Republic Board of Education

The following candidates are running for a place on the Republic Board of Education:
 
Name: Travis Edwards
Age: 46
Occupation: Pastor at North Nixa Baptist Church
Why should someone vote for you?
I believe the Republic School District has accomplished so much the past three years and that some of its best days are yet to come. I hope that I have shown myself to be someone that is a voice of reason and wisdom during my time on the board, as well as someone who has made decisions that support our mission to prepare each student for a successful future. I love this community and want nothing more than to give myself in serving our students, teachers, and staff so that Republic continues to be a place students receive an education that blesses them for a lifetime. It is for these reasons I humbly ask for your vote on April 5th!

Name: Robin Davidson
Age: 56
Occupation: Public School Teacher (Springfield Public Schools—4th-5th Grade—23 years)
Why should someone vote for you? This moment in time and my life experiences make me an ideal candidate for the Republic School Board. Only four of my nine children are at home, and they are on the homestretch of their high school years. I am about five years from retirement and feel now is the time to give back to the community and school district which has given so much to me and my family. My experiences uniquely qualify me for this position.
First and foremost, I am a parent. I moved to Republic in 2007, and seven of my nine children attended Republic schools. All totaled, I have 56 cumulative years of experience as a Republic Schools parent. In that time and through the experiences of each of my children, I have watched the Republic School district grow and develop into the preeminent district of this region. I believe those years as a parent have left me well-versed in the intricacies of the district and equip me to serve.
Additionally, as a parent, I understand the importance of inclusion, accessibility, and transparency on the part of our schools. A parent is the point-person of their child’s educational team. They should feel respected and included. As a parent, I feel that deeply; as a board member, it will inform everything I do.
Second, I am an educator. I am well-travelled in the field of public education; I am an inhabitant of the field of education. For 23 years, I have built, guided, and sustained strong, safe, equitable learning communities. I have 23 years of the most practical experience of any of our exceptional field of candidates. I intimately know the best and the worst attributes of a public education system. This alone equips me to make critical and fair judgment about any issues I might encounter as a Republic School board member.
Finally, I—being a long-term resident of this community and an (at-least) sixth generation Missourian—share the core values which make Republic an exceptional place to live. Currently, we are experiencing unprecedented growth. It is a wonderful and amazing thing to behold. Our district will have to adapt and adjust to these changes. I stand ready for that endeavor. However, we will have to find a way to remain firmly tethered to the traditional foundations which have made us strong—while demonstrating an innovative and pioneering-spirit necessary to charge headlong into the future. I believe I am the best candidate to pursue these ends. Thank you for your careful consideration and God bless.

Name: Reggie George
Age: 51
Occupation: A physician at Cox South hospital. My work is as a hospitalist and I am board certified in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. I cover patients at the hospital from all ages, but I do not work in an office. Employed at Cox for almost 17 years.  
Why should someone vote for you?
Republic school district is seeing unprecedented growth. There are many changes and decisions that will have to be made over the next few years. These decisions will impact our community, our youth, and our future. I think I am an excellent candidate to help make decisions for our school district. To me, education and development of a hard work ethic is key to success. We need educate for success and encourage them to learn independently while giving them the support to do so. As a community, we need to be there for our youth and our teachers.  

Name: Dave Daniel
Age:51
Occupation: Emery Sapp & Sons
Why should someone vote for you? I'm running to be an ear for the kids. To help relationships between parents, kids and the schools and vice versa.