Geis is sole incumbent running for BOE
Editor's note: In the April 1 general election, Hillsboro area voters will elect four people to serve on the USD 410 board of education. Positions are up in districts one, two, three, and seven.
For the remainder of the month, articles will highlight these candidates.
Debbie Geis, of rural Durham, is the only incumbent in this year's USD 410 board of education elections. She is running to keep her spot as the District 1 representative.
District 1 includes the City of Durham and the Logan, Moore, and Durham Park townships in the northwest corner of Marion County.
Geis has served on the school board since she finished the term of Clara Frick in the fall of 2000, she said. That fall, a new law made it illegal for school district employees to also serve on the school board, and Frick was a bus driver for USD 410.
Once that term was up, Geis ran for re-election in April of 2001 and won.
Geis describes her time on the school board as "very educational."
"You don't realize everything that goes on to run the school district," she said.
Being on the school board gives board members a different perspective from most parents, Geis said. Members must look out for all students in all grades, whether their child is in that grade or not.
"I like to feel like I'm a person people can approach if they have a concern," she said.
Geis has three children in school: Logan in eighth grade, Lauren in second, and Lisa in kindergarten. She's married to Wayne, and the family lives on a farm northwest of Durham. That's where Geis breeds dogs — all kinds, ranging from miniature pinchers (sp?) to Newfoundlands.
Financial troubles are high on the list of challenges the board has to tackle. Geis thinks that district leadership has done a good job of bringing USD 410 through the budget cuts.
"We have a wonderful administration," she said.
Geis realizes the situation is financially tough, but one item she's committed to keeping is the activities bus. It has been on the list of possible cuts in the past.
The activities bus leaves town every evening at 6, taking students home from after-school activities and sports practices. Students out in rural areas need that bus so they can stay involved in school activities, Geis said.
"That's a real benefit for kids out here," she said.
Looking at the issue of school district consolidation, Geis doesn't see that happening in the immediate future. It's a very emotional issue, so if it ever took place, it would have to be carefully researched first, she said.
Some districts have considered the "pay-to-play" option, which would raise money by charging students to participate in extracurricular activities. Geis is not in favor of that, since it would limit students' choices, she said.
Geis knows that serving on the school board is a challenge — it's not something you do for fun, she said.
She hopes that the people who elect her do so because they trust her to make good decisions based on the information available. In many cases, only the board sees all the information for a situation, Geis said.
After this April's election, the school board could theoretically have four new members. It always takes time for the new members to adjust, she said.
"Some things you just learn," Geis said.
