CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County voters will elect three members to the county school board May 8 and it’s a crowded field.
Among the nine candidates are Tracy White and Kevin Chestnut.
White is from Cross Lanes. She’s the director of the Down Syndrome Network of West Virginia.
“I just want to ensure that we are doing our best to make sure that none of students are falling through the cracks and we all have a chance to succeed,” White recently told 580 WCHS Radio News.
White said her priority is the mental health of Kanawha County students. She said kids of today face so much more pressure than children when she grew up.
She also wants to fill the void left by the death of longtime school board member Pete Thaw.
“I know Pete Thaw was huge to speak for the kids of Kanawha County and he always put their best efforts first and I feel if there’s ever a person to fulfill his seat then I am that person,” White said.
Kevin Chestnut is a Marine Corps veteran and current member of the West Virginia National Guard. He has children who attend Belle Elementary and Dupont Middle School. He said he’ll take a down to earth approach as a school board member.
“I just feel there are ways to do things by the rules but there’s also a lot of commonsense that has to be involved,” Chestnut said.
Chestnut has a problem with standardized testing. He said teachers should be given the freedom to teach.
“All kids don’t learn the same and all kids don’t understand the same. If you’re just following the curriculum and getting checkmarks done then some kids are going to be left out,” he said.
Chestnut said he’s told residents a vote for him is a vote for someone who has the kids’ best interests at heart.
The May 8 election is a final election. Three candidates will be chosen for four-year terms. There are no primaries in school board races. Early voting begins Wednesday.
Other Kanawha BOE candidates include: Ryan White, Becky Jordan, Monty Warner, Joshua McGill, Barbara Redman, Curtis Robinson, Rodney Robinson and Jo Stern.