Superintendent's Message for November 2021

November is approaching quickly as well as the school board elections on November 2, 2021, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.  This year both districts have contested races for the election for the first time in several years.

Four candidates will be running for three spots on the Corning Community School board.  Candidates are Howard Anderson, James Houck, Misty Johnson, and Staci Venteicher.  All of our school board members are voted on at-large.  There are no districts for school board elections in our district.  The top three candidates will be declared the winners and formally sworn in at the organizational meeting on November 15, 2021.

After a long run on the school board, Dr. Scott Shuey will be retiring from the board after twelve years of service, where he served as president for many years.  The district will have a reception for Dr. Shuey on November 15 from 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the high school commons area.

  The Villisca Community School board has three citizens who have filed paperwork to be on the ballot.  Candidates are Terry Dalton, Tom Gourley, and Leland Shipley.  Voters will choose two candidates and the top two vote getters will be sworn in at the organizational meeting on December 9, 2021.

Serving on your local school board is an essential responsibility as a steward of the school district for the next four years.  I have been in public education for the past twenty-five years and have seen board members from many different professional backgrounds.  There have been doctors, dentists, lawyers, farmers, business owners, retired educators, and several other types of professions.  There are no qualifications to serve on your local school board but five key things should factor in a candidate’s decision to run for a position on the board.

Time - A school board member will be away from their families for a minimum of two hours a month attending meetings and conferences.  Attending activities at the school will always help a member better understand why they serve on the board.  Teamwork - School board members work together as a five-member team and make decisions at the board table that will affect the district and the community.  Students - Both the Corning and Villisca school boards have student members that serve on their boards.  These individuals provide information to board members on student life and help keep us focused on serving the students.  Maintaining student interest is the number one priority.  School District - A key responsibility of board members is to keep a wide view of the district in mind while serving.  It can be challenging, especially when people have different passions and interests such as sports, fine arts, special education, etc. Working as a team on the board will be a rewarding experience.  Willingness to learn - Those who approach their service with a desire to be more knowledgeable and skilled become more effective school board members. 

I am excited at the quality of board candidates we have and the board members that are on our current boards.  We have done many fantastic things together in my three years as the Superintendent.  We have passed a six million dollar bond referendum to improve the facilities in Villisca.  We demolished the middle school building in Corning and replaced it with a state of the art greenhouse facility.  We have preventative maintenance contracts for our roofing and HVAC in Corning.  We have repaired the high school and elementary roofs and the auditorium ceiling at the high school.  We have branded our buildings.  We have developed five and ten-year facility plans for each district.  We have started early childhood education centers in both communities that are seeing a continual increase in enrollment.  We have seen a steady increase in enrollment in our two districts. 

On November 2, 2021, get out and vote for whom you think will be the best stewards for our district for the next four years.