L to R: Holly Brown (Kallie’s mentor), Sharon Partain (Kallie’s mother), and Kallie
You might have noticed that the “Q&A with Cedarville School Board Members” was missing one member. Kallie Goines deserves some special recognition; she is stepping down after serving three terms as a board member.
ML: Tell me about yourself.
KG: My name is Kallie Partain-Goines. I am married to Gary Goines. We have two daughters who are graduates of Cedarville School District.
ML: What motivated you to become a school board member?
KG: My mother was the first woman school board member in our district. I am the second. When my oldest started Kindergarten, I knew I wanted to serve. I began attending the school board meetings to observe and learn. I decided to run. Back then it was during the Harry Potter lawsuit. I have served three terms, each running unopposed. I took Jerry Shelly’s place. Mr. Shelly was a long term board member. His daughter, Stacey now serves on the board.
What motivated me the most was the upcoming fight against school consolidation. Our school is the lifeblood of our community and we must do everything to protect our district.
ML: How long have you been a board member?
KG: 15 years.
ML: Is the board member experience different than what you expected? If so, how?
KG: The board member experience is really not that different than I expected other than how misinformed people are of what the actual role of board member is.
ML: What are some common misconceptions people have about the roles and responsibilities of board members?
KG: People sure get upset when there is staff changes and what most folks don’t realize is this: A BOARD MEMBER CANNOT DISCUSS PERSONNEL ISSUES. A school board only hires a superintendent. The superintendent then comes to the board with recommendations on hiring and terminating staff when necessary. The board does not participate in interviewing any staff members for hire. The board only interviews candidates for the superintendent position.
ML: What advice would you give to the candidate elected to your position?
KG: Don’t let it go to your head. Listen and learn. I am betting that if you asked any board member, either past or current, how long it takes to really understand your role, their answer would be at least a year. Just understanding school finances is a great undertaking. Ask questions. DO NOT DISCUSS PERSONNEL ISSUES WITH ANYONE. You will see very ugly posts on social media and the hardest thing is having to bite your tongue when you are tagged and called out by name. You cannot respond to name calling on social media.
ML: When reflecting on your time as a board member, do you have an embarrassing or funny story, lesson learned, or any proud moment you’d like to share?
KG: I do have an embarrassing story, it was during the December board meeting years ago. We were trying to hurry to get to the Christmas program. I tripped and fell down the front steps of the elementary building. This was long before the safe room was built and back when I wore heels. Audie Murphy was right there and got a huge laugh out of it. As for proud moments: ABSOLUTELY. We have come so very far in 15 years. We worked hard to pass a millage increase (we are still the lowest in the County by the way) to build the middle school gym and additional classrooms, we have a safe room and new cafeteria at the elementary and multiple other projects. But by far, the best thing we overcame was the threat of consolidation. Now our district faces a decline in student population. This will be a major issue for the board and administration to face the next coming years.
ML: Kallie, thank you so much for your 15 years of dedication to our school district. You will truly be missed.
KG: It has been a pleasure to serve the community and I thank you all for all the support through the years.