R-9 Board Candidate – Denise Hamilton

Denise Hamilton is seeking her first term as a member of the Trenton R-9 Board of Education.

enise Hamilton is seeking her first term as a member of the Trenton R-9 Board of Education. Mrs. Hamilton was born in Milan and moved to the Kansas City area as a small child, but spent every summer with her grandparents on a farm east of Laredo. She received all of her education in the Kansas City School District, moving back to north Missouri 13 years ago to be close to her parents. Mrs. Hamilton and her husband, Junior, have three children – Casey, a sophomore at Trenton High School, where he is involved in sports and plays horseshoes in the summer with his grandfather; Phoebe, an eighth grader at Trenton Middle School, where she is involved in FCCLA, cheerleading, and student council; and Jeremiah, who attends Rissler Elementary School as a fourth grader, where he is involved in student council, and sings with the Boppin? Bulldogs.

Mrs. Hamilton is finishing her second year as business manager at Wright Memorial Hospital and her husband has just finished his 30th year with ConAgra Foods. She has been involved in University Extension, American Cancer Society, Business and Professional Women and the Mentoring Program.. She is a 1996 graduate of the Leadership Trenton program and currently services on the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce. The family attends the Church of the Nazarene, where Mrs. Hamilton serves as junior high Sunday school teacher, and women?s ministry director.

1. Why are you running for this position?

?I have always been interested in running for the school board, but I knew it was a large time commitment. This year I have made it possible for myself to achieve this goal. I want to be more involved in the education of our children. I have three children, one of each whom is in the three Trenton R-9 schools. This has enabled me to have a good perspective of our school district. The future of our children depends on the quality of education they receive. I can see how rewarding this position could be. As a board member I would be a part of the bridge that connects you, the taxpayer, to the R-9 School District. As a parent, my hopes and dreams lie in my children and as a community our hopes and dreams are in our young people. We want the best for them and want them to have an easier road to success than what we might have had. The school board is more than policies, teacher contracts, transportation issues, or school lunches; it is being an active part of the dream that our superintendent has for our district. If elected I will be your voice, doing my part to achieve more for our district.?

2. What do you feel are the concerns facing the Trenton R-9 School district that you would like to see addressed as related to the position for which you are a candidate and how would you deal with them if elected?

?During my campaign I have had many parents express concern that they don?t feel like they are informed about what is going on in our district. I will admit that I used to feel this way. While running for this position I thought it would be a good idea to attend the monthly board meetings. So for the last four months, I have gone and learned more than I ever thought possible. Each month all three schools give an update on what has been going on in the school, and what activities are planned during the month. Many current issues are discussed. I urge everyone to attend these meetings, which are open to the public, if they want to be more informed. There are eight hours a day, five days a week that our children spend in public education. I want to know everything I can about these eight hours. As parents, we do our best in the evenings and weekends to instill the values that we feel are important. The rest of the time we must have faith in our administrators, teachers, school board and superintendent that they have our children?s best interest in mind. This is a large responsibility, and I am sure it is not always easy. The one way I can help is to be as informed as possible. The Missouri School Boards Association workshop that I attended in Liberty taught me a great deal about how the board runs. I have also learned a great deal by visiting with current members, teachers and administrators. If elected, I promise to take the time to listen, and to make informed decisions on your behalf. The board works as a team, and no one person can accomplish anything. I am looking forward to serving the community, and being a part of the promise, the promise that our children will be equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow.?

3. The Trenton R-9 School District, as in all districts, is facing budget concerns and has already made some cuts in school programs. Please discuss the budget issue and how you would address it in relation to the R-9 district (including what cuts, if any, you might suggest be made)?

?By now everyone has heard about the funding concerns within the areas of elementary and secondary education. We have had cuts this year, and next year also looks like it will be affected. It is reassuring to me that our current Board is making adjustments this year that will help us get through next year. They are looking ahead, and implementing changes. I feel with my financial background I will be an asset when dealing with these types of issues. Everyone brings experience with them to a new position and that is the benefit of electing new board members. There are new ideas, new techniques for problem solving, and new contacts with taxpayers. I bring with me a great deal of experience with policies/procedures, revenues, expenses, and budgeting skills. Many times when looking at budget cuts certain items make more sense to cut than others do. I have found out during my campaign that many funds come into the District earmarked, so they must be used for certain programs. These cannot be cut. I feel it is important for the community to be aware of things like this. We have much to be thankful for in our District. We have clean, modern, safe facilities. Pride is a wonderful feeling. This is what I want to be a part of.?