Thank you to the members of Call to Action for your interest in my candidacy for the Concord Board of School Trustees.  I have enjoyed serving as a Concord School Board Trustee for the past eight years. I’m thankful that our community has entrusted me to represent all stakeholders to try and do what’s best for the children of Concord Community Schools.  Our board has made great strides in improving the quality of education for our students and I want to continue to be a part of this important work.  Our children deserve the best education that our community can provide, while at the same time being fiscally responsible to all of our taxpayers.   While I do not have children currently attending Concord Community Schools, I feel that I provide a voice for all stakeholders in our community.

 

Each individual board member brings their own unique skills to the Board. I’m an accountant and I feel that gives me a solid background for understanding the finances and fiscal responsibilities of the operations of a large school corporation.  We must not only provide the best staff, programming, and facilities for our students, but we must do it in a fiscally responsible way.

 

In 2021 our community communicated to the board through the defeat of the referendum that they did not want to renew the referendum, even at a lower tax rate.  Our board continues to be very aware of this view and we are striving to be good stewards with the tax dollars we are allotted.  We are also aware that the Assessed Value in Elkhart County is increasing so we have been striving to lower our tax rate for our constituents.  In 2021 our rate was $1.70 and in 2022 our rate was $1.56.  Our targeted tax rate in 2023 is $1.46.

 

Currently, our School Board is in the process of finalizing our 5-year Strategic Plan, and ensuring that all of the exciting opportunities we have planned for students align with the needs and wants of our community. Supporting those initiatives -- especially in the areas of student academic achievement and well-being -- is critical to our mission as a school district. I strongly believe that the top goal of school board members is to support the important work that is happening in our schools, while listening to the voices of our community so that our hopes and dreams for students are aligned with theirs.  

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Email: jenda7@aol.com

Concord = cooperation and harmony 

 

I pledge to support parents:

• who follow the progress of their beloved children’s education and training

• who want their children to focus on academics 

• who want to leave politics out of school

• who want to leave ideological issues to families who uphold parental rights

• who do not want tax raises

• who support freedom of speech

• who are against promotion of gender confusion 

• who champion traditional American values 

 

For Community = preparation for enjoyable & productive participation in our society

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1. To further academic training

2. To pursue vocational skill development

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I mention a few of the current issues that are on to the radar. It is important to stay abreast of influences that find access into the curriculum of our educational centers. 

 

Teachers, coaches, mentors, staff & administrators take the time and make the sacrifice to gain the expertise and qualification to train students. They help their students gain cumulative information in a variety of subjects as they advance through the grades. 

 

Along the way, the students acquire insight, understanding and ability to apply the acquired knowledge to the ‘natural’ ways of life - we all share along our journey. 

 

At this juncture, I am sure you will inevitably hear competing views which vie for influence. Even when addressing the various subjects taught in classes, the experts have differing opinions on the content and methods of teaching each discipline. 

 

When considering issues regarding the application of knowledge to the ‘natural’ ways of life, we enter into the area of morality, freedoms of choice, ethics and such. 

 

We all do our best to prepare our children along the way as they decide to make their life choices. There will always be decisions to be made in the face of competing &/or opposing ideas. 

 

The nub of the center of the question is: by what underlying and undergirding principles & values do you make those decisions?!

 

Whether it is our children, their trainers or us, we will have to live out the consequences of our decisions and choices. 

 

If elected to join the Board, I will endeavor to encourage all parties to make decisions that have been proven to be the best way to  establish a thriving and successful community, economy and life. 

 

This way of life is affirmed every time we recite the pledge of allegiance. We pledge to support one another in order to establish our nation under the God of the Bible. 

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Email: Fik.forconcord22@gmail.com

My name is Tara Towner and I am a current Concord Community School Board member
(appointed in August after a seat became vacant) and am currently running for re-election to the school board. I have been married to my wonderful husband for 15 years and we have two great kids. Elijah is our 13-year-old and is currently a 7th grader at Concord Jr. High and our daughter Eden is 11 years old and is a 6th grader at Concord Intermediate. I graduated from Grace College with a BS in Communications and a minor in Youth Ministry in 2003. After graduation, I spent 9 years working in the health insurance field working primarily with group health insurance and employee benefits. Since we have had our kids, I have worked in several different fields that have allowed me to be flexible and available for our kids. I handled Connections and Small Groups at Waypoint Community Church, worked for a non-profit where I handled rentals and events and have even had the opportunity to be a substitute in several of the offices within Concord Community Schools. Currently, along with my role on the school board, I am handling the books for West on Warren and work a shift or two a week to fill my need for engaging with people. While I was excited for the chance to work on the school board, I was not quite sure how it would look and there was definitely some nervousness. What I found was that this opportunity has allowed me to utilize not just the skills I have but allowed me to use my passion for the betterment of our kids and serving alongside a team of people who have the same desire.

When we moved into the Concord district eight years ago, it was purposefully to send our children to Concord schools. The thought of sending our first child off to school was a bit unnerving, my husband and I agreed that the best way to get comfortable with something was to get involved. I started helping with the PTO first as a volunteer and ultimately as PTO President at Concord South Side. As I got to know the teachers and staff, I found a group of people who cared deeply about my children. We loved our time at South Side and each of the staff members that we got to know along the way, and with each year have found more kind, caring adults who go above and beyond for kids. I want to support schools that encourage not just my children, but every child who enters through the doors of Concord, to grow and push themselves beyond what they thought was possible. I firmly believe that the best way to make a difference is to roll up your sleeves and do the hard work, and that is how I approach my role as a school board member.

Throughout my years in the Concord district, I have had the opportunity to be a part of the
schools in many different areas. From serving on the PTO, including serving as president for
two years, to working as a substitute in several of the school offices in the district, I have had the chance to be in many of our buildings to see the amazing work happening there. These experiences have given me a glimpse of what works for our schools, as well as some of the struggles that we face in providing the best possible educational experience for every child. I have work experience in health insurance and can help with navigating this confusing area of benefits and be an asset in making sure we are providing the best for the employees while making sure we are being as financially responsible as we can be. I am passionate about people and service and will strive to contribute to make our schools a place where kids and teachers know they are valued. Being a part of a board requires the ability to work together toward the common goal and I greatly enjoy being part of the collaboration and teamwork process.

My top goals for Concord Community Schools boil down to three primary objectives: helping every child succeed, supporting teachers and staff, and listening to our community.

We must ensure we are providing our kids with a quality education and support that they need to be successful at whatever they choose to become. We need to make sure that all of our kids are being reached and are challenged to grow no matter what level they’re starting from.

We also need to make sure that our teachers are being appreciated, supported, and given the tools that they need to be successful at their job. If we are going to continue to be a school district that people want to be a part of, we need to make sure we are not only retaining the amazing teachers we have but attracting quality ones to be part of the Concord community.

Lastly, we must to listen to our students, families and teachers as to what is going well and what can be done better. As we listen, we can weed through all the noise and find the commonality in what is being said and find ways to make our great schools even better.

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Email: Tara.towner@gmail.com

(574) 276-4361

My name is Jared Sponseller and I am a candidate for Concord School Board District 2. My wife is Courtney and we have been married for 25 years. We have three daughters, Gabby 20 years old, Bella 18
years old, and Gia 15 years old. I received a Masters of Accountancy degree from Manchester University in 1997. I have worked for First State Bank for the last 17 years, including being CFO since January 2020. I am a USA Swimming Admin Official, long-time volunteer for Concord Swim Club, and I have
worked many high school swim meets at the meet operations table and served as the Announcer for all home meets last season.
I have served on the Concord School Board since June 2020, when I was appointed by the remaining members of the School Board to fulfill the remaining term of Randy Myers after his sudden and very unfortunate passing. I want to continue serving as a member of the Concord School Board because I believe a strong public school system is a critical pillar for a strong community. Concord has a long
history of strength and perseverance that myself and my family have been fortunate to be a small part of.

Courtney and I both attended Concord from K-12th grade and are 1992 graduates. After completing college, we never had any doubts that we wanted to live and raise our family in the community that we grew up in and we know shares our values. Our oldest daughter Gabby is a 2020 Concord graduate and
our younger two daughters are current Concord students. On a personal level, I want to continue to serve on the Concord School Board to continue giving back to a community that has been so great to my family and me. As an advocate for education and a lifelong member of this community, I want to continue to help lead a strong district that provides an exceptional educational experience for every child we serve, and
strong support system for our staff. To truly understand an organization, I believe being involved and engaged is key. I have prior experience serving an organization as a board member, having been Treasurer of Concord Swim Club for the past 10 years. I have volunteered many hours to the Swim Club over the years and attend as many Concord
school events and extra-curricular activities as I can in order to support Concord students. Through this volunteer work, I’ve seen hundreds of students, families, school staff, and community members who believe in the work Concord is doing to support students and help them become the best they can be in all aspects of life. My day job is CFO of a community bank and through my work I’ve developed strong financial and analytical skills. I am a calm, level-headed decision maker who is also passionate about doing the right thing for children and our community. Having these experiences as a volunteer and my professional work have given me the perspective needed to serve our community as a member of the Concord School Board and I look forward to continuing to do so.
If re-elected to Concord School Board, I look forward to working with our Superintendent and other four board members to continue making Concord a great place for our students, staff, and community members. As we continue to look for ways to fund the educational programming and student
opportunities that make Concord an exceptional school district, I look forward to lending my expertise in the area of finance. Maintaining the exceptional educational experience that our community expects,
while also ensuring we are being responsible stewards of our funds for our taxpayers, is important work that I do not and will not take lightly. We are in the final stages of creating a Strategic Plan that will guide our district into the next five years and beyond. It’s exciting to see what’s next for our students, our staff, our district, and our community and I look forward to being part of that work.

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jared.sponseller@comcast.net

(574) 606-7328