West Franklin set for trio of new officials

The West Franklin School Board will have three new faces on it after the April election.

Stacy Hower, Pomona, and Sherry Harris, Ottawa, are running for Positions 4 and 5, respectively, while Thayne Bush and Marvin Zorn, both of Quenemo, are vying for Position 6.

Stacy Hower

For this reason, Hower wants to get the community more involved with the West Franklin School Board.

“We must pursue and encourage greater involvement of the community within the district,” he said. “The involvement starts at the home, with a child’s family.”

Keeping students and their families first will be in the back of Hower’s mind if elected, especially with the budget problems facing USD 287 right now.

“With all of the uncertainty in state funding, the falling enrollment within the district, and the aging structures within the district, there is a serious money issue that has to be addressed sooner than later,” he said. “We have got to focus our efforts on stabilizing the cash issue without sacrificing the education the students of USD 287 receive.”

Hower and his wife, Traci, have three kids. He is employed by ONEOK Energy Marketing Company and currently serves as the treasurer of the Appanoose Recreation Commission.

Sherry Harris

Minimizing those cuts and making sure they don’t directly impact students is a concern for her, however.

“No one wants to see cuts in any part of the budget,” she said. “The reality is that cuts are going to have to be made. The main thing is to keep the kids of West Franklin School District achieving a high level of education.”

Harris is employed by Citizens State Bank of Pomona. She and her husband live outside of Pomona and have a daughter and a stepson.

“I decided to run for the school board to give something back to the West Franklin district,” she said. “I want to try and help the district stay strong.”

Thayne Bush

“I know people in both communities,” he said. “There are a lot of hard feelings.”

In order to provide the best possible education, Bush said these feelings need to be worked through.

“I want to make it a better learning situation for the students,” he said. “We’ve lost a lot of students because of consolidation.”

Bush and his wife live between Pomona and Williamsburg and have one son. He’s lived in the area for most of his life, he said.

“I’m real passionate about our school and want to see it succeed,” he said.

Marvin Zorn

Although he and his wife have only lived in the area for three years, he’s ready to help out the school district.

“The kids are our most important priority right now,” he said.

Zorn has five children himself, so he knows the importance of good school systems, he said.

If elected, one of Zorn’s main objectives would be to take a look at the district’s budget concerns.

“We’re driven by what dollars are available,” he said. “Education is the key to the whole thing.”