CANFIELD — A South Range School District parent is hoping to make some changes in the district by serving on the Board of Education.

Laura Chismar, 50, of Canfield is a 1993 South Range High School graduate and she and her husband Randy have two daughters in the district.

Chismar has served the district already in a variety of volunteer positions, including as coach for her daughter’s soccer team.

She has been coaching with the South Range Soccer Club the past four years and served as board member for the club for two years.

She is also a member of the South Range Elementary Parent Teacher Organization and a new member of the middle school PTO.

She and her husband also volunteer for the Greenfield Ruritan Club.

In addition, she serves on the Deaconate Board at Locust Grove Baptist Church where she volunteers as Church Secretary.

Chismar has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the Youngstown State University and is currently employed as a project management consultant for small businesses.

This is her first time seeking public office.

“Over the past four years I have spent countless hours volunteering as a ‘parent helper’ in the elementary school where I have seen far too many issues that I cannot leave unaddressed. Staff within the school including, but not limited to, teachers, aids, cafeteria staff, custodial staff as well as members within the transportation department, have voiced to me that they feel unappreciated by the Board and Administration,” she said.

She also isn’t pleased with what she described as the “non-response policy” the current board and administration have adopted, as she feels it does not lead to an honest and cooperative relationship with the citizens of South Range.

Furthermore, she said that while the current board has appeared to be fiscally responsible, they do not distribute cuts equally throughout the school.

“The board has given the administration nearly 20 percent pay increases, while at the same time, academic programs, expenses for learning tools and curriculum have been cut,” she said.

If elected, she plans to fight to put board meetings back online so residents can stay informed, work toward limiting open enrollment availability, and strive to provide the best education to students with the resources already available.

“The board’s ability to prioritize issues is a concern for me as well as many other parents within the district. The leadership among our Board of Education has seemingly forgotten that the purpose of the public school is to safely educate the students within the district, rather than provide cushy jobs for the hired administrators,” she said.

She also said the board has continually ignored the request from community members as well as safety services to implement the “most basic safety measures.”

She said that she has minimal confidence they are well prepared for an emergency situation, and cited a decision by the board to move forward with a $25,000 marketing contract to manage crisis management while at the same time struggling to fill staff positions.

She also has concerns over the amount of contracted services provided by the Educational Service Center.

“South Range is special, we do not want to be an extension of the ESC. We used to have a strong sense of community; this passion has diminished over the past few years with the current board and administration,” she said.

As for open enrollment, she isn’t happy that it makes up for more than 30 percent of the student body, and doesn’t agree any child should be asked to leave except for cases of repeated behavioral issues.

Incumbent Brian Bagwell, 30, of Columbiana, is seeking re-election to see community values upheld and passed down to future generations.

“I recognize and appreciate the education and opportunities I was provided during my time as a student at South Range,” he said.

He and his wife Dr. Brianne Bagwell, also a South Range graduate, have four children in the district.

Bagwell has served on the board the last six years, having been appointed to fill a two-year unexpired term in 2019 and then ran and was elected for the next four-year term.

During that time he said the board has challenged the district to seek continuous improvement.

Some of that improvement includes balancing the budget, aligning the school calendar, and creating pathways for students who want to enter the workforce after graduation, specifically in building trades and drone technology.

“We believe in collaborating to find creative ways to manage rising health insurance costs and diminishing funding for schools, while maintaining academic experience and growing the offerings and opportunities for our students,” he said of the board.

He added that the board has set up planning tools to account for large future expenses, which will help prepare financially for capital improvement projects.

“Most recently we adjusted our schedule to postpone the school start date until after Labor Day. This provided the large percentage of students involved in 4H time for the county fair. We have received very positive feedback to the later start date this year,” he said.

Other accomplishments include working on understanding and brokering insurance plan design changes that he says give district employees “excellent health insurance coverage at historically low rates, while making it affordable for our district stakeholders.”

Bagwell also said he is the only candidate with formal training in contract negotiations and labor/management relations.

Bagwell currently owns and operates Cabinetworks Unlimited, LLC in Salem, and Rolling Meadows Farm.

He has prior work in management roles for Commercial Turf Products (CTP), a facility that produced consumer and commercial-grade outdoor power equipment.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Automated Manufacturing Engineering Technology from the University of Akron in 2008.

He is a member of the Mahoning County Farm Bureau, served on the advisory committee for the MCCTC Animal Science department, coaches youth recreational softball, and is a trustee for the South Range Baseball Association.

He is also member of Greenford Christian Church.

“As both a graduate and invested member of the South Range community I feel my relevant leadership experience, accomplishments, and commitment to our district make me the best choice for our school,” he said.

Incumbent Liz Johnson said she is seeking re-election to continue to serve as an active voice on the board.

Johnson spent 20 years teaching seventh grade math and said it was a difficult decision to step back from her teaching career but she realized her passion for education was not diminished.

“Instead of sitting back I want to continue to serve as an active voice on the South Range School Board,” she said.

She is a Boardman High School graduate and has a Bachelor’s in Elementary Education with a concentration in mathematics from Youngstown State University.

She also has a Master’s of Education from Ashland University and is a Certified Ohio Master Teacher by the Ohio Department of Education.

In addition to her service on the board she is also currently a South Range Foundation Board Member as well as member of the South Range Healthy School Committee, South Range Math Textbook Committee, South Range PTO Member, volunteer math tutor at South Range Middle School, and a Circle of Red Member with the American Heart Association.

She is also a St. John’s Episcopal Church Vestry Member.

She and her husband Steven have three children.

Johnson listed some of her biggest accomplishments while serving on the school board as serving on the curriculum committee with staff that included site visits to other schools, meetings with textbook companies and the selection of curriculum teachers currently use; advocating for South Range eighth grade girls to be invited to Northeast Ohio STEM Goes Red for Girls experience, and bringing back to South Range the American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge.

She also said she was fiscally responsible by innovatively increasing wages for staff without increasing taxes.

“My 20 years of teaching experience provides an innate understanding of curriculum, testing and the critical relationship between teachers, administrators and the school board. I understand the high expectation of teaching and earned my Ohio Master Teacher certification through the Ohio State Department. I am passionate about education and volunteer every week working with South Range students that need extra assistance,” she said.

She feels voters should choose her because she remains committed to preserving and enhancing what makes South Range special, which she said are rigorous curriculum and course offerings aligned with career and college readiness, capital maintenance and transportation planning for long-term sustainability, and expanding co/extracurriculars that inspire and challenge.

Terri Lally did not respond to an election questionnaire.