JISD board candidates make positions known

Candidates for three JISD school board positions spoke to a very small crowd of about 30 people at a Chamber of Commerce forum.

Candidates from Places 3,4,and 5 had the opportunity to answer questions and tell a little bit about themselves. Bryson Pankey and Mason Spiller gave their thoughts on what made them decide to run, their vision for education and the challenges facing education. Both have ties that run very deep in Jacksboro. Pankey, a youth coach for many years, remembers the challenges he faced as a youth and wants to make it easier for today's students to "realize their dreams."

He sees many of the challenges kids face begin at home. Parents need to have a more active role in what their kids are doing. He sees his vision for education being more one on on one attention for teachers and students. He says making sure that those who need additional help are getting those resources is also part of the vision.

Spiller says what motivates him is raising the next generation of residents and making sure they get a quality education in JISD. He says all students need to get the academic skill set and considers himself an advocate for the kids, which hopefully will help students achieve their goals.

Spiller sees the challenges facing education is being efficient with the budget and creating an environment where teachers want to stay which JISD is doing. His vision is to make sure every student takes advantage of every opportunity to succeed.

Place 4 incumbent Martha Hackley Salmon calls herself an "education junkie" and knew she wanted to be in education since the 4th grade. She says she has rubbed elbows with some of the best educators, some here in Jacksboro dur9ing her career as a teacher.

Her motivation to remain on the board is to continue to see the room for growth and making sure everyone has the right attitude and good perspective. Making sure students are successful in the classroom and community as well keeps her focused.

The challenges facing the board include school finance where government funding comes with strings. She admits she is proud of the way teachers have begun instructing in ways we have never known due to COVID but says there are repercussions coming from that.

"WE're foolish to think there won't be (from online learning)," Salmon explained. "We need to be watchful on what didn't happen, what the students didn't get."

Her vision includes getting better everyday and retaining great teachers are important, the board putting things in place to do just that.

Salmon is running against Robert Ostrander, a 17-year resident who has four children in Jacksboro Elementary. He wants to maintain a safe education environment and says "I will be your oice" on the board if elected.

Three residents Chris Payson, Gary Zeitler and Will Mangum are running for Place 5. Payson moved away from town but came back to raise a family because of the sense of community in the city.

"The excellent schools we have and education wouldn't happen if we didn't have a sense of community," Payson said.

He said what motivates him to be on the board is making sure the students have all the resources they need both academically and in extracurricular activities. Keeping students engaged is also important.

Some of the challenges faced include staying on the leading edge of education and staying ahead of the curve. The past 20 years has shown how important that is.

Payson says our values will be challenged as well as school growth. "We must be proactive and prepared to meet challenges head on,Payson said. "We also need more community engagement in the schools."

Payson's vision of the future offers every child what they're looking for and to get students more support in the home, which puts pressure on teachers to "raise" kids. While they shouldn't have to, being a good mentor continues to be paramount.

Gary Zeitler, a former board president who spent 12 years on the JISD board, returns. He said in his previous stint, business got in the way of him doing the best job. With business slowing down, he decided to come back.

During his first board stint, he spent $92 million on schools. His motivation is making sure when a student walks off the stage at graduation they can compete in Singapore on the world stage or in whatever they choose to do.

The challenge of seeing school funding go from 60-70 percent from the state to being flip flopped to local taxes is paramount in Zeitler's mind, districts across the state having issues if someone doesn't get a handle on it.

The self-described "book nerd" says he wants to ensure students are having the technology they need in today's society.

Will Mangum, a former paramedic and current City employee moved here following his parents and grandparents. Moving from major cities to Jacksboro gave his family a chance to get out of the rat race which he didn't want them to go through.

Mangum says the financial issues will be a challenge for school and utilizing the money the district does get to get children the tools so they can meet the challenges of tomorrow is important.

Working with the city, Mangum says he sees exciting things on the horizon. The Back to Space program has some children he talked to wanting to be astronauts.

"If they set their goals, they can meet them," Mangum said. "It's out job as a board member to help with that."