Post Messenger Recorder -

Tierney Keyes

Age: 42

Occupation: Stay-at-home mom

Years lived in district: 2 1/2 years

Incumbent? No

Have you been on the school board or held any other public office before? If so describe: No

Why are you running for the school board? As a mother of two children in the Belleville school district, a sophomore and an 8th grader, I believe the role of a parent is to teach our children core values such as kindness, fairness, work ethic, responsibility and respect. Along these lines, one of the greatest gifts any parent can provide their child is a quality education.

During the last year, as a parent in this community, I have watched our children struggle to obtain that education. I became involved and educated on how our local board of education was managing a national crisis. Boards of Education should not be clouded by politics and personal agendas. Rather, its sole focus should be supporting the educators and advancing every child’s educational needs.

I have been committed to public service and helping make each community I lived in better. I know my previous leadership and volunteer experience would be an asset to the board.

What issues do you find most important to the school board? How would you handle these issues? I am concerned for our student’s mental health, declining grades and increasing education gap caused by virtual learning since March of 2020. We need to educate our parents and teachers on mental health, reach out to students who have been struggling, missed classes and have declining grades. Use Method Test Prep and other objective tests to evaluate where our students are behind. Help students catch up and get back on track.

The district needs to continue to attract excellent staff. We are blessed in Belleville to have phenomenal educators, and we need to retain this talent. Listen to our staff, and support them.

We need greater transparency in decision making between the board and the community. This has been frustrating as a parent in the district over the last year, and I know that I am not alone in that sentiment. Belleville is not Madison and we do not want to be.

Belleville needs to attract incoming families with its excellence. In particular, I believe we need to advance the ACT prep curriculum to prepare our students more effectively for the advanced placement exams. This ultimately will continue to attract prospective students and families outside of our district. We need to continue to build upon our current skilled trades classes offered. The demand for skilled work is high. The goal of every educator is to ensure that our students are college or career ready when they leave our halls.

Ensure the district is fiscally responsible in order to maintain integrity to all taxpayers in the community.

Any additional comments? I grew up on a dairy farm in southwest Wisconsin. I am hard-working, honest and have strong interpersonal skills. I have worked in corporate America as an inventory manager. My family has lived in Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis. This diverse background gives me a unique perspective from various school districts. I have devoted significant time to community volunteer work. I would appreciate your vote April 6th.