City and school board elections are just around the corner. We reached out to the candidates in each election and asked each of them the same questions. Sentinel writer Cindy Entriken submitted the same list of questions to all candidates in both elections. These questions are listed below.
• What is your highest level of education?
• Where did you go to school from K - 12th grades?
• If you obtained education past high school, what was the focus of your studies?
• Why are you running for a position on the board of USD #298?
• Have you served on the board of a public school system prior to now?
• In your opinion what are the most pressing issues facing USD #298 in the next year?
• I’ve overheard snippets of conversation about the need to build a new grade school for USD#298. a. What is your position on this topic? b. If you believe that the district needs a new grade school, please explain why you think there is a need. c. If the school board decides that a new grade school building is needed, where would the building be located, or would it be built on the grounds of the current building? d. If it were built on the grounds of the current building, where would students go for schooling during construction?
• If the school board does vote to build a new grade school building, how do you see your role in helping sell the community on financing construction?
• How would a new building be funded?
The school board candidate’s answers follow.
Sarah Diehl holds a doctorate in Occupational Therapy with emphasis with Business in Healthcare Administration for Hospitals and Nursing Homes. With her public-school education in Hays, she went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology, Minor Music, Emphasis Neuroscience Regis University, Denver, Colorado and a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas. More educational achievements include Spiritual Director at Pecos Benedictine Monastery, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Rockhurst University in Kansas City and became a Specialist for Cancer and Lymphedema Therapy at Klose in Denver.
Diehl has enjoyed being part of the Site Council, of which she’s been a part for a few years, and she would like to do more. She is equally invested in both USD#298 buildings, with a child at LES and another in junior high at LJSHS.
She has not served on a school system board previously, but in addition to the Lincoln Site Council, she is on the board for the American Red Cross for the Western Kansas region which includes more than 20 counties.
Diehl said there are so many issues in the district she is not certain which are the most pressing for the 2024-25 school year. She would like to focus on Superintendent Crenshaw’s list of priorities (which takes an entire book), covering issues with both buildings. Other areas of emphasis, Diehl said, are sports, students for college and giving students the tools they need to succeed in life. Diehl said she would like to begin by listening to those with more experience, consulting with others about the issues, finding a balance between the budget and planning for the current year with the vision for future generations.
Diehl does not believe the district needs a new grade school. Instead, she says we should either make the repairs on the elementary school or expand the LJSHS building with a second floor on both the building and the parking lot. Because the buildings share a superintendent, principal, art teacher, music teacher, PE teacher, dining room food, paras and some support staff, she feels the building should hold all 13 grades.
She believes we are shrinking in numbers and pulling the resources together as one would be good. This would save time in staff members driving back and forth to both campuses, money for heating/cooling multiple buildings, taxes for multiple buildings, and much more.
If a new building were built on the grounds of the
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current building, Diehl thinks this could be phased into a five-year plan, so construction is done during the summer months. If the money is available and the right people are on board who have planned it, the construction can go very quickly. She is in favor of using local contractors and student/parent volunteers to help in various ways.
Diehl believes the cost/financing of a new building should occur prior to breaking ground, without going into debt.
“The most important thing to know is if people have a vision, then it can happen. Just look at the fundraising for the track. It started with just one penny and now the track is almost done,” Diehl said.
Up for re-election, Jeanna Eckhart has served on the USD# 298 school board for the past several years. She is a native of Lincoln County, attending elementary school in Barnard, junior high school in Beverly and high school in Lincoln. One could say she knows her way around the county.
Eckhart wants to be involved in making our schools better, providing a good education and promising future for our kids. Her focus is to prepare youth for the next step in their lives, no matter what that means to each student. She believes an equal focus should be placed on hiring and keeping great educators and support staff.
The subject of a new elementary school has been a topic for discussion for several years. Eckhart said she has mixed feelings about the prospect and knows there are strong emotions on the subject in the community. For these reasons, she is not prepared to comment on this subject.
Also running for the first time is Becky Good of Beverly. She attended Lincoln schools all 13 years of public education and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
Good is seeking a seat on the school board to make sure our children receive the same quality education she received as a student in USD#298.
“I understand that there must be a balance between taxation and spending,” Good said. “Given the current economic outlook, it is going to be more important than ever that we remain disciplined and responsible with spending while ensuring students and educators have the resources that they need to succeed. I look forward to collaborating with other board members, administrators, educators, and parents to provide a solid foundation for our students.”
She feels the more pressing issues being faced today are funding, maintaining aging facilities, staying on top of continuously changing technology, and finding innovative ways to attract and retain teachers.
In reference to a new elementary school building, Good said since the population of Lincoln County and school enrollments have been steadily declining for decades, and budgets are shrinking, it makes sense to do what is most cost-effective for the community. She is in favor of renovation vs. new construction for the cost-savings. In the case it is determined that a new school is needed, Good recommends it not be at the same location. Because LES and LJSHS already share administrators, lunchroom staff, etc. and as enrollment continues to decline, they will likely share more resources in the future. Therefore, she recommends the grade school be located closer to the high school on existing school property.
Good does not believe a project the size of new construction could be financed with a bond issue alone, and other funding options would need to be explored. If new construction is chosen as the correct decision, Good sees her role in fundraising as being able to provide information and answer questions.
Also on the ballot for re-election is David Bell, who has served on the board for several years. Bell is a farmer/rancher and a native of Lincoln County. Bell did not respond to our questions.
