Isaac Clark
No response
Bill Jewell
No response
Tammy Sue Lainhart
No response
Jane Fahrney
City: Franklin Township
Education: Bachelor’s degree in human resources management
Current Employment: Professional grandma
Community Involvement: I am actively involved in my church; I am the nursery/toddler team leader.
Why are you seeking elected office? I am running for Carlisle School Board because I believe there needs to be a change on the board. I believe we need new people with fresh ideas. I would like to see the format of the meetings changed to include addressing the visitors’ comments and answer any questions that are asked during the meeting.
Why should voters elect you? Voters should elect me if they want a fiscal conservative Christian on their school board.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? If elected, my top three priorities are: 1. Keep masks optional. Mask mandates are unconstitutional. 2. Keep critical race theory (or any other name that radical indoctrination is called) out of the classroom. 3. Address any visitor comments during the board meetings and listen to the input of parents and grandparents
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? I plan on being more engaged with the parents and grandparents, listen to them and their concerns regarding my top three or any other issues that come up. I will work hard to change the format of the meetings to address questions/comments from the previous meeting during the “old business” section of the meetings.
Anything else? I believe the success of Carlisle School District comes down to listening to the parents and grandparents’ input. I know you can’t please everyone all the time, but it’s the input of the parents and grandparents that live in the district that make it successful. More information about me can be found on my website: JaneFahrney.com
Mollie McIntosh
City: Carlisle
Education: Master’s of education from the University of Dayton
Current Employment: Educator, intervention specialist, transition teacher for young adults with disabilities.
Community Involvement: I am currently serving our community as Carlisle Local School Board president. In addition to serving our community as a board member, I also volunteer with a variety of organizations in Carlisle. I was co-chair of the successful Bond This Village committee to build the new building, volunteered with past operational levies, secretary of Carlisle Pee Wee Football program, chaperoned student trips to Washington D.C. and volunteer with Carlisle Athletic Boosters.
Why are you seeking elected office? I am running for reelection to the Carlisle Local School Board because I am committed to Carlisle, and I am an advocate for public education. Carlisle is a great place to raise and educate children and our schools are the center point of our community. Our community is fortunate enough to have a wonderful, new building to educate our children in because our community saw the need and stepped up. As a school board member, I was able to see this project through and now continue to support the needs of the students, staff and school. I would like to continue to assist Carlisle Local Schools in the future. Even with all of the wonderful things about Carlisle Local Schools, I still have work to do. We need to streamline communication and help our community understand the rules and regulations schools must follow to be in compliance with state requirements.
Why should voters elect you? My heart is in education! My whole life, professionally and personally, has revolved around public education. This year is the 24th year of my teaching career and I continue to be a lifelong learner. After teaching at Madison Local Schools for many years, I got the job of my dreams at Butler Tech as a transition teacher for young adults with disabilities. I have a deep passion for diverse learners and the need to advocate for all students. As the only candidate with a career in and extensive knowledge of the educational system, I am able to assess situations facing our district in a way the others cannot.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? 1. Maintain fiscal responsibility with transparency to taxpayers and community members. 2. Preparing students for an ever-changing and unpredictable work force. 3. Carlisle Schools and other local officials need to collaborate more to make the Carlisle community the best it can be.
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? 1. Fiscal responsibility: Even with opening a new building during a pandemic, the district was able to keep finances solvent. We have an obligation to maintain this. This can be achieved by continuing to watch finances closely, maintain employment of excellent staff, and advocating for a long overdue change in the way Ohio schools are funded. 2. Student preparation: We need to prepare students for any path they chose, whether it is career technical education during high school, adult education, straight to the workforce or college. As educators, we need to help students find their passions and strengths while still working on the basics. 3. Collaboration: In the past, the relationship between the district and the village has been not been the greatest, even barely existent at times. It does not matter when or why the divide happened, let’s fix it. We all need to understand each other’s missions, priorities and perspective. Authentic conversations between all parties is the very first step in finding commonality.
Anything else? I am vested in Carlisle Local Schools and our community. My husband and I are both 1993 graduates of Carlisle High School. Our son is in the eighth grade and will be a future graduate of the Class of 2026. When a community’s school is successful, the community is successful. As a parent, educator and school board member, I know there is not one measure to define the success of a school. Our students have not had a “normal” school year in three years, yet test scores are still used as part of defining success. State and local report cards are often used, however, the intent of that document is to rank and sort districts in Ohio. There are far better measurements of success for our students and school district. In current times, success can be measured by fiscal responsibility, student engagement and teacher retention, along with others. As mentioned before, finances need to be secure. Students need to be in school learning face-to-face from certified teachers. When schools are successful, students have physical, social and emotional safety. Schools who retain high quality teachers are successful because the teacher is committed to the students and the students are able to thrive.
Amanda Morris
City: Carlisle
Education: Wright State University Master’s of science, 2005; Wright State University Bachelor’s of science in Nursing, 1999; Carlisle High School, 1995
Current Employment: Family Nurse Practitioner at Carlisle Medical Care
Community Involvement: Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses
Why are you seeking elected office? I am running for school board to help improve communication between the school board and the community, to publicly acknowledge the concerns of the voters, and to work toward providing feedback to the community during each meeting.
Why should voters elect you? I am a graduate of Carlisle schools and live and work in the community. I want our children to be happy, healthy and successful. Our children need and deserve a quality education that will provide the foundation for their future. I plan on working together with the school board members, the staff, students and community to ensure that the Carlisle Schools function properly and efficiently.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? 1. Continue with in person learning and optional mask wearing. 2. Preserving the Indian mascot. 3. Keeping education free of personal agenda and political bias.
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? 1. Continue researching data and looking for creative measures to keep students in school as much as possible without having mask and vaccine mandates. 2. Educating the public about the Indian mascot, and the pride and tradition that it portrays. 3. Continue to provide our students with a balanced and factually based education without using divisive concepts or teaching methods. Carlisle school board voted against having critical race theory in our schools, and I plan to ensure that this is being implemented.
Anything else? My experience as a health care provider will be a valuable resource for the school district dealing with COVID and other medical issues. I can use my medical knowledge and nursing experience to provide education and guidance to the school and community when needed.
Susan Svarda
City: Carlisle
Education: B.A. from Ohio State University
Current Employment: Sales
Community Involvement: None
Why are you seeking elected office? I am running for Carlisle School Board because I am concerned about the national narrative of division being pushed in our country. I feel I can make a difference at the local level. I believe as Americans, we have a lot more in common than we think. I believe if we work together, we can do great things for our kids. Of course there will be differences of opinions, but that is what makes our country great. I want to give back to the community by making sure the schools stay on a good path by keeping the kids the top priority. We need to reject anything that causes division or is not helpful to the children’s well-being.
Why should voters elect you? I hope that voters will elect me to represent them because I will listen to their concerns. I think that there are many parents that are also concerned, like myself, in the direction our country is going. I will work hard to protect individual freedoms afforded to us through the Constitution. I believe healthy children have a right to be in school. I believe our country’s history should be honored and not erased. I think the school board should have open conversations with the community on how they are working to resolve their concerns.
If elected, what will be your top three priorities? If elected, my top three priorities would be medical freedom, mental health and fiscal responsibility. I do not believe the government should be mandating masks or vaccines. I think parents should make medical decisions for their children. I believe that if anyone wants to wear a mask or receive a vaccine, that is perfectly fine. That is their individual freedom, but it should not be forced on everyone. In regards to mental health, I think there are several factors at play here. The isolation and quarantine policies that have resulted from COVID have harmed our children. On top of this, children are dealing with bullying, social media and the division that is pushed by so many in the national media and critical race theory. Fiscal responsibility is an ongoing issue. Since school board members represent the community, I believe it is our responsibility to make sure those tax dollars are used wisely.
What specific plans do you have to address those top priorities? I will vote against any mask or vaccine mandates in the school. I would hope that as a school board, we can work with the local health department to keep kids in school and in extracurricular activities. Currently, the health department takes no consideration for children with natural immunity. In regards to mental health, we need to make sure that kids are in school, bullying does have discipline consequences and counselors are available for those struggling. In regards to fiscal responsibility, I will vote accordingly to the needs of the community as issues arise. I have been self-employed for the last 18 years, so I understand how to budget and use money wisely.
Anything else? I feel I have the leadership skills to serve on the school board. I will listen to the community concerns and rely on the wisdom and discernment God provides. I am a Christian, and I have never run for public office but felt I was being led to get involved. I want to be able to look back and say I did something for our kids.