NEW PALESTINE — While three seats on the New Palestine Community Schools School board are up for grabs this fall, only one has a contested race — District 1. That’s where three people have signed up to replace outgoing school board member Matt Ackerman, who decided not to run for another term.
The three candidates who are vying for the District 1 open seat are Andrew J. Dropsey, Brian Hart and Amanda H. Wooton.
Wooton said she and her family, including three children, moved to the area over a decade ago and fell in love with New Palestine and the school system.
“All of our kids have gone to New Palestine schools, from kindergarten on, and we really like this school district,” Wooton said. “The evolution to be part of the school board was gradual, with clubs and sports, and I still volunteer to this day.”
Wooton, who says she has always volunteered in the classroom, noted that she was actually approached by Ackerman to see if she’d be interested in replacing him on the school board if he decided not to run.
“Matt’s kids are in college now, and he asked me if I’d be interested because he knows I have a huge commitment to the school system here and I said ‘Yes,’” Wooton said. “I thought getting a chance to be on the school board would be a natural transition to keeping my support level high for the district. I’ve seen the commitment and excellence so many teachers and kids have after volunteering in all the buildings over the years, and my mindset is to keep that going.”
Dropsey noted he wants to be on the school board because he cares deeply about education and the community.
“Having two kids being a part of the system, with one having gone through all the way from kindergarten through 12th grade and one that is kind of half through, I came into contact firsthand seeing how great our schools are and all the wonderful things,” Dropsey said. “I’d just kind of like to play my part to help the schools to grow and get even stronger.”
Through teamwork, Dropsey said his goal is to focus on the school’s mission of creating an environment where knowledge and skills are developed so every student will achieve their personal best.
“I am so grateful for the amazing teachers and learning opportunities my kids have had over the last 13 years in New Palestine schools,” Dropsey said. “In running for school board, I want to play my part to help our schools continue to grow and get even stronger.”
Part of that, Dropsey noted, would include creating challenging learning paths for all students, which is something that he feels schools have strived for, and he wants to continue to strengthen that.
“In addition, I recognize the pressing issue of the national teacher shortage and know there is a need to prioritize teacher retention and satisfaction,” Dropsey said. “It is crucial to foster a work environment that supports our existing staff and attracts talented new educators.”
Hart says he’s been a longtime supporter of the community and the school system and has always been actively involved in supporting the youth leagues and even coached when his kids played sports. Over the past year and a half, Hart has been attending school board meetings and said he feels like being a part of the board would be the next logical progression for him in his efforts to support the community.
“We’ve lived in New Pal for over 20 years, and our kids went through the school system and are now in college, but the entire time we’ve been here I’ve been involved in the community,” Hart said. “The school system in this town has grown so much and there is a lot going on and I’ve been paying attention to what has been going on and I just started attending meetings and I said, ‘I can do this. I can be a part of the school board.’”
While Hart noted he has no concerns about the direction the district is heading, he often noticed the board always votes 5-0 in favor of every measure, and while he said there is nothing wrong with that if it’s the best decision. Still, he’d like to make sure major decisions are properly vetted and looked into thoroughly before votes are cast.
“I’ve always felt if someone is coming in with an agenda, they’re not coming in for the right reasons, which is for the kids and the teachers and the community,” Hart said. “I just think we need to be hearing all sides of things, and I wonder if we’re doing that if every vote is 5-0.”
Hart noted he and his wife, who will be celebrating their 20th anniversary soon, often disagree on things daily, “but these five board members agree on everything.”
The other seats up for election this fall on the New Palestine School Board are District 2 (non-partisan), where current board member Laura Haeberle is running unopposed, and in District 4 (non-partisan) where Daniel W. Walker is running unopposed.
