By SALINA POST
In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 7 election, Salina Post will be publishing a series of profiles introducing the community to the six Salina City Commission candidates and school board member candidates for USD 305 and USD 307.
The Salina Post sent questionnaires to the candidates asking for biographical information, initiatives they hope to champion as a board member, and why they chose to run for school board.
If you live outside of Saline County check with your local elections officer for election deadlines.
Scott Gardner
What is your Age?
59
What is your profession?
City Government Management.
Are you an incumbent?
Yes.
Give a brief bio on yourself in 100 words or less.
I am a PROUD graduate of Salina Central High. I work for the City of Salina as a Director of CT/CPI/Media. I am a husband and father of 3 graduates of USD 305 and have 5 grandchildren. I attend St. John's Missionary Baptist Church and love to spend time at home, fishing, and watching sports. My weekends are booked watching grandkids play sports.
As a school board member what specific initiatives or policies would you prioritize in order to improve educational outcomes and support the overall well-being of public school students in our community?
We must continue to meet the kids and parents where they are. We have a wide demographic of citizens and need to be able to address everyone's needs as much as possible. This puts a strain on our internal USD305 system due to resources, and is an overall challenge for our community. Ensuring that our kids are prepared to enter life after Highschool is paramount to the success of our City, State and Nation, because we are establishing the foundation that everything will be built on.
In recent years many books have been removed from the shelves of public libraries due to their alleged inappropriate content. As a school board member where do you stand on this issue?
Books are a source of information. When information is shared/taught it becomes knowledge. We must be willing and able to teach each and every student to ensure that they have a solid foundation when they leave the walls of USD305. Parents play a part in this, and MUST train up their children before they come to USD305. Just because a book is on the shelf does not mean they have to read it. To my knowledge none of the books in question were required reading, and all of the books can be downloaded on a personal phone. The books are not the problem, but rather a symptom of a great problem.
Parental engagement and community involvement are crucial for the success of any school district. What strategies would you implement to increase collaboration between parents, citizens, and educators?
Our Superintendent, as well as staff, go out of their way to engage the community, parents, and students. The only way anyone can say they are not involved is because they choose to not be involved. I am open to suggestions, but I believe that we should continue to do what is being done and evaluate and tweak the current actions as warranted to get the desired result.
Please explain why you are running for School Board:
I am here to simply be a part of the solution and not second question everything that is done. I had questions when my kids were in school and playing sports, but never questioned the board because I was not part of the solution, and I knew they were doing their best. I think I bring a different perspective to the board. Football got me a scholarship and free education, but my education in USD305 allowed me to get the grades to keep my scholarship. I didn't get great grades (C-C+) in USD305, but did far better in College and have obtained two Master's degrees. I credit that to the strong education, I and my sister (who also has a Master's Degree) received from USD 305. I want to see those who come after me receive the same solid education that we received so that they are equipped to go out and make a positive impact on the world.