Packed race for Central Heights board

There are more candidates than available seats in the Central Heights School Board election.

Shane Oram and Angela Weiderholt are seeking Position 5, while Jack Davis and Doug Malone both hope to snag Position 4. Ron Sluder, the lone incumbent, is running unopposed for Position 6.

Shane Oram

Instead, the 19-year-old college student wants to help make his school district a better place.

“My experience through high school left me longing for more,” he said. “I knew I wasn’t being challenged, and a lot of my classmates weren’t being challenged.”

If elected, Oram wants the school district to start hiring more quality teachers, he said.

“I really don’t want students to fall behind just because of their locations,” he said. “The area is a pretty awesome environment to raise a kid.”

Oram is a biology major at Kansas State University.

Angela Weiderholt

Rather, she’s been happy with the quality of education her children have received. Now, she wants to give back.

“I thought it was about time I got involved in the school,” she said. “I want to be sure that the kids are given the proper tools to reach their maximum potential in education.”

Weiderholt has three children and is employed by Hasty Awards. She has lived in Richmond for seven years.

“I think the main issue for me is to ensure that we’re implementing the proper learning tools to prepare our students for the future and graduation,” she said. “I just want to be a part of that and want to have a say in things.”

Ron Sluder

After all, he and his wife have seven of their own. But working on the school board gives him a chance to help even more children.

“It’s all about the kids,” he said. “That’s the reason I ran for the school board. To make sure the kids get a good quality educational experience.”

Sluder, who works at WKT Communications in Ottawa, has been involved with the school board for eight years, and said he’s looking forward to helping in the future, if re-elected.

“I want to make sure we maintain some stability with the board and with new members,” he said. “There are some things that I’d still like to get done for the good of the kids.”

Jack Davis

For him, it’s just his turn.

“I just figured everybody needs to serve a little time on it at some point,” he said. “My kids are at an age that I can get away and do it.”

Davis has lived in Princeton since he was born. After college, he returned to become a rancher. He and his wife have three children.

“I think if I get the opportunity, I could do a good job,” he said. “In the future, this budget deal is going to be tough. Where I’ve had my own business for 20 years, I feel like I can kind of have some good input on it.”

Doug Malone

Malone ran unsuccessfully for Position 7, the at-large position, in the 2005 election. He failed to win enough votes from the primary election to advance to the general.