• Name: Amy Ashcraft
• Age: 42
• Residence: Wayne Twp., 18 years
• Education: Bachelor’s degree University of Cincinnati, law degree Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University
• Employment: Lawyer
• Previous political experience: Edgewood board of education for four years
• Family: Husband Matt, Children Brooklyn, 15, Emily, 15, Coulter, 8, and Cory, 8
• Name: Angie Hensley
• Age: 36
• Residence: Trenton, 12 years
• Education: Fairfield High School 1997
• Employment: Paychex
• Previous political experience: none
• Family: Husband Dustin, Children Jackson, 11, Jagger, 8
• Name: Richard Hurchanik
• Age: 71
• Residence: Seven Mile, 25 years
• Education: Bachelor’s degree Ohio University, Master’s degree Columbus (Ga.) College, Phd University of Cincinnati
• Employment: Lawyer
• Previous political experience: Village of Seven Mile council member, Edgewood board of education four years
• Family: Wife Dottie, Children Laura, Suzanne, Eric, Terra, Erik, Lisa
• Name: Tom York
• Age: 64
• Residence: Wayne Twp., 27 years
• Education: Bachelor’s Miami University and Evangel (Mo.) College, master’s Xavier University
• Employment: Principal Talawanda High School
• Previous political experience: None
• Family: Wife Laura, Children Lauren, 27, Daniel, 24
ONLINE ELECTION GUIDE
Learn more about what's on your ballot for the November election at vote.journal-news.com
Two incumbents are being challenged for their seats on the Edgewood City Schools board of education.
Voters will decide whether to keep Amy Ashcraft and Richard Hurchanik, both Butler County lawyers, on the school board for another four years or select first-timers Angie Hensley and Tom York.
The two winners on Nov. 3 will join board president Jim Wirtley, Gary Gabbard and Beth Benjamin in 2016 on the five-member school board.
Ashcraft, 42, a 1991 Edgewood High School graduate, and Hurchanik, 71, a decorated Army veteran, both have served as board members for the last four years.
Ashcraft called the school board “a good group” that has made “positive changes” throughout the district, and she wants it to continue.
“My mom told me to not sit back and complain if you don’t take part,” she said.
During his time on the board, Hurchanik said he has watched the district’s finances closely, spearheaded a movement to keep Seven Mile school open and implemented safety measures throughout district. His role, he said, is to keep those in the district “on course.”
His attributes include law, engineering, planning and transportation, he said.
Ashcraft and Hurchanik will be challenged by York, who’s well known in the educational field, and Hensley, a working mother who described herself as not a politician.
Hensley, 36, a 1997 Fairfield High School graduate, believes it’s time for her to be an advocate for all children in the district. Her one son has the spectrum of autism and her other son has symptoms of dyslexia, she said.
“I want to make sure that everyone gets what they need so they can reach their full potential,” she said.
If elected, Hensley said she’d work “in the trenches” with the educators as a way to build a stronger community.
“I’m not a politician,” she said. “I’m very involved in my children’s education, and I want to take that a step further. My heart is in the right place. This is not a resume builder. I truly want to be a voice for the students who don’t have a voice. I want to be part of the solution. I may not have the answer, but I will find all the answers.”
York, 64, is a former Edgewood superintendent and has served in education for 37 years, most recently as principal at Talawanda High School in Oxford.
He said the biggest challenge facing students is taking advantage of all the opportunities offered to them in their school to prepare them for their adult life.
He also said it’s important for parents to understand all the options offered to their children today: Four-year college degree, two-year technical program, vocational education, immediate entry into the work force or joining the military.
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