Local Information: Monett School Board questionnaire: Maella Blalock (4/3/21)

1. Why do you want to operate for a seat on the university board?

I think in serving my community. It is who I am. I want to use my management instruction and practical experience to assist the most vital framework we have in our modern society – education. My mom and dad were being equally educators. My mother taught elementary college for a long time in Springfield. My Father, a WWI veteran, acquired two many years of business enterprise college training and taught in a one-home university in Arkansas just before turning to small business. My mom and dad thought so strongly in the relevance of a good education that they paid for my brothers and I to go to Greenwood Laboratory university, then compensated for our college educations. They sacrificed. Now I want to provide by listening to the mothers and fathers, lecturers, counselors and students, and talk up for them. I want to enable Dr. Mark Drake achieve his goals and seem ahead to the development of our faculty district.

2. What, if any, prior encounter do you have?

I taught Junior ROTC here in Monett at Scott Tech for 6 yrs. I have a diploma in Education and learning and ahead of my many years in the armed service, I taught elementary tunes in the Springfield Public School system. I taught JROTC in a varied interior-metropolis school in Muskegon, Michigan and in Clinton, Missouri. In all a few JROTC destinations I expanded the method, completed lots of targets, and made leadership expertise in younger men and women, many of with whom I am nonetheless in touch. I substitute taught every single matter K-12 in Division of Protection Dependent Colleges (military services foundation colleges) overseas. One more robust skill is budgeting and finance. I have a Masters Diploma in accounting and served in the armed forces for 26 yrs as a Finance and Accounting Officer. I labored with teaching foreign militaries, keeping big military base infrastructure budgets, payroll accounting, and overseas forex banking. My other army skill was as a International Space Officer. It needed international language abilities and an fascination and appreciation for other cultures. As a navy advisor to japanese European countries I realized to be a sturdy advocate of variety in training and in lifetime. I sense Monett has several options to rejoice our diversity.

3. What is your area of work, and how does it lead to your qualifications as a possible school board member?

Currently I am retired. But as my daughter said, I genuinely don’t recognize the indicating. I enjoy my Monday career doing the job at the food items pantry, teach non-public piano to quite a few Monett learners am the Regent of Monett’s Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Chapter, and Vice-President of the Four-States Chapter of Military services Officers Affiliation of The usa (MOAA). I am incredibly active at my church, Initially United Methodist, Monett, enjoying keyboard for the present-day company and in the bell choir. I am a person of the founding leaders of the Caring People today, a assist team for single Mothers in Monett. When I obtain time I enjoy golf, and it seems like I’ll be coaching my granddaughter’s T-ball group this summertime. I’m fast paced but I have time to listen and I treatment deeply about our young individuals.

4. What are your priorities for the district?

The small-term priorities are fairly well set up by the existing board. I hope to support Mark Drake as he takes the reins as superintendent. We have a amazing making prepare we are doing the job on that moves Monett in advance. But “COVID Catch-up” is my selection one particular precedence. As person as studying designs were prior to COVID, they are all about the map now. We have to asses wherever students are, what deficiencies will need to be dealt with, operate on the psychological health difficulties, guarantee security in our college, offer for teacher’s needs as properly as learners, use our revenue wisely and battle for rural college issues in Jefferson Town.

5. What would you improve, if anything at all?

I have no incredibly hot button difficulties. That’s not why I am jogging. Monett is a terrific school district. I want to set my shoulder to the wheel to preserve it concentrated on priorities even though even now relocating forward. The board has lots of challenges ahead. I want to use my management to give the district aid.

6. In light of COVID, what are the most important troubles experiencing the district moving forward?

We are taking part in COVID-Capture up. We discovered a lot about isolated education. Now we have to get the job done to integrate the classes learned and speed up, when possible, to make sure the benchmarks for grade levels are fulfilled. It will acquire time, cash, and community involvement. Mental well being is one particular of the huge spots that needs addressing. Pupils and lecturers have all experienced less than a hardship, not to point out mother and father. We need to have to extend counseling to all teams, together with moms and dads. We have to have to involve community leaders much more – our library, our chamber of commerce, business enterprise leaders, area churches. We have spouse and children financial difficulties, both equally aged and new, that need to have to be addressed. We have to stretch our assets and discover new options. I imagine Monett can and will make sure our college students receive a leading-high quality schooling, in spite of the lots of difficulties. That has to continue to be our focus.

7. What are your particular objectives you would like to complete, if elected?

I would like dad and mom and family members to truly feel their little ones obtained a good schooling in Monett. I would like college students to come to feel they have a board member on their team and for parents to really feel they can chat to somebody who will hear. I want lecturers to know devoid of a question that they have my assistance and admiration. I want to provide.