Three vie two seats on Berkshire School Board

Incumbents Kimberly Brown and John Manfredi will appear on the ballot alongside Robin Stanley.

Three candidates are vying for two seats on the Berkshire School Board.

Incumbents Kimberly M. Brown and John J. Manfredi will appear on the ballot alongside Robin L. Stanley.

The winning candidates will serve four-year terms and be paid $125 per meeting.

Brown

Brown, 47, is currently finishing up her first term on the school board. She is a workforce program supervisor for OhioGuidestone.

She said she is encouraged by the support they have within the community to see the possible changes within the district and the Kent State initiative.

She said she is excited about the PRIME initiative Berkshire students are currently engaged in with Kent State University.

Brown said she will listen to “each and every one” of her constituents to get a feel for what they want.

“Listening to our community members is one of the best ways I can go about acting on change in our

community,” Brown said.

She said she is also excited about new Superintendent John Stoddard and the changes he is making. She said she is looking forward to seeing the positive affects he has on the schools.

Manfredi

Manfredi, 59, has served 12 years on the Berkshire School Board. He is the director of operations at Kuhnle Brothers Inc.

He said he wants to complete the PRIME initiative so students “have the best education possible” for prekindergarten through 12th grade.

He said he will work with the new superintendent to continue to hire the most qualified educators to work with the district’s students.

Manfredi also said he wants to continue finding ways for the district to be fiscally responsible. The district has gone 10 years since it’s had a new operating levy.

“With our permanent improvement levy, we annually look at all the buildings then decide what projects we can afford,” he said. A great deal of thought goes into structural evaluations so we can keep our older buildings safe and “as efficient as possible.

Stanley

Stanley, 39, is an attorney at Petersen & Ibold. She is looking to get her first elected office experience.

She said she would like to see the schools more connected with the local communities they serve. She said they need to accept and celebrate the diversity in the communities as well as come together on common ground.

Stanley said the district has many students who are unrepresented or underrepresented.

“We need to proactively make decisions, rather than react to the things that happen to us,” she said. “Therefore, I believe that we need to engage in a serious strategic plan, which includes all five communities in the development, beyond just the potential PRIME initiative.”

She said she also brings a conservative approach to spending and believes board members have an obligation to the entire district to make well-reasoned and thrifty decisions as they exercise fiscal responsibility.