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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2007 > July > 31 > Entry
Six vie for open school board seat
Six people have applied for the vacant Dayton school board seat that opened up when Ronald Jackson resigned. Three are familiar names and three are newcomers. Here they are:
—Jeffrey Mims. Recently retired from the district, Mims lobbied for Dayton Public Schools in Columbus since 1994 as the school board’s legislative liason. He formerly was president of the Dayton teachers’ union from 1983 to 1988 and was a teacher in the district before that. He has a masters degree in education from Wright State University.
—Nancy Nerny. Nerny is a retired teacher who impressed the board when she interviewed for an open seat last year. Nerny retired in 1997 after 32 years teaching in the district. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Dayton and a masters in education from Wright State. She volunteers at Loos Elementary School among several other volunteer activities.
—Drew Fuller. A young Dayton attorney, Fuller is a graduate of the district and also previously impressed the board when he applied for the seat Jackson won last year. Fuller’s work is in government contracts and litigation for Sebaly Shillito & Dyer. He was the 1999 valedictorian at Colonel White High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Dayton and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati.
—Kristen Bodiker. Bodiker is a second grade teacher who lives in Dayton and works at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Kettering. She has taught in Kettering since 1995 and previously taught three years in California. She earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Dayton in 2003.
—Ronald Lee. Lee retired from Delco in 1999. Lee is an active volunteer who serves on the Downtown Priority Board, the city’s board of zoning appeals and on the board of the Inner West Community Development Corporation.
(CORRECTION: Lee had a recommendation from Len Roberts, the clerk of the City Commission, not City Commissioner and former school board member Joey Williams. Williams wrote a recommendation for Jeff Mims.)
—Douglas Moss. Moss is an accountant for the MonDay Community Correctional Institution on Gettysburg Avenue. He is a graduate of Patterson High School and has two children who attend Dayton Public Schools. Board member Joe Lacey wrote one of his recommendation letters.
For Drew and Nerny’s statements last November about why they wanted to join the school board go here.
Note: I ‘ve updated this post with more information about the candidates.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By charterschoolhater
August 2, 2007 5:56 PM | Link to this
This is for Ms. Massaoud. You are to be complimented on your hard work and Perseverance to better yourself and be a great contributing citizen. It is very refreshing that you have taken the opportunity to participate in this fine blog. I hope you will continue to do so. I wish more of our board members would chime in. It seems to me to be an excellent avenue to let your constituents know where you stand at on the issues. You are right, I know very little about your positions, but I want to know more. Now for my questions so as an elector I can get better to know you and what you stand for. 1) Why have we continued to employ a superintendent who has failed in his term as a superintendent to raise the educational standards any higher than he has. For me for the $100,000/yr. plus we are playing him, it is not good enough. I own a business, and if I had only improved my sales 1 level up in the time Dr. Mack has worked here, my company would probably be broke. We the tax payers are the stock holders of the Dayton Public School Corporation. When you get clobbered on a school levy where the only voters on it are the stock holders you have a problem. We have no confidence in the plan. The ship is sinking and it is time for a new captain. Unless of course the majority of the board is satisfied with the current state of affairs in the schools. I do not think the stock holders are. I want to thank you for the time you devote to us the taxpayers and the students of Dayton. If I am wrong about the things I have said, then educate me. I guarantee I am not the only one on this blog who is not satisfied with the road Dr. Mack is going down and want to know more about what you are going to do about it. I look forward to talking to and meeting you as we get into the election cycle. Thanks again Lee.By Lee Massoud
August 2, 2007 1:53 PM | Link to this
Dear Charter School Hater, It is apparent to me that you have not taken the time to get to know all the current school board members. You state, and I quote, “As a taxpayer, I want every day tax payers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, parents of students. Retired Union members. The problem is we have too many professional people on this board of ed. We need some folks who know what it is like to struggle a little in the real world.” My name is Lee Massoud and I am the current Vice President of the Dayton Board of Education. I grew up in a working class family with five siblings. My father was a carpenter and my mother, a seamstress. My parents struggled to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, while always teaching us the value of hard work and education. I was not afforded the opportunity to enter college right after high school and, as a very young wife and mother of two daughters, I worked a myriad of part time jobs to help make our family’s ends meet. I subsequently took an opportunity to work at the then Third National Bank as a part time teller and, through my hard work and commitment to my employers, I rose through the ranks of several local banks to the position of Vice President. I attended classes at Sinclair Community College, obtained my undergraduate degree by participating on weekends through the McGregor School at Antioch Adult Education Program and then went on to earn my MBA from the University of Dayton all while holding down full time employment and serving the Dayton community through my work with groups such as Artemis Center, Hospice and City Folk. I am a mother, a wife, a neighbor, a community servant, a grandmother, a professional business woman, and an ardent supporter of the value of education for all. I pay taxes and vote. I get up every morning and go to work, I worry about the price of gas and I watch out for my neighbors, their children and their pets. I also spend many of my evenings and weekends attending to my responsibilities as a member of the Dayton Board of Education. I don’t know if you would consider these attributes as qualifications for a “common every day taxpayer” but couldn’t you agree that they might qualify me to be a “good board of education member”? Lee MassoudBy charterschoolhater
August 1, 2007 8:14 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the comment Dave. There is a real good board of education member currently on the Board of Ed. His name is Joe Lacey. He has a passion for the schools just as I do. The problem is that Littlejohn and her cronies engage in personal atatcks against Joe everytime he tries to do his job and ask questions. That is what we elected him to do. Be our eyes and ears. But you know what, they attack him and brand him a troublemaker when he tries to do a good job. It doesn’t pay enough for the queen and her subjects to attack me personally if I somehow were to run and win. I would be just like Joe and they would attack away. It is a real shame that no common every day taxpayer or parent runs for the board of ed. I agree with you RETIRED about Jeff Mims. He is Mack yes man from way back. I wonder what he did for the administration to get the cushy job he previously had as legislative liason. Sounds like a created position to me. For my money you cant trust Jeff Mims, that is why if he runs in the Fall, I will not vote for him. Hey Eve, what is so diverse about this group. As a taxpayer, I want every day tax payers, mothers, fathers, grandparents, parents of students. Retired Union members. The problem is we have too many professional people on this board of ed. We need some folks who know what it is like to struggle a little in the real world. Maybe they would spend less then. This is not a diverse group in my opinion. Just some thought from plain ole charterschoolhater. And just for the record I really do hate those pathetic schools created by Jon Husted.By Eve
August 1, 2007 12:27 PM | Link to this
charterschoolhater wants to know why there’s no “every day people” being considered? It’s simply because they didn’t apply.(I disagree with that appraisal, by the way, I think we’ve been given a pretty diverse group of applicants. It’ll be interesting to see who the Board decides on).By Dave
August 1, 2007 11:33 AM | Link to this
Charterschoolhater — When do you plan to run for school board? You seem like “every day people”, and you certainly have a passion about the school system. I think you would make a strong candidate.By Retired
August 1, 2007 10:13 AM | Link to this
I am sorry - but considering Mr. Mims for the vacated seat for the school board is nothing but a rubber stamp for the superintendent.By charterschoolhater
July 31, 2007 10:32 PM | Link to this
Where are some people who are just every day people who wnat to servce on the board of education? We need some people with children in the schools too. Too many professional people. We need people who know what it is like to work for a living. Too many retired teachers and management type people for me to support them. Maybe I could support the retired Delco guy if he was a union member.By Barb
July 31, 2007 6:59 PM | Link to this
I as a parent in the district I strongly endorse both Nancy Nearny and Drew Fuller. Both have had an active role in DPS and will not make their decisions based on what they read and hear. They have first hand knowledge of the workings of the school district. They will definately bring a much needed new perspective to a board that does not seem to hear the voices of its consumers; students and parents. Right now we have many on the board that do a periodic walk through in a school and from that have found themselves to experts in education. Nancy is in the school on a at least a weekly basis, spending her time helping students. She has spent time raising money for the school and bringing in many educational and exciting things for students.