Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
David Kem will take over the Holley seat on the District 55 School Board in December.
He was appointed to fill a vacancy left by the resignation of Don Hopkins. It is his third time being appointed to the board. He previously served in the Cascadia position and then in the at-large position. He was defeated by Jason Redick in the 2005 election for the at-large seat.
Kem is married to Kellie Kem. They have two daughters, Heather and Cera. Cera is a junior at Sweet Home High School. Kem works for Consumers Power. He has lived in Sweet Home for 14 years.
“All of my neighbors came to me and asked, since I was on the School Board, would I go back and represent them,” Kem said. He talked to Supt. Larry Horton, board members and other school officials to find out what the situation was.
“I think one of the most important things I see is this charter school thing going on, trying to make sure everything works smoothly, getting everything on track, no game playing,” Kem said. He said, from what he understands, that the charter school has not been getting information and paperwork to the district.
Horton mentioned during the November meeting that the district has had some difficulty with getting some information.
The children end up losing, Kem said.
“I think we need to get on top of that as a board. Charter schools are the thing of the future.”
For the students, the charter school problems need to get straightened out, he said.
Kem also said he wants to make sure the lunchtime issues around the High School are controlled. He referred mainly to underage smoking and problems with trash deposited in the wrong places after students have left the campus for lunch.
The issue is being addressed, Kem said, but he wants to make sure the district stays on top of it.
He also is concerned about the high school dropout rate.
The board will consider whether to contract for a long-term growth study to help establish a long-term facilities plan.
“I think we can expand with the growth,” Kem said. “I don’t see the growth (happening like) Lebanon.”
Things have definitely changed since Kem was last on the board, and trustees were talking about closing schools a couple of years ago.
Kem thinks the district probably can handle upcoming growth if it keeps its existing schools open, although the demographics of individual schools seems to be changing from Foster to Oak Heights.
Making sure the district can handle growth is important, he said.
“I don’t want any of the kids to suffer for something we adults, the community can correct.”
That’s what the board is there to do, he said.
“I can’t wait to get back into it after the holidays,” Kem said. With the weather, he has been busy working long shifts repairing power systems, and he has only had a chance to meet with Horton once since his appointment.
“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to serve the School District’s people again,” Kem said. “This community is one of the most amazing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
People step up and get involved when there’s a need, he said. Other communities don’t have people or parents get involved the same way.
“It’s amazing how these people come together to do stuff,” he said. “It warms my heart because I love my kids. That school (district) has helped make my kids even better than I can.”