Voters in the Maries R-1 School District will be electing two school board members at next Tuesday’s election. The Advocate reached out to the three candidates vying for the two three-year term board positions in an effort to better inform voters about them. 

Candidates include incumbent Joseph Barnhart and district patrons Matt Clark and David Long.

The questions asked the school board candidates to tell voters about themselves, about why they want to be school board members, and if they have any specific goals for serving on the school board, or if they have any concerns about school operations at this time.

Joe Barnhart

I was born and raised in the area and attended school in Vienna. After four years of undergrad and four years of dental school, I returned to practice in my hometown. My goal was to bring updated technology and new dental procedures to the area. 

I understand that a good educational system is one of the most important pillars of the community. I would like to continue to contribute to make our school as successful as possible. 

After graduation from dental school, I invested heavily in management eduction. I did this not only for improvement of the dental practice but also to better understand how to make responsible decisions in other businesses also. I want to continue to use those skills to contribute to the benefit of the school. 

I will keep doing what I can to help keep the school fiscally responsible. Retaining quality teachers in an environment that is up to date for students to learn is also extremely important. 

I feel the most important issue facing the district today is maintaining revenue streams and always striving to expose students to learning methods that will prepare them for the real world. 

Matt Clark

I’m Matt Clark and I am 32 years old. I have been a resident of Maries County my whole life. I’ve worked for Scholastic for 13 years and I’m currently the hog and goat leader for the 4-H in Vienna and I coach the Vienna 8U baseball team.  I want to see if the school is using the money they get wisely and I want to get more involved in my community.

I would like to see the teachers at Maries R-1 get a raise because they have a lot of responsibility in watching all the kids they have to watch.

David Long

David Long and his wife, Julie, are lifelong residents of Maries County and the Maries R-1 School District. David is an active volunteer in the community, from the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department, the Maries County Fair, Vienna United Methodist Church, and an active 4-H & FFA parent. He also assists with his children’s ball teams. Long has two children in the school system and another child who already has graduated. 

He said he’s running for school board for all kids. He wants to be part of finding solutions to problems and improving the school as needed.

Long said he thinks new and fresh ideas are always needed to be put out on the table and as a newcomer, he would have the opportunity to do that.

He said Maries R-1 has lost a lot of good teachers and he thinks they need to continue to give raises and improve the salary schedule to keep teachers at Maries R-1.

To him, the kids are always the priority as well as their safety. They should be given every opportunity they can to help them achieve and be successful students and individuals.