Hermann Unopposed for Warsaw School Board Seat
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
He is running unopposed for the District 3 seat. He will replace Dan Robinson, who can’t run for re-election because of term limits.
Monday afternoon, Hermann talked about who he is, why he’s running, and some of the education issues facing Warsaw Community Schools.
“I guess I would say I’m ‘new’ to Warsaw, new being 12 years I’ve been here,” he started.
He grew up in Fort Wayne. After graduating high school, he went to Purdue University and got his undergraduate degree in computer technology. After working for IBM a while, he earned his masters of business administration degree from Indiana University.
Hermann got a job in Fort Wayne, but was transferred to cities in Georgia and Florida. While in Fort Lauderdale, his wife got pregnant with their first child and they decided to move back to Indiana to be closer to family.
Back in Indiana, he worked for Biomet for four years, and then Zimmer for two years.
“All that time, (I was) feeling like I wasn’t where I was suppose to be,” Hermann said. “I never felt really comfortable in all those corporate world things.”
People told him with all those good jobs he had, he should stay put, but he felt the Lord lead him out to a new business. He started up Seasons Home Care.
“We do home care for seniors and disabled folks all over Northeast and North Central Indiana. Right here in Warsaw is our main location. We also run an adult day center out of here,” Hermann said. “... So I feel like I’m where I need to be now.”
Serving on the school board was never a dream he had. It wasn’t even in his thoughts.
“Until I was approached a number of months ago that this seat was coming open,” Hermann said. “I know Dan Robinson. His seat was coming open, and they were looking for somebody who they thought would be a good fit for the school board.”
Hermann thought and prayed about it. He has four children in Warsaw schools, three at Madison Elementary and one at Edgewood Middle School. He and his family have been very involved in the school system, and he’s seen various things happening at WCS.
All that plus his business background, his willingness to be a team player and sound judgment, led him to decide to run for the school board.
“Getting on the board for me is not a matter of getting on the board, being this power-hungry person who’s going to make all these changes,” he said. “Rather, it’s being a member of the team, adding what I can from my business experience and education, making the best decisions we can to provide the best futures for our kids.”
During the summer, the current school board paid Kovert Hawkins $75,000 to do a facilities assessment of every property and building the school corporation owns. In September, the architectural firm presented their findings, including a “vision” for the next 10 to 20 years, which totaled an estimated $110.5 million. The vision included such items as building a new Lincoln Elementary School, tearing down Edgewood Middle School, and adding on to Washington Elementary to create a new junior high STEM Academy for kindergarten through eighth grade.
“The 110 million – I nearly passed out when I heard that,” Hermann said. “Really, I think it’s a great idea. I’m glad to see the board has been looking into the future. I think we’d be crazy not to plan ahead. Again, the 110 million seems to me to be ridiculous.”
However, he said, he is relatively new to the school system and has a lot to learn. The $110 million still seems like a lot to him, but the school corporation will be doing things it needs to do over a period of time.
“I feel pretty confident the board is going to be fiscally conservative and responsible. The last thing we want to do is incur a lot of debt, especially with the economy the way it is now. I think we’d be crazy to do that,” Hermann said.
He said they want to make sure students are comfortable in their classrooms and will learn well. The recommendation from Kovert Hawkins was interesting, and the board will have to look closely at it, he said, as well as get input from the public.
During the first presidential debate, President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney talked about math and science education.
“I can tell you math and science is critical,” Hermann said when asked how he thinks WCS is doing in those areas. “It’s very important. ... I think it helps with critical thinking, which much of our society lacks today. I think they’re very important. Anything we can do in those areas as a priority is a really good idea.”
Career and vocational education are also two “huge” areas for WCS, he agreed.
“I think that’s an area that also that many times is overlooked. I’m glad to see we are focusing in that area. And I think that some people come out of school without a good idea of the real opportunities that are out there, even in the process of getting to that point, an understanding of where their skills fit, where their interests lie,” he said. “I think that’s a huge aspect of the educational system that has lacked over the years and I’m really glad to see we’re really looking into it and I’ll be a big proponent of it.”
To see this interview in its entirety, visit the free video section at www.timesuniononline.com
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He is running unopposed for the District 3 seat. He will replace Dan Robinson, who can’t run for re-election because of term limits.
Monday afternoon, Hermann talked about who he is, why he’s running, and some of the education issues facing Warsaw Community Schools.
“I guess I would say I’m ‘new’ to Warsaw, new being 12 years I’ve been here,” he started.
He grew up in Fort Wayne. After graduating high school, he went to Purdue University and got his undergraduate degree in computer technology. After working for IBM a while, he earned his masters of business administration degree from Indiana University.
Hermann got a job in Fort Wayne, but was transferred to cities in Georgia and Florida. While in Fort Lauderdale, his wife got pregnant with their first child and they decided to move back to Indiana to be closer to family.
Back in Indiana, he worked for Biomet for four years, and then Zimmer for two years.
“All that time, (I was) feeling like I wasn’t where I was suppose to be,” Hermann said. “I never felt really comfortable in all those corporate world things.”
People told him with all those good jobs he had, he should stay put, but he felt the Lord lead him out to a new business. He started up Seasons Home Care.
“We do home care for seniors and disabled folks all over Northeast and North Central Indiana. Right here in Warsaw is our main location. We also run an adult day center out of here,” Hermann said. “... So I feel like I’m where I need to be now.”
Serving on the school board was never a dream he had. It wasn’t even in his thoughts.
“Until I was approached a number of months ago that this seat was coming open,” Hermann said. “I know Dan Robinson. His seat was coming open, and they were looking for somebody who they thought would be a good fit for the school board.”
Hermann thought and prayed about it. He has four children in Warsaw schools, three at Madison Elementary and one at Edgewood Middle School. He and his family have been very involved in the school system, and he’s seen various things happening at WCS.
All that plus his business background, his willingness to be a team player and sound judgment, led him to decide to run for the school board.
“Getting on the board for me is not a matter of getting on the board, being this power-hungry person who’s going to make all these changes,” he said. “Rather, it’s being a member of the team, adding what I can from my business experience and education, making the best decisions we can to provide the best futures for our kids.”
During the summer, the current school board paid Kovert Hawkins $75,000 to do a facilities assessment of every property and building the school corporation owns. In September, the architectural firm presented their findings, including a “vision” for the next 10 to 20 years, which totaled an estimated $110.5 million. The vision included such items as building a new Lincoln Elementary School, tearing down Edgewood Middle School, and adding on to Washington Elementary to create a new junior high STEM Academy for kindergarten through eighth grade.
“The 110 million – I nearly passed out when I heard that,” Hermann said. “Really, I think it’s a great idea. I’m glad to see the board has been looking into the future. I think we’d be crazy not to plan ahead. Again, the 110 million seems to me to be ridiculous.”
However, he said, he is relatively new to the school system and has a lot to learn. The $110 million still seems like a lot to him, but the school corporation will be doing things it needs to do over a period of time.
“I feel pretty confident the board is going to be fiscally conservative and responsible. The last thing we want to do is incur a lot of debt, especially with the economy the way it is now. I think we’d be crazy to do that,” Hermann said.
He said they want to make sure students are comfortable in their classrooms and will learn well. The recommendation from Kovert Hawkins was interesting, and the board will have to look closely at it, he said, as well as get input from the public.
During the first presidential debate, President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney talked about math and science education.
“I can tell you math and science is critical,” Hermann said when asked how he thinks WCS is doing in those areas. “It’s very important. ... I think it helps with critical thinking, which much of our society lacks today. I think they’re very important. Anything we can do in those areas as a priority is a really good idea.”
Career and vocational education are also two “huge” areas for WCS, he agreed.
“I think that’s an area that also that many times is overlooked. I’m glad to see we are focusing in that area. And I think that some people come out of school without a good idea of the real opportunities that are out there, even in the process of getting to that point, an understanding of where their skills fit, where their interests lie,” he said. “I think that’s a huge aspect of the educational system that has lacked over the years and I’m really glad to see we’re really looking into it and I’ll be a big proponent of it.”
To see this interview in its entirety, visit the free video section at www.timesuniononline.com
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