Voters in the Buckeye Local Schools District will choose from a slate of five candidates to fill three open board positions this fall.

Incumbent Norah Anderson is not seeking re-election. Jacqueline Hillyer and Mark Estock are seeking second terms.

Jacqueline Hillyer

Hillyer, an Ashtabula Township resident, is a retired junior and senior high teacher who worked in the Buckeye District for 29 years of her 30 year career. She holds two master’s degrees from the University of Akron and is a past president of Ohio NOW and a national board member of the organization. She and her husband have two grown children, both Edgewood graduates, and three grandchildren.

As a board of education member, Hillyer has been president and vice president, and served as the board’s legislative liaison. She has been very active in the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) and earlier this year received that organization’s Award of Achievement. Hillyer also served on the Governor’s Institute on Creativity and Innovation, and will attend a follow-up conference on that next month.

Hillyer said she originally ran for the board position because it appeared as if the previous board was experiencing conflict and was unable to set an agenda and reach goals for the district.

The past four years have brought additional challenges for the district, as enrollment has dropped and, with that, state funding. Further, the district has lost its personal-property income from the chemical and retail industries in Ashtabula Township and suffered from the overall economic slump in the county.

She says this puts Buckeye in a particularly difficult situation when it comes to buildings because, as far as the state is concerned, the district is still “self-help” — deemed capable of paying for much of the cost of new buildings — and low on the list for assistance with new buildings. Meanwhile, the district’s buildings are aging and costly to operate and maintain.

Hillyer wants to be part of the solution to what she calls a “Catch 22” situation with state funding.

“I’m running for re-election because I think you learn a great deal the first time around,” she said. “It’s largely a learning period, and you contribute what you can. In the second term, I think you contribute more.”

Her agenda includes making the entire district one of excellence; Edgewood Senior High received that recognition for the first time this year. In addition, she wants to make sure all district buildings are “safe in every conceivable way” and conducive to being a good educational environment.

Hillyer said another priority is to make sure students feel safe emotionally and academically when they are in Buckeye classrooms and have a great sense of security about coming to school.

She also wants to see the district get in line for some sort of facilities program, particularly for the elementary and junior-high buildings, but there is much work to be done before the district can be positioned for new schools.

“I think we probably are going to have to pass an operating levy before we can think about buildings,” she said. “We need to make sure our current operational needs are met, and from there we can begin to outline a building program.”

Mark Estock

Mark Estock is seeking his second term, as well. Estock, a North Kingsville resident, is president of Creative Millwork in Ashtabula, a company with about 40 employees. A Conneaut High graduate, Estock earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Akron in 1983 and joined the family business in 1987.

He and his wife, Cindy, have five children, three of them students in the district and two of them graduates. He became interested in district issues several years ago and helped with levy campaigns and served as president of the Band Boosters for three years. He decided to take his involvement to the next level in 2005, when he ran for a board position.

Estock felt there was a lack of communication between the board and district residents, which resulted in voters lacking trust.

“Being involved with business, I felt I had a nice approach that was different from others who had been in that position,” he said.

One of the ways Estock and the other board members helped restore trust was by holding small-group meetings in neutral environments.

“We talked with folks, got their feedback, explained the issues facing the district,” Estock said.

Estock feels the board has come a long way during the past four years in addressing issues that he ran on. At the same time, new challenges have appeared.

“We have some critical decisions to make in the next year or two in regards to the Ohio Schools Facilities Commission,” Estock said.

The board is involved in creating a strategic plan for the next three to five years, and Estock feels it is important to keep continuity in the board composition for that process to stay on track. The plan is a road map to help the district achieve the three broad goals of raising academic performance to meet or exceed the state standards, improve the quality of the learning environment, and operate the district in an efficient, effective manner.

He said the board has saved taxpayers $60,000 to $70,000 annually by switching to a group-rated Workers Compensation plan, reduced health insurance costs by $300,000 annually by moving to a preferred-provider organization, and for the first time in 15 to 20 years, brought the cafeteria program into the black.

A fiscal conservative, Estock said he will continue to safeguard the district’s resources, especially as school financing in Ohio remains volatile.

“I think we’ve been very protective of the money we do have access to and do not spend it foolishly,” he said. “You got to hold on to what you have because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Russ Salberg

Ashtabula Township resident Russ Salberg is the silent candidate: He has chosen not to distribute signs promoting his name because he feels voters ought to take the time to get to know the candidates rather than vote purely on name recognition. Otherwise, “that’s really not the kind of voter I’m looking for,” Salberg said. “I want people knowledgeable and responsible enough to know what the candidates stand for.”

Salberg is retired from the U.S. Air Force. He attended Edgewood Senior High through the 11th grade, before moving to the Cleveland area. He earned his undergraduate degree in elementary education from Kent State, prior to entering the Air Force. He was an instructor during his 20-year military career.

He returned to Ashtabula County in 1998 and continued his interest in Edgewood, where his daughter Alesia was a student. He was a substitute teacher in the district, head girls soccer coach for eight years and seventh-grade basketball coach three years. He has stepped down from those positions since declaring his candidacy for the board.

There are two major issues before Salberg. First, he wants to restore the district to the level of high esteem in the county and region that it enjoyed when he was a student there more than four decades ago. He feels the district’s standing has slipped considerably but, at the same time, has an excellent base of students and outstanding teachers that can be used upon which to rebuild.

Salberg feels the key is having strong leadership in the board and administration.

The second issue is the huge shift in the district funding burden. Salberg said it is unrealistic to expect property owners to bear the burden shifted from retail and other industries.

“It’s not a sustainable way to do business because you can’t continually raise taxes on the backs of property owners,” he said.

He said every expenditure needs to be analyzed and, whenever possible, shifted onto other funding sources.

Salberg said he views serving on the board of education as a community service, not a job.

Dave Tredente

Dave Tredente, an Ashtabula Township resident, is making his first run at a board seat in this election.

Tredente has lived his entire life, 44 years, in the district and went to Buckeye Local Schools. He and his wife have a son in the sixth grade at Ridgeview.

He is employed as a highway technician for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

Tredente said he’d like to see more enthusiasm for the district, and education in general, among Buckeye students. His other reason for running is to bring about change in the district.

“I think the board has done a decent job. They just need a little change,” he said. “Some have been in for a while, and it’s time for them to move on in a new direction.”

Tredente said the board needs to review district policies but could not offer an specific examples of policies that need attention.

Gregory Kocjancic

Ashtabula Township resident Gregory Kocjancic is running for a board position for the fourth time.

A manager for Speedway for the past five years, Kocjancic is a Geneva native. His wife, Jennifer, is an Edgewood graduate, and they have a son in 10th grade at Edgewood.

Kocjancic said his desire to serve on the board is “all about the kids.”

“This race is not about me or other school board members,” he said. “It’s about the future of our children and which way you want them to travel.”

Kocjancic serves on the Ashtabula Township Zoning Board of Appeals and is a member of the Ashtabula County Agricultural Society, Buckeye Band Boosters, Ashtabula County Convention and Visitors Bureau and a founder of the Ashtabula Area Fireworks Committee. He also serves on the Buckeye Finance Committee.

Kocjancic stresses teamwork as the way to get things done and succeed.

“I want the board to be accountable for their actions,” he said. “I want (board) honesty and trust back with the community.”

He said facility improvements and safety and communication among faculty, parents, teachers and students are key issues for him.

“It’s about the kids,” he said. “It’s supposed to be about the kids.”