the issues raised by Shelby residents this winter was the decision to allow transgender students to use girls’ restrooms at their high school.
In 2016, a federal judge ordered the Highlands Regional School District in Morrow County to treat transgender students as girls and force them to use girls’ restrooms at elementary schools.
At Shelby, students are allowed to use the restroom of the gender they identify with. The high school also has three gender-neutral restrooms available to all students.
Ridenour said he wants to do what is best for the students.
“What’s important to me is that I took the oath when I took office four years ago,” he said. “It says that I will abide by the Constitution and all the laws that are currently in place, and I take that seriously.
“As a trustee, I have to put my personal feelings aside and do what’s best for the school, and I think I’ve done that.”
Current board members said denying transgender students the ability to use the restroom of the gender they identify could expose the district to lawsuits.
Brown and Lewis disagree.
“Frankly, I would never agree to this,” Brown said of the policy, calling it a safety issue. “I don’t want to do that as an adult, and I don’t expect that from teenagers either. I’m disappointed in the board’s decision.”
She said she doesn’t want to be swayed by the fear of litigation.
Views on transgender bathroom policy
“It’s 2023. You can be sued for anything,” Brown said. “You can’t do everything on the advice of your lawyer.”
Liam said he would follow laws and regulations.
“A lot of the questions are pretty much cut and dry about what can and can’t be done,” he said. “Mr. Ridenour and I think the same way about almost everything. I think the other two candidates — and I don’t mean to attack you personally — have more extreme views.
“The case law is clear. Children are allowed to use the bathroom according to their perception. That’s how I vote on this issue. If the law changes, I’ll vote accordingly. I will vote.”
Mr. Lewis wants transparency.
“It (the restroom issue) is one of those areas where I’m not sure everyone knew what was going on,” he said.
Regarding transgender children, Lewis said, “I think they need help. They need proper counseling and they need people who are qualified to do it. Regular counselors aren’t equipped to do that. Sometimes,” he said.
Ridenour said newcomers to politics may not understand how school boards operate.
“People go to the school board and think, ‘I’m going to do this, this, this.’ That’s not how boards work,” he said. “We work as a unit. We work as a group.”
Ridenour said current board members are under pressure from some in the community to change the bathroom policy.
You cannot “selectively decide” which laws to follow
“I thought it was a dangerous place to be selective about which laws to follow,” he said. “You can’t choose based on your personal beliefs.”
He added that some religious leaders labeled him a liberal. Ridenour said he has voted in every Republican primary since 1982.
Mr Brown said the country was on a “dangerous path”.
“Especially the school system, especially the kids,” she said. “Being a kid is already hard enough, but now there’s a national movement to sexualize everything, and I really want to keep that out of our community. ”
Each candidate also spoke about their goals.
Liam said the effort would be student-led.
“I feel it is very important to give all of our students what they need to be successful,” he said.
Ream is a member of both the Academic and Athletic Boosters at Shelby College.
“I am a practical person and carefully consider all sides of an issue before making a decision,” he said.
Mr Lewis said he would cooperate “in any way I can”.
Lewis wants to board with ‘addition, not subtraction’
“I want to make sure I’m adding and not subtracting,” he said.
Lewis said in campaign documents that he would listen to parents.
“I also believe that we need to listen to teachers,” he said. “We want to hear their concerns, ideas and opinions.”
His priority will be students.
“I feel for the kids and I always do,” Lewis said. “They need to know that someone is there for them.”
Brown said bullying is a personal issue for her. She said she and one of her children were being bullied at school.
“I’ve seen firsthand the damage it causes,” Brown said. “I think we can do better at that. I don’t know the answer, but I’m committed to finding it.”
Ridenour said one of his goals for his second term is to support new Superintendent Michael Browning.
“I think we made a great choice with Michael Browning and the background he brings,” Ridenour said. “He’s really embraced what it means to be a Whippet. I think he’s doing a great job.”
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Learn more about the candidates
The Shelby High School chapter of Young Republicans for Freedom is sponsoring a meeting with candidates Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the high school’s performing arts center.
Residents can submit questions through Google Forms. Students are timed and an external moderator asks questions. The candidate will have 2 minutes to introduce herself, 2 minutes to make a final statement, and the remaining time she will ask 5-8 questions.
