R-5 school board candidates introduced at event

The Nevada R-5 Community Teachers Association hosted a meet-and-greet forum for the candidates running for two open seats on the Nevada Board of Education, those now occupied by Scott Kennedy and Joy Hawks. Hawks is running to retain her seat in the April 6 election, but Kennedy is not.

In addition to Hawks, four others are vying for the two open seats; Claudia Caldwell, Amanda Fisher, Bill Fleming and Tim Moore. Each candidate was introduced and given an opportunity to speak. Members of the audience were encouraged to ask individual questions of the candidates after the meeting closed.

The first speaker, Caldwell, spoke for the shortest length of time. She introduced herself, gave some details of her life; her son is in kindergarten and she is a substitute teacher. Caldwell said she would concentrate on serving all the children, "No child is more important than any other," she said.

The next speaker, Fisher, introduced herself and joked, "I'm going to speak longer than that," and proceeded to do so. Fisher said she moved here with her family when she was 2years old, her father is Bill Cox, pastor of the First Baptist Church.

She is married to attorney Brandon Fisher and is the daughter-in-law of state representative Barney Fisher.

"I'm the wife of an attorney and my father-in-law is Barney Fisher, I just hope no one holds that against me," Fisher quipped.

Fisher works at the Southwest Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center in Staff Development. She and her husband have two children, a son in third grade and a daughter in sixth grade.

Fisher praised the district and said it had strong academics. She also had kind words for the teachers.

"I've been very impressed by the teachers here," Fisher said. "My hope is to give teachers and administrators the policies and tools to continue the excellent work they do."

The third speaker, Fleming, said he was a native and had lived in Nevada all his life. He has a daughter who is a junior and a son who has already graduated.

Fleming was a three-sport athlete but "academics come first," he said.

"I love working with kids," Fleming said. "I also love working with parents," and mentioned that he was president of the football parents association.

Hawks was the fourth speaker and joked, "I'm the old timer here." Hawks is a registered nurse at the Vernon County Health Department and said that all of her children -- seven sons and one daughter -- had been reared in Nevada. All of her sons have graduated but her daughter is a freshman at Nevada High School.

Hawks said she enjoyed being a member of the board of education and said when she started the district was trying to get Truman Elementary School built.

Hawks said she has seen the district's offerings expand and would like to see that continue.

"In my time on the board I've seen the programs grow and expand," Hawks said. "I want the programs to continue to grow and continue to expand."

Hawks said that the board, and she, had made tough decisions to spend the district's money wisely.

"We've tried to take care of the patron's money," Hawks said. "We've seen the ups and downs of the state budget and we will survive. We're proactive, not reactive. I believe serving on the board is an honor and I take the responsibility seriously."

The fifth and final speaker, Moore, said he was a "life-long resident of Nevada," and that it was "a privilege to be able to say I'm from Nevada."

Moore and his wife have three children in the Nevada schools. He is the manager of Wilkinson Pharmacy and served four years on the Nevada City Council.

Moore said it was a difficult time for schools right now and mentioned the Kansas City school district was closing more than 20 schools in an attempt to cut costs. Moore praised the work that has been done by the Nevada district.

"Our current school board, administrators and teachers have done a fabulous job dealing with the budget cuts," Moore said. "Sometimes the teachers use their own money for supplies and as a parent and a community member I greatly appreciate that."

Moore continued to praise the district and said if he got on the board of education he wanted the administrators and teachers to "Keep doing the things you have been doing all along."