Election 2023: Royall Board of Education

Incumbent Tom Trepes and challenger Melissa Murray will vie for a spot April 4 on the Royall School District Board of Education. They responded to the following questions from the County Line. 

CHALLENGER MELISSA MURRAY

What prompted your decision to seek a school-board position? 

I am running for the Royall School Board to help make the school district the absolute best place for our children to go to school and for our employees to work. Some GREAT things have happened recently, and I want to be sure those continue and are built upon. I also bring a fresh set of eyes to the situations that the Board will undoubtedly deal with in the future. Education changes so quickly, and I want the Royall School District to be ready for those changes. 

What do you see as the role and duties of a school board member? 

The role of the school board is to be the link between the functions of the district and the community. As a board member, my job is to be prepared for meetings to ask important questions and make critical decisions. I will continue to learn and stay current with changes to education, budgets, legislation, and policy needs, and help the board make those important decisions and help communicate those to the community as a positive advocate for the district and our communities. School boards ensure the district’s funds are used in a way that supports education and follows policy. The board is responsible for setting policies and governing based on the policies we set. As a new board member, I must learn the policies and how they are applied in the district. School boards also work in an open and transparent manner so the community can be aware of the decisions made at the board table.

What do you see as the school district’s strengths? What are its weaknesses? 

One of the most obvious strengths is the support from the community. We have a building referendum that just passed, and we should all be very proud of that investment in our communities and our children. Our children need top-quality education to compete in the world. With remote work and remote college education so easily available since the pandemic, we need to be sure our Royall School District graduates are ready to compete with kids from all over the U.S. and the globe. We prepare our children well and must continue that for a world much smaller and more competitive than many of us experienced as we left high school. I think the board can lead the way in helping the school community to really understand the changes in education that many of us did not experience. Being good stewards of the budget and advocating for our children’s and our district’s needs is a strength. Budgets are shrinking, but needs are not, so balancing the available budget with the needs is always tough.

What strengths do you bring to the board? 

I understand how schools and districts work. I understand how school budgets work, and I know many folks are concerned about their property taxes, which fund all aspects of running a quality district. I have grant writing experience, which can be helpful if schools, programs, or the district want to seek grant funding to fill financial gaps. I have 28 years of experience in public education as a teacher and school leader, so I have experience on the other side of the board table working with school boards. One of my first teaching positions was at Royall High School. I have been a board member for a nonprofit in the past. 

Biographical information

This community is my home. I have lived in the Royall School District since 1976, when I moved from Necedah to Kendall when my parents purchased a farm near Mount Tabor. My husband, Steve, and I are Royall alums. We continue to farm on the land Steve’s great-great-grandfather purchased in the late 1800s just outside of Kendall in the town of Glendale. I am now able to give back to the community since retiring from education at the end of 2021. I have skills and experience that make sense for me to give back to education. I have a passion fueled by 28 years as an educator, and I truly believe in public education. I will be the best advocate for everything the Royall School District stands for.

INCUMBENT TOM TREPES

Seeking his fourth three-year term on the Royall School Board, Tom Trepes said his motivation was to help the district continue to improve. 

“The school’s finally moving in the right direction,” he said, “and our education, teachers and administrative staff are working well together. We’re all on the same page again.”

And that’s the school’s greatest strength right now, he added. “We’re working hard to get the education program as high as we can.”

 As a board member, he would listen to the public’s opinions and take the role as a leader for the school, he noted. 

In his time on the board, he has learned about the district’s day-to-day operations, plus he has served on the building and grounds committee and “understand(s) that end of it as well,” he said. 

Trepes also serves as the chair of the Town of Clifton, and he has been on the Kendall Fire Department for 30 years, 10 of them as chief. His two children attended Royall, and now his grandchildren continue that tradition. 

In sum, Trepes said he enjoys “helping the public.”

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