Getting to know Onaway school board candidates
by Peter Jakey-Managing Editor
The four candidates running for the Onaway Area Community Schools participated in an informational forum Tuesday in the school’s media center. They each provided background information about themselves and reasons why they are running for three seats that become open at the end of the year.
Approximately 25 people, including a handful local Cub Scouts earning merits and current school board members, attended the community function, which was organized by Lyle Dickinson and Marma Beatty. The candidates are Gene Barrette, Mike Moreau, Joshua VanHuysen and Wayne Vermilya. The three board members not returning are Lee Ann Neelis, Terry Materna and Tim Paulus.
“We thank the school board candidates for accepting the invitation to be here tonight, and for stepping up and wanting to be a part of the Onaway school system and serving on the school board,” said Dickinson.
“As most of you know, our school board is responsible to us the taxpayers, the students and the parents, to make sure our children and grandchildren get the best education possible.”
Dickinson provided information he received from the central office about the student count, budget and land size, before giving way to Beatty, who laid out the format. She said each candidate had 10 minutes to speak and answer questions.
BARRETTE WAS first to the podium. He moved from Cheboygan to Ocqueoc 46 years ago. “My wife is from here, I married here, and I’ve been here ever since,” he said in his opening remarks.
Barrette said he’s retired and has plenty of time and energy to serve. He worked in building trades and construction. He was a labor steward at the UAW Center and in later years became a union representative for the local labor union. Barrette also was the field representative for the union and served on the executive board for 25 years, before retiring. He also worked with the sports boosters for 10 years.
Barrette said he supported the busing and technology proposal, when the floor opened for questions. “I said I support the school system, in its entirety.”
When asked about why he is running, Barrette said he believes in a quality education. “We have a good board, and a good quality school system,” said Barrette.
MOREAU WAS born in Escanaba, but grew up in Eaton Rapids, south of Lansing. A graduate of Ferris State College in 1981, he married and started a family, and after their youngest was born in 1995, they moved to the Onaway area. For the past 18 years, he has been a small business owner in the community, operating a fly fishing guide service. He also worked 13 years for the Cheboygan Conservation District, substitute teaches in the winter and recently obtained a real estate license. He was the president of the Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited, served on the Pigeon River Advisory Council and the Cheboygan County Hockey Board. He also had two boys graduate from Onaway High School with honors.
“Throughout my life, I’ve had many life experiences, some in education, from being a child of a teacher, and a student, then parent and a substitute teacher. As a business owner, good decision making and financial responsibility are keys to success,” said Moreau. “I feel my experiences will be helpful in the decision making process of the Onaway school board.
“Because my kids have graduated, I don’t have any secret agenda…I have no problem sticking up for what I believe in, but I’m not closed-minded to reason and fact.”
Moreau added that he wants to give back to the community and school that have been so good to his family.
VANHUYSEN SAID he attended Onaway from kindergarten until high school graduation with the Class of 2000. His parents, Greg and Colleen, graduated from OHS, as did his brothers, wife and her parents.
“What do I love about this school system? The small community, family-like feeling you get when walking these halls or talking with teachers, administration, students and other parents,” said VanHuysen. “I have two sons, Landon who is six and Cooper who is three. Landon attends school here with Mrs. Bruning and I know that Kristi (wife) or I can speak to her at any time regarding his progress.’
Van Huysen commented that he attended Michigan Technological University for three semesters to purse a degree in civil engineering. “I wasn’t prepared academically. Despite taking five years of high school math and the most advanced class that Onaway offered at the time.” He lacked the math skills and financial resources to continue, so he came home to find a job.
“There’s a responsibility that goes along with being a school board member. You need to be a positive force in the community and set an example with you words, action and attitude,” he said. “We need to do a better job of preparing our kids for the future.”
He said funding needs to serve all the students and the board needs to work as a team and remember who the team players are, such as the students, parents and staff.
“I have no political agenda…my only agenda is as a father to make sure all kids, mine, yours and the neighbor’s get the best education possible. The only way to achieve that is to work on a team that has the same agenda,” said VanHuysen.
VERMILYA, WHO attends nearly every school board meeting and failed to gain a seat in previous school elections, led his remarks by saying he had no intention of running for the school board this year, but an hour before the filing deadline he received a phone call from the county clerk’s office that a student had filed his petitions and he needed to validate them.
“If the students, or a student in this high school is willing to get involved in the process of electing a member to the board of education, there was no way I could say no,” said Vermilya.
“The issues facing our school are the financial issues, and it is very critical. I have been attending school board meetings for several years now and point out to our school board, time and time again, some of the structural problems that we have here. Some of it is the state’s responsibility, but ultimately, if we are going to have a public school in our community, we need to think differently about what we are doing here.”
He expressed his concern about the
“Government can force you to pay for things you don’t agree with,” said Vermilya. Government can come into your home without your permission; government can listen to your phone conversations without you even knowing; government can take your children away from you; government can put you in jail, and in some states; government can kill you, even if you are innocent.
“Therefore, government not only commands and demands more respect than our school board has shown on some occasions in the past, it deserves it. We need people on our school board who have experience with governmental function and the proper municipal purpose, because people that sit on public boards are the keepers of the public trust.”