Current board member Gary Fox is not on the ballot.
Carbary, a resident of Overpeck, is a retired teacher and former owner of Sweet Annie’s Gifts.
“I decided to run for this term because I see so many good things that are happening in our district. Our teachers and administrators come to work every day with the attitude that we can make a difference in lives of students.
Carbary said that between her 12 years on the board of education and her teaching experience, she has over 46 years in education.
“My goals have always been geared toward trying to better educate children,” she said. “Education is the ticket out of poverty.”
She said she continues to have faith in the New Miami schools even though there is a lot of work to be done.
“The state of our district is not optimum,” she said. “Our performance is not up to par, but additions to programs and processes are being put into place that will remedy many of the problems we are experiencing.
“The Early Childhood Expansion Grant will afford us the capacity to add 40 additional students to our preschool program,” she said. “We are working with Butler Tech and have added new programs in the high school to address Family and Consumer Science issues.
“We are a very small district, and it is a battle when outcomes are based on percentages.”
Carbary said that many of the issues facing the district are brought on by the state.
“We were told that we would have to do Common Core, and, now there is legislation being introduced to do away with Common Core in Ohio,” she said. “Our district will struggle with keeping up with the technology updates that will be necessary to meet state mandates.
“We are very much like any other school district in Ohio that is struggling with finances,” she said. “However, our five-year forecast says we are solvent.”
Cook has previously served on the New Miami school board and decided to run again when Gary Fox announced his retirement. Cook has also served on the New Miami Recreation Board.
“It’s very rewarding to be able to serve on the board and give back to the community you grew up in,” he said. “I missed the interaction with the students and staff and fellow board members.
“I have three grandchildren in the district along with many friends and family that have children and grandchildren in the district. I want to be a part of seeing to it that they have the best educational opportunities available.”
Cook is both a New Miami graduate and a life-long resident of the district.
“It’s an honor to represent the community as a board member,” he said. “I listen to concerns and address them. I am well versed in school matters and have attended many seminars and conferences to keep abreast of changing school laws and policies.”
He said the overall state of the district is good, but “there is always room for improvement.”
“I am very confident we will get our scores back up on the state report card,” Cook said.
He said that key issues for the district are unfunded mandates from the state and continuing technology updates.
“The district has been very successful obtaining grants to offset costs,” he said. “The district has been fiscally responsible with the taxpayer’s money. I will do my part to see that this continues.”
Adams did not respond to requests for information for this report.
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