This interview is part of a weekly series of conversations with candidates running for local government offices leading up to the November 4 municipal election. This interview has been edited for clarity and conciseness.
SCHNELLE: So, what do you do outside of your school board campaign?
OWENS:I'ma mother, a wife, but I also, for my job, I work as a vice president for TFI.TFI is an agency here in town where we work with families who their kids have been removed from their care. So,we do foster care and adoption.
SCHNELLE: Why did you decide to run for the Pittsburg School Board?
OWENS:Well, since we moved to Pittsburg, Ms. Westcott, who is an amazing teacher, has asked me several times andI just didn't have the capacity. But this year I felt like when she asked me, I did have the capacity to do somethings. ButI also just felt led that I needed to run for the school board. And the reason was that I was just worried about some things that I had been seeing. And both of my kids got USD 250. AndI just want to ensure that, you know, with budget cuts that might be coming and things that might be changing, that I have a voice, and a way to have a voice is to be able to sit at the table. I thought that was important. But also too, I have friends whose kids go to the schools and hearing them having concerns and not knowing who to go to, I felt like this would give me an opportunity to be able to be a liaison between the community and the school board.
SCHNELLE: Are there any campaign goals that you feel are worth mentioning, like your goals once you become a school board member?
OWENS:I want people to know that I'm going to show up and that I'm going to continue what I do every day, advocate for children and families and try to do what's in the best interest for them.
SCHNELLE: What do you want voters to know about you as a candidate.
OWENS:I think that I'm hardworking, that my faith is important to me, and that I work hard for children and families. That's all I do. It doesn't matter where we're at. Just for example, I just made Festa, and that is Festa Italiana.
That'sA fundraiser for Frontenac School. I've been doing that for the past few years, and they continue to welcome me back. I believe that's a fundraiser where kids get scholarships, and if I can help kids within our surrounding communities, I'm going to do that. I like to give up my time. So,I feel like this is another way to give my time back.
But I believe in serving people and making sure that taking care of our community, and in the word community, it says unity and to be unified, you must do things and be willing to serve others. And I feel selfless. But I also will speak up. And I don't mind having hard conversations and advocating for things because that's what I do daily. But really trying to make best decisions about children and families and making sure that they're connected to those resources. AndI feel like the school board is a tremendous resource that I didn't know a lot about, but now that I've been I'm just reading and doing my homework. Ihave a different outlook. Ido want a seat at the table so I can help make some decisions that not only affect my children, but the children to come.
SCHNELLE: So a year from now, if you're elected, is there anything that you're hoping to accomplish?
OWENS:Well, I just want to make sure that we are doing things to prepare our kids to be successful. I am concerned with the state of Kansas lowering our standards with testing scores and making it seem like we're doing well when we're not. My goal would be to make sure that the curriculum that we're providing and how we're educating our kids. We're really pursuing that, and we're setting them up for success. And the way to know that is that we do increase our scores with our testing and things like that. I think a lot of things have changed since COVID-19 and I just don't want us to be lax. I want to know that my kids and everybody else's kids are going to be successful because that is our future and that is very important to me.
SCHNELLE: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
OWENS:I just think I want people to know that I am a hard worker.
When things get hard,I think I dig my feet deeper. I don't runaway. I've been met with a lot of challenges through work and just through life, and I continue to show up.And I just want people to know that if they elect me or vote for me, I'm going to show up. The other thing is I just don't know if we get the word out about what's happening on the school board. And so,I want to be able to create that space where people can come and ask us what's going on and make sure that we're really talking to our parents and our teachers and just having a better understanding of what's going on. And I think I can go out and do that.
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