New faces join schools’ leadership

In last week’s election, some Wayne County voters chose new representatives on their local school board.

Nettle Creek

Incumbent Julie Blaase defeated Candace Tramel for Nettle Creek’s District A seat. Blaase had previously held an at-large seat.

However, when Dan Davis announced he would not run again for District A, someone encouraged Blaase to run for District A, where she resides, hoping additional candidates would file for the at-large seat. Blaase said she hates to lose Davis from the board, because he’s been a real advocate for kids and she will miss his insights.

Despite running for her fourth term, Blaase said she was a “nervous mess” on Election Day as she awaited results. However, Blaase said she has known Tramel since she was a girl, and “she would have been good in the seat.”

Blaase is “grateful and humbled that the voters entrusted me to be their voice, and I’m excited about the direction our board is going.”

She’ll join unopposed candidates Ruthie Lamar, Mike Banning and Sandra Schraub.

Since beginning her board service, Blaase said district leadership has changed. Next year, the board will have four female and three male members, along with a female superintendent.

Blaase said she agrees with other members that it takes about four years to get settled in to serving on school boards because they learn the complex rules and then state officials change them.

Blaase said the district is in a good place, and that it’s evolving and changing to meet new state requirements. 

Despite those changes, Blaase keeps tradition in mind as well. She’s representing her alma mater as well as those of her children. Her dad left that high school early to serve in World War II and later received his diploma. Her son Caleb teaches for the district.

Blaase received support from 1,513 voters in Wayne County and 170 in Henry County. Nettle Creek serves students from both counties. 

Western Wayne

Jenni Risch defeated Todd A. Patterson for District D.

Incumbent David Sturgis will represent District A and newcomer Kris Bex will serve District B. 

Risch told WWN that she was headed to bed on Election Day after working all evening at her job at Golay Community Center. She checked for results one more time, finally learning that she’d won. Congratulations from her husband were followed the next day by messages and calls from well-wishers.

Risch said running for office was a “very humbling experience” and that she’s grateful for the community’s support. She is excited to get acclimated to the work of the school board and knows she will learn a lot in the first few months from other members. Some have already invited her to get together to talk and answer questions.

Risch said the school board business she’s most nervous about is making sure teachers are taken care of. Risch was an elementary school teacher at Western Wayne Schools for over 30 years, and said she knows what it’s like to be on that side of the table when it comes to negotiations. Because that process will be concluded for the coming school year before Risch joins the board, she’ll have some time to get prepared.

Risch said running for office was exciting and that anyone considering putting their name on the ballot for public office should “just do it.” She said she’s already been in touch with some other potential future candidates who are interested in serving the community.

Risch received 1,234 votes, or nearly 67%, to Patterson’s 610 votes.

Northeastern

Angela G. Smith defeated Patrick Barker.

District C Dan VanDuyne and District D’s Shawntel R. Baker were unopposed.

Smith is a 1986 graduate of Northeastern High School and has worked as a hairdresser for over 30 years. Smith told WWN in a preelection survey that she ran for the seat as a way of giving back to the community and keeping Northeastern “a great school for the kids of the area like it was for me, my husband, friends and three children.”

She said running for office was fun and interesting, but also required patience and flexibility. She had planned to be out and about on Election Day but ended up with a headache that kept her home instead. It was about 2:30 in the morning the next day when she woke up to messages of congratulations and learned that she’d won. “I was very excited it was me,” Smith said.

Smith said when she joins the board, she plans to pay special attention to financial prioritization, school safety and increasing community engagement with school board matters.

“Even if people can’t attend meetings, I will make sure that they know they can always reach me and let me know how they are thinking,” Smith wrote in her survey responses. “I am already very active with Northeastern alumni and have a lot of practice recruiting people for things.”

Smith told WWN last week that she’s thankful for the community support she’s received. She knows it takes a village to make local education work, and looks forward to working with other school board members to make things happen.

Smith received 1,013 votes, 55%, to Barker’s 824 votes.

RCS/Centerville

Aaron Stevens, Nicole Stults and Austin Brann will return to Richmond Community Schools’ board, along with newcomer Cathy Hillard, who all ran unopposed.

Stevens, who will start his eighth term, is one of Indiana’s longest consecutive serving board members.  

Centerville members Todd Duke, Renee Westover and Andy Wandersee were unopposed.