Five seek Central School Board seats

Five people are seeking two seats on the Central School Board. The term is for three years. Among those seeking office are incumbent Dennis Politte, Ronnie Calvird, Jeff Cunningham, Ed Gammon and Dallas Bryant.

Ronnie Calvird

Calvird lives just outside Park Hills with his wife, Linda. They have three children.

Calvird graduated from Central High School. He is a parts manager at Bulk Tank in Park Hills.

Calvird said he is running because he grew up in Park Hills and is supportive of what the school does and the direction it is going. He said he would like to be involved in it.

Dennis L. (Dooley) Politte

Politte lives in Park Hills with his wife, Linda. They have three children and a grandchild.

He is a graduate of Central. He has an associate degree from Mineral Area College and attended Southeast Missouri State.

He is the Parks and Recreation director for Park Hills and has worked there for 14 years.

He has been a youth pastor for 23 years and currently is a youth pastor at Desloge First Baptist Church. He was on the Youth Ministers Network for Youth For Christ for four years.

He is currently on the school board and has been for about 12 years.

He is running because of his concern for students. He said students are the No. 1 priority and he feels it is a duty to make sure they get the best opportunity available for education.

He believes they have an excellent school district with excellent staff and administration. He said he is glad to have been a part of it and he wants to make sure they continue on that path.

Jeffry S. Cunningham

Cunningham lives in Park Hills with his wife, Michele Politte. They have three children: Melanee, Maggee, and Maycee.

He has two associate degrees and a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and has completed half of his Master’s work in Healthcare Administration.

He is the manager of Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center at Parkland Health Center. He’s been there 19 years.

He was trained in the Army as a medical lab specialist and that is how he got started in the health care field.

He is affiliated with professional organizations for respiratory care and cardiac rehab such as AARC and AACVPR. He has been on the Park Hills City Council for five years.

Having children in the school district, he believes he has a lot at stake in how the district performs. He said he wants to make sure the district continues to be a district they can be proud of. He said it has been awarded distinction in performance for six consecutive years.

He said he hopes people will consider his management and educational background when they vote.

Ed Gammon

Gammon lives in Park Hills with his wife, Susie. They have two children and four grandchildren.

He is a Central graduate. He retired from McDonnell Douglas and was with the National Guard for six years.

Gammon is running for school board because Central is doing a good job and he wants to make sure it stays that way.

He said Central has one of the best computer systems in the county and he hopes it stays that way. He said everyone is cutting back and from his experience, when they start cutting back, they don’t get it back. He doesn’t want the school to lose anything.

Dallas Bryant

Bryant lives in Park Hills with his wife, Michelle. They have four children.

He is a graduate of Farmington High School and attended two years of community college.

He is a Potosi Correctional Center officer. He is also with the 932nd Maintenance Squadron at Scott Air Force Base. He is on orders until April.

He is a member of the Missouri Correctional Officers Association and coaches youth sports.

Bryant thinks Central School District has excellent teachers and is an excellent school district. He said he is running because it doesn’t hurt to have fresh ideas.