Trent White, 5040 SE S.R. 116, Bluffton.
White, 40, works for Estes Express Lines in New Haven. He is a also a veteran serving his 17th years of enlistment in the military as a fighter aircraft mechanic in the Indiana Air National Guard
He and his family attend Hope Missionary Church and he volunteers with his children’s extracurricular actvities.
Qualifications
I’m a 6th generation Bluffton High School graduate (Class of 2002). My wife, Stephanie, and I are lifelong residents of Bluffton and currently have four kids in the school district — Max (16), Maddox (13), Mackenzie (11), and Mason (9). I have a personal vested interest in each one of our three buildings as I have at least one student in each. I have served as our school board’s facilities liaison, secretary, and I am currently our board’s vice president.
Why are you running for this office?
Serving on the school board is a great way to give back to our district and local community, a district and local community that have given me a lot. I want to help ensure that our current and future students receive the same level of excellence and tradition that BHMSD has given to past students.
As an incumbent, what initiatives would you continue? What changes or new initiatives are needed?
Safety and security upgrades are always a top priority. Phil Kurut does a great job as our school resource officer but he can’t be everywhere at once. I would like to see our district add two new SRO’s to be able to secure one in each building. Upgraded building security and technology are a part of my agenda for the next four years.
What do you feel are the most significant challenges and opportunities for BHMSD right now?
Staff retention has proved to be a challenge the last four years. I want to put a focus on supplying our staff with the much-needed tools, equipment, and facilities, so they can do their jobs to the best of their abilities and in turn create the most positive learning environment for student success. Our student enrollment numbers are looking positive, (currently 1,743) and with that comes more funding. Combine that with the fact that we are constantly seeking grants from local, state, and national levels, and our opportunities for our district are endless moving forward.
Peter Christopher (Chris) Koiner, 1050 Granary Ct., Bluffton.
Koiner, 36, has worked in security for nine years.
He has also been involved in coaching various youth sports, including tee ball with both the YMCA and Bluffton tee ball, YMCA soccer both indoor and outdoor, and YMCA basketball.
Qualifications
My qualifications for this position are that I am a concerned parent that wants to make sure the school system is transparent and accountable to the voters and the community as a whole. I have also been endorsed by Right to Life of Northeast Indiana PAC due to my stance that all children, born and unborn, should be given the best education possible so that they can succeed.
Why are you running for this office?
The reasons I am running for BHMSD School Board District 3 is because I have seen the safety of the school is woefully lacking. It is the bare minimum.
The curriculum has a lot of problems as well. It meets Indiana Standards but that just means its average. Teachers aren’t average, my kids aren’t average, and none of the kids in this community are average. They all deserve the best. I believe both teachers and students can succeed if challenged with a tougher curriculum that rises above Indiana Academic Standards. The current curriculum focuses too much on government overreach into the family domain and social issues. It does not focus on academics or education. I believe it is time for change. I believe it is time for the Bluffton school system to become the best it can be. We don’t have to be average or the bare minimum. We can be the best, but only if we elect school board members that are willing to do what it takes to get us there. We have had four years or more of average. It’s time to be the best.
As a challenger, what initiatives would you continue? What changes or new initiatives are needed?
The changes I think we need are:
1. Improving Security — More student resource officers or even a security team, cameras in classrooms, metal detectors at the entrances, a cyber division to crack down on cyber bullying, and enforcing or enhancing the anti-bullying policies.
2. Replacing current curriculum with one that will exceed Indiana Academic Standards, that will teach children facts and truth, and that will not try to force social issues on our kids.
What do you feel are the most significant challenges and opportunities for BHMSD right now?
The biggest challenge for BHMSD is that we are stuck with the bare minimum in regard to security and a bare minimum/average curriculum. We also have a huge bullying problem that the current school board, including my opponent, have failed to address. This sends a message to parents that their kids aren’t worth protecting, can’t do well in school, and aren’t worth being respected. I believe differently.
The biggest opportunity BHMSD has is a chance to rise above average and strive to be the best we can be. This can only happen if we vote for change. This can only happen if we vote for people that are willing to act. My opponent has had four years to act, and he has not. It has been mostly going with what the other board members decided. I am the candidate that will act. I am the one that will work to make the changes necessary to protect our kids, give them the best education possible, and to enact afterschool programs that allow them to succeed in life.
