Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
AKRON - Candidates for several districts of the Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation (TVSC) Board of Trustees participated in a candidate forum Thursday, Oct. 22 in the Tippecanoe Valley High School (TVHS) auditorium.
The forum was moderated in front of a live and digital audience by Valley educators Micah Lukens and Jonathan Tinkey.
District 3, Franklin Township
Shelly Engle, a first-time candidate, is a 2000 TVHS graduate and is also a former Valley educator, teaching six years at Akron Elementary School and seven years at TVHS. Now, she has a doctorate and serves as the director of teacher education at Taylor University, where she is also a professor of education. With her husband, Engle owns a construction business and handles business operations and management. Engle also serves as a youth leader and chair of her church’s education committee.
Joe Secrist, a first-time candidate, graduated from the Indiana School for the Blind before graduating from Indiana University with a degree in recreational therapy. He worked with people with disabilities and adapted physical education and sports to fit their needs. Secrist also served as an EMT for 27 years and as director of the American Red Cross for District 2 of Indiana. He is the current owner and president of Niff-Tone Distributors, a steel corporation in Mentone that he started with his father 51 years ago. Secrist has been a Valley football and track and field coach and is also a substitute teacher at Burket and TVHS.
Jamie Murphy, a first-time candidate, was born and raised in Kosciusko County and is a current resident. She graduated from TVHS in 2005. Murphy has worked in Kosciusko County throughout her career and has served at her church as a youth sponsor. She also used to volunteer with Akron Las Donas Club, a women’s organization that does volunteer work and gives to needs in the community.
Reporter’s Note: Murphy was not able to attend the forum but provided biographical information in a previous interview. At the forum, attendees could read paper copies of her answers.
District 4, Henry Township
Tom Bauters, an incumbent candidate, lives in Henry Township northwest of Akron. He has been the Henry Township Board of Trustees representative since 2018. Bauters and his wife have seven children who have graduated from TVSC. Bauters has also been a certified public accountant for 40 years.
District 5,
New Castle Township
Jeff Brown, a write-in candidate, is a 1997 graduate of TVHS. One of his children is a TVHS graduate, and two attend TVSC.
Forum Questions
The candidates’ abbreviated answers to three of the six questions are listed below.
1. When the school board faces a difficult decision that may affect student achievement, district finances and the community at large, what factors would you consider, and how would you communicate the decision to the public?
Bauters - COVID was a very difficult time … People wanted their kids in school … so we worked very closely to figure out how we could have our kids still in school versus virtual training … and it wasn’t without community input. … I (also) look at where we’re at today, with the new building addition. … We had open meetings with the public to say, “What are the unmet needs?” We get together, we decide as a team what makes sense, and we execute from there.
Brown - We need to listen to all the people that are involved … the students, the teachers, the community. We need to see where they stand, and we need to be transparent with them on why we’re making the decisions that we’re making. … You always hear the loudest person in the room, and the loudest person isn’t always the person that’s right.
Engle - When facing a difficult decision, I believe the first responsibility we have is to remember who we’re serving. … That begins with our students. We need to consider how decisions will affect their learning, their opportunities and their futures. … Board members must come prepared … and make decisions collectively with the district’s long-term interests in mind.
Secrist - We need to look at the negative impact and the positive impact of those decisions, and we need to weigh that. … But … we need to get feedback from people. … What are other schools doing? … Once we do make decisions, we need to explain to people why those decisions were made.
Murphy - When faced with a difficult decision, I would begin by focusing on what is best for our students and their long-term success. … I believe it is important to look at the facts, review available data, listen to the expertise of our educators and administrators and consider both the immediate effects and the long-term consequences of any decision.
2. What approaches would you consider to support all students’ and teachers’ achievement to ensure all students and teachers have opportunities to succeed, including those who need additional academic or other support?
Brown - We need to have a resource to put them somewhere where they feel comfortable and they can learn … same with our teachers. We’ve all had that favorite teacher who was just a little bit different than everyone else, and that was the person that kind of represented us and made it easier for us to learn … we just need to look outside the box sometimes and try to find a way to help everyone succeed.
Engle - I believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed. Strong skills in reading, writing, math, and communication … students with disabilities, exceptionalities or multilingual learners, they may need specialized services … A strong school system recognizes those differences and provides meaningful opportunities for every student to grow. … We need to examine trends over time also while listening to teachers and administrators who understand the students behind those numbers.
Secrist - … The whole key to everything is communication. We want to help students succeed; we want teachers to succeed. We 100% do need to support teachers, but the janitors and custodians … and kitchen staff need support. School is … about everyone working together. … With today’s abilities of our teachers and administrators, all the things we have access to, we don’t need to do that, but … sometimes (students) just need a little bit of encouragement.
Bauters - I believe we have enabled … our students with the resources they need to accomplish what they want to accomplish if they so choose. … We’ve got pretty smart people who are saying, ‘What else do we need to take the baton to the next level, around the next lap?’ … The ship’s going the right way folks; we just keep adding to it.
Murphy - I believe every student and every teacher deserves the opportunity to succeed, and that starts with recognizing not everyone needs the same kind of support to be successful. As a school board member, I would support approaches that meet students where they are academically, socially and emotionally, while ensuring teachers have the resources, training and support they need to help every child grow.
3. How would you approach developing and reviewing the school board policies to consider the perspectives of students, families, teachers and the broader community, while meeting state and federal requirements?
Engle - I believe effective school board policies begin with a clear understanding of their purpose. I also believe policies should be accessible and … understandable. … I’ve learned compliance isn’t about checking the box; it’s about understanding the requirements, implementing those requirements responsibly and evaluating whether our practices are meeting their intended purposes.
Secrist - One of the things I would love to see us do is have focus groups … working all the way from elementary to the high school, talking to the students on how they feel about things. … Everything doesn’t have to be talked about during official negotiations. … once or twice a year, have open forums that people can come in and talk about their concerns. Have a moderator that’s not part of the school board. … Maybe we need to look at these things and make sure our policies are in date, effective and benefit the students, our staff and our community.
Bauters - … One hundred percent of our board policies are on BoardDocs. Everyone who has access to a computer can look at every single policy the school corporation has. This is being diligently reviewed. … As things come up, your school board, me and the other ladies and gentlemen are addressing these policies. … Every year, we review the student handbook. … We don’t have a deaf ear to any of these things … we want to hear about it.
Brown - Everyone understands the school board and the school system need to follow the federal and state laws. I think we all need to ... understand some of our policies are going to need to evolve. We’re going to need to look at them readily to ... make changes. We definitely need to look at policies and see if there’s any antiquated policies … or if someone has a question or comment or concern, to see if there’s something we can change about the policy.
Murphy - I would approach policy development and review by listening to a variety of perspectives, seeking input from educators and administrators who understand the day-to-day needs of our schools and providing opportunities for families, staff, students and community members to share their concerns and ideas. … The board is responsible for establishing policies ... while administrators and staff are entrusted with implementing those policies and managing the daily operations of our schools. Policies should … serve a meaningful purpose and support the effective operation of our schools.
