Trending
WARREN -- Four candidates are running for three spots on the Warren City Schools Board of Education.
Dr. Alisha Alls will challenge three incumbents, John Fowley, Patricia Limperos and Julian Walker, for a spot on the board.
Alls, a student success coach at Eastern Gateway Community College, said she wants to see more parents and guardians attend school events by providing information, such as letters to students' homes or text messages, about the programs at least one week in advance, whether or not they are listed on the school calendar.
"Creating and providing families with an online link to watch school events (i.e. awards ceremonies) would allow parents that cannot physically attend to still participate and support their loved ones," Alls said.
Alls also said she would want to see parent-teacher associations and parent-teacher organizations reintroduced in each school, as well as continue in-person and virtual options for parent-teacher conferences.
Alls pointed to teacher retention as another priority she would pursue if elected.
"Through my research I have found that educators that receive adequate compensation, and are supported and respected by administrators, have a higher level of job satisfaction, and various extrinsic motivators influence educators to remain in the classroom," she said.
Alls said she believes adequate pay, retirement and benefits have gotten better over time, but they ought to be reviewed annually.
She said supporting educators beyond professional development is important.
"Taking time to listen to what is needed from our educators on a continuing basis and fulfilling the needs to the best of our abilities will not only assist our educators, but also our students and district," Alls said.
Alls also said equitable budgeting and spending would be a priority if she were elected. She wants to see more funds provided to academic groups to ensure they are as well taken care of as the athletic teams.
According to her LinkedIn page, Alls was an intervention specialist with Warren City Schools from Aug. 2018 to Nov. 2019.
According to minutes from an October 2019 meeting, the board adopted a resolution authorizing the superintendent to notify the Ohio Department of Education regarding the resignation of Alls.
The resolution states Alls communicated her intention to resign after the start of the school year, not within the timeframes proscribed by law for unilateral termination of employment.
The resolution states that the board received a letter of resignation from Alls that was not accepted or approved by the superintendent and that she did not provide a reasonable justification for resigning.
The board voted to authorize the superintended to notify the ODE of professional conduct of the employee's unilateral termination after July 10, without the consent of the board, in violation of Ohio Revised Code section 3319.15.
According to All's ODE educator profile, she most recently had a four-year alternative resident educator intervention specialist (K-12) license, valid in the district. That credential expired in June of 2022.
LIMPEROS
Limperos is currently vice president of the board. She has been a member since Jan. 1, 2008. She is an administrative assistant with Kent State University's Trumbull Branch, a position she has held since 2016.
Limperos said the district has come a long way in academic performance since she joined the board, but she believes Warren City Schools must continue to progress.
"The academic growth we have witnessed, gaining nine stars overall in our PK-8 schools on the recent state report cards, and the removal of intensive State and Federal oversight of Warren City Schools, has been a long work in progress," Limperos said. "But we need to keep moving forward, raising the bar with each step we take."
Limperos said education has changed drastically over the past two decades and the district has had to shift from the basics of academics to embracing "the entire child."
She said the district's work in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is recognized nationwide and its programs and initiatives are recognized statewide by the governor and the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Development.
"We are being used as a working model for other urban districts across the state with our work with the Ohio Mid-Size Urban District Leadership Collaborative," Limperos said.
Limperos also pointed to teacher retention as a priority she would pursue if re-elected.
She said when Dr. Christopher Woolard, the Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction, recently visited the district, they discussed teacher retention and strategies for improvement.
"Again, this is a hot button topic that is affecting school districts nationwide, and something that deserves our attention," she said. "Teacher shortages and retention are a challenge nationwide."
She said as many teachers are leaving the profession and young college students are choosing not to pursue teaching, she believes an area of focus for Warren City Schools must be to recruit new teachers for open positions while engaging and retaining current staff.
She said recently, the board negotiated a new three-year contract with its teachers union and at that time, raised the starting salary for new teachers. Limperos said the new contract gave new hires the highest pay of all districts in Trumbull County.
Limperos also said she is excited to see the construction of the district's new Student Wellness & Recreation Center come to completion. She pointed out that no additional taxes were needed to fund the $36.1 million project.
"The district was very prudent in saving funds over the years knowing that permanent improvements were looming," she said. "While other entities doled out their American Rescue Plan dollars to a number of organizations, we wanted to get the 'biggest bang for our buck.'"
FOWLEY
Fowley has been a member of the board since 2019. He was a sales representative at Herff Jones Inc. from 1973 to 2016. He is now retired.
Fowley said his first priority is for students to have the freedom to learn.
"As a board member I insist, through close observance and enforcement of board policy, that all children can learn and that appropriate curricular materials are available to all children," he said.
Fowley said district materials are chosen through a thorough process of administrative, teacher, parent and community review.
"There is substantial input from all four groups and then final approval by the Board of Education," he said. "The collections in our 5 district libraries reflect the diversity of our student body and the diversity of our students' home lives."
Fowley said that the board's policy committee analyzes and makes adjustments to the board's policies twice per year under legal advisement so that the board works for the benefit of the community.
"With this process in place, outside interference from politicized groups will not interfere with the freedom of Warren's children to learn," he said.
Another priority Fowley emphasized was the integration of appropriate technology in classrooms. Fowley said the sound systems in every classroom throughout the district are at least 12 years old and need to be replaced. He said AV equipment in the four k-8 buildings is also 12 years old and in need of replacing.
"The expenditure for these two items will exceed $250,000," Fowley said.
Fowley believes the integration of technology may be more important than the tech itself.
"Almost 200 teachers spent two days of unpaid in-service this summer to learn to use the $478,000 state of the art white boards and all teachers were in-serviced at the beginning of this school year," Fowley said. "The $478,000 did not include the carpenters' production of 150 frames for mounting the new boards without damage to the boards (or the walls of the buildings) or the very expensive carts for the 5 libraries."
Fowley said he recently used the technology to read to 65 third graders at Jefferson. He said he was able to keep their attention because the books he read were projected to the screens.
"It is clear to me, through my reading in the K-8 buildings, that the over $500,00 expenditure is already well integrated by the teaching staff and that the students are being well served," he said.
Fowley also said he wants to continue making sure the board are completing its duties legally. He said he wants to make sure appropriate notice is given for all meetings and that discussions in executive session are reflective of the reason given for adjournment.
Walker did not return the candidate questionnaire and could not be reached for comment.
Meet the candidates
Dr. Alisha Alls
AGE: 38
GOALS AND PRIORITIES: Increased parent, guardian and family involvement, teacher retention, and equitable budgeting and spending.
PREVIOUSLY HELD OFFICE: None
John Fowley
AGE: 73
GOALS AND PRIORITIES: Provide freedom for children to learn, the integration of appropriate technology in classrooms and performing the duties legally required of a board member.
PREVIOUSLY HELD OFFICE: Warren Board of Education since 2019.
Patricia M. Limperos
AGE: 57
GOALS AND PRIORITIES: Advancing academics, teacher retention and completing the Student Wellness & Recreation Center.
PREVIOUSLY HELD OFFICE: Warren Board of Education since 2008