Four candidates compete for three slots on school board

By Jaime Thomas

Four candidates are vying and only three slots are open on the Granville Board of Education as elections swiftly approach.

In addition to incumbent candidates Kevin Ely, Dale Olsen and Eric Scribner, Audrey Hicks is now on the bid for the position. She said she is running for several reasons; primarily, she said she decided to apply after several members of the community approached her and asked her to run.

Hicks has previously served terms on the school board, and if elected would serve for three years.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the board, and it’s time I contribute again,” she said.

She was previously a math teacher at both the high school and college level, and she was not educated in nor grew up in New York state, all of which she believes differentiates her from fellow candidates.

“I bring a perspective not represented on the board,” Hicks said.

Additionally, she feels she can relate to pertinent issues because she has four children who are either currently in the Granville school system or who have already passed through.

“Having four kids at varying levels of education, it gives me a pretty good perspective of the tools students need to get from high school for a college education and forward from there,” she said.

Next Tuesday, May 14, residents will have a chance to get to know these potential board members at Meet the Candidate Night. Sentinel Publisher John Manchester will moderate the session, where the candidates will all have the opportunity to answer questions about themselves and their goals as members of the school board.

At the end, the public will have a chance to ask their own questions of the candidates. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium, and the public is encouraged to attend.

Locals can vote for the school board May 21, when polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.