New candidates shake up Hilliard school board election

by Addison Maley

Editor-in-Chief

The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.

Nov. 7 marks a major election day for local government in Hilliard, with two Board of Education seats at large.

Hilliard’s Board of Education is responsible for acting as a liaison between families and administration as well as voting on the district’s superintendent and treasurer. Though the school board does not handle the direct operation of schools, they do create policy for the district, like absence policy and codes of conduct.

Incumbents Nadia Long and Brian Perry are vying to keep their seats against candidates Kelley Arnold and Kate Lemaster.

Kate Lemaster

Though all candidates are nonpartisan, Lemaster shares an election slate with Hilliard City Council candidates Mike Carney and JT Ysseldyke, who are campaigning to “Save Hilliard” from further urban development.

Lemaster’s major concern with Hilliard development is a projected plateau of HCSD’s student enrollment, despite population growth. She shares on her campaign website, “We need to make sure, as we go into a levy next year, that we have school board members who are willing to ask hard questions. The foundation of a levy starts with student enrollment. If we get that number wrong, then everything thereafter is wrong as well.”

Additionally, Lemaster has received endorsement from the far-right political action committee the 1776 Project. Launched in 2021, the PAC’s focus is on opposing teaching content from the 1619 Project, which details the history of slavery. The 1776 Project has also assumed an energetic role in endorsing a new wave of book-banning across America’s public schools, involving censoring works written by or about LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and/or women.

Map displaying the 1776 Project’s endorsements throughout the U.S. (graphic by: 1776 Project PAC)

Lemaster’s loyalty to parents and their educational influence on their children is clear, stating she is “committed to always providing a place for parents in our educational decision-making process.”

Brian Perry

Perry is endorsed by several Democratic and pro-union groups, including the Franklin County and Hilliard Democratic Parties, the Central Ohio Labor Council and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees.

Perry’s campaign pillars are financial responsibility, school safety, and academic success. One of the greatest achievements of his past term was stretching a four year levy to eight years. He shares on his website:

“We are entrusted with taxpayer dollars and are expected to use those dollars to maintain high quality schools, without wasting funds. Our residents deserve a school board that is acting responsibly with their money so that the district can stretch the time between levies like we have and reduce the overall burden on residents. This is essential and I have proven it is achievable, without sacrificing quality.”

Nadia Long

Long is the longest-sitting board member, assuming office in 2015, and is the only member who has served as board president. She is endorsed by the Franklin County Republican Party and the Dublin Republican Club.

On her campaign website, Long shares “As a parent of three students in the district, I get to see academic success in action. I bring these insights to the Board of Education decision making process.”

Kelly Arnold

Arnold is endorsed by current board member Kara Crowley, City Council candidate Greg Betts (D), Hilliard and Franklin County Democratic Parties, as well as Matriots PAC.

Matriots PAC is a nonpartisan group founded in 2017 that is dedicated to supporting Ohio women candidates. Endorsing over 100 candidates in 2023, the PAC’s goal is for at least 50% of all elected offices to be held by women. Currently, only 29% are.

While Arnold has not taken an explicit stance on the “Save Hilliard” debate, she does outline the importance of communication as Hilliard develops in her website.

“As we look forward with aging buildings and growth, the community input via the most recent Master Facilities Plan Survey provided invaluable feedback on expectations. It will be important to continue dialogue with the community as we look at our expectations for our buildings and how they facilitate education goals.”

According to Hilliard City Schools, the Master Facilities Plan Survey “will be the product of a data-driven process that guides capital planning decisions over the next 5-10 years” that relies heavily on community input to gauge the needs of Hilliard.

For information on early voting, as well as polling locations for Nov. 7, visit the Franklin County Board of Elections website.