Jenny Daniels, 38, says she is running for School Board mainly as a way to get involved in her community and to help keep the district running smoothly, the way it is now.
Daniels is running for position two, Liberty, against Steve Hiett. Jeff Lynn, incumbent, is not running.
“I work with Mike Reynolds,” she said. Reynolds is board chairman. “He said the Liberty district was open and said I should run.”
Daniels said her children are getting older and more self-sufficient, giving her more time to get involved in the community. She previously served on the city Parks Board.
“I think people need to be involved not sitting back complaining and not doing anything about it,” she said. “I like the schools. I think they’ve done great for our kids.”
She has given the budget and financial difficulties facing the district some thought, she said. With any kind of company, the first thing to do is look for efficiencies before cuts.
Cutting teachers and programs affects children, she said, and the district needs to find a balance among administrators, teachers and programs.
“Sports are very important,” she said. “Not only does it help kids become involved in socially and healthy activities, it’s good for kids.”
Aside from the budget, “I would like to just have our school system be a well-running, efficient, non-confrontational, close-knit school system,” she said.
Right now, the board is a good group of well-rounded people, she said. A good system is in place.
The students are happier, and the town is happier when a good group of people works through issues before they become issues, Daniels said. “They aren’t efficient when people are arguing with each other.
“I’m not doing this because I’m political. I’m not really political. I don’t even like politics. Parents need a voice. That’s me. I think real people should run the place.
“Obviously, there are always politics in it, and I’ll have to learn to deal with it, but I’m just kind of like everybody else.”
Daniels is married to Ryan Daniels. They have two children, Cody Daniels, 16, and Bryce Daniels, 13. She is a log accounting coordinator at Cascade Timber Consulting. She grew up in Lebanon and moved to Sweet Home about 15 years ago.