After 22 years and three months of service to the Allen County School District, School Board chairman Jeff Eaton presided over his final meeting of the Board Monday, December 15. Earlier last year, Eaton prayerfully decided to retire as a Board Member---ending a term of service that dates back two decades.
In the summer of 1992, School Board District 1 representative Kirk Howard resigned from the Allen County Board of Education---a resignation prompted by the district’s hiring of his wife in the school system. The vacancy on the Board created an opportunity for Jeff Eaton.
Eaton---a 1978 graduate of Barren County and an employee of South Central Rural Telephone Cooperative---was a resident of eastern Allen County with his wife, Annette, and his two sons Brian and Ben. As a young parent, Eaton was active in the community as his sons were working their way through the school district.
“I was approached by Kirk Howard and asked if I would be interested in seeking the appointment,” Eaton recalled. “I had not though about being on the Board but I thought about it for about two or three months. I decided I would try it.”
Three people applied for the vacant seat in 1992. Eaton along with Rita Tabor and David Holder sought the appointment to fill Howard’s unexpired term.
“A board from the Kentucky Department of Education interviewed all three of us,” Eaton explained. “Mr. Charles Bethel was the superintendent. Out of that selection process, I was chosen. I was sworn in September and then had to come around and run for reelection. I immediately had to run for election to fill the remainder of Kirk’s term.”
Eaton would win the seat and start his years of service as a Board member. Looking back, Eaton admitted that he had some reservations about being on the Board giving the fact that he did have children still in the school system.
“You always wonder if someone would ever make some kind of reaction toward your children because of a decision you made,” Eaton admitted. “It has been freer since my sons graduated because you don’t worry about that.”
Eaton’s time with the Board has involved making numerous decisions about a wide range of issues. The list includes decisions about several major construction projects in the last two decades.
“Facilities have been one of the biggest things,” Eaton said. “In the 22 years, we have added two new elementary schools, renovated the middle school some but more work is needed, renovated the high school, added the Board of Education building, and just completed the Technical Center.”
When Eaton began, the James E. Bazzell Middle School was a five year old building and the newest facility on the campus. In his first year, work would be completed on an additional at the high school. Within his first decade, the Board oversaw the construction of the Allen County Primary Center---a school that currently houses over 1,000 students. Several years later, the Allen County Intermediate Center replaced White Plains and a new central office was added. The high school would then see another expansion in 2006 followed by an $18 million renovation in the past four years. Ironically, Eaton’s final meeting this week brought the news that the new $11.4 million Allen County Career and Technical Center was nearing completion with students slated to began classes in the building in January.
The ability to construct the new facilities and habve each centrally located has been very beneficial to the district.
“Somebody before me made some real good decisions in buying the property we have,” Eaton acknowledged. “Somebody has some vision and that’s a positive.”
The construction projects reflected positives in the district but Eaton points out that their have been negative issues which have come about in 22 years.
“One of the down sides has been that we have changed testing three times in 22 years,” Eaton pointed out. “When you think you have a handle on one thing, they (Kentucky Department of Education) turn around and change the way you play the game. So you have to start from scratch and that’s probably one of the downfalls.”
Eaton adds that the issue of funding has and continues to be a challenge for school boards.
“When I came on the Board there was always that push for Tier One funding,” Eaton said. “It was for every penny you raised, the sate would match with something like a penny and a-half or something like that. So we raised taxes a nickel in my first or second year and we have taken the four percent over the years and that has led to good things. But, the lack of funding over the past 10 years has been tremendous and it’s decreased the last 10 years. I don’t think we have ever recovered from the mandated raises under (former governer) Fletcher’s mandated raises. When you mandate three percent raises but don’t send the money down, you just get further behind.”
Serving on the Board of Education involves many decisions and approving requests made to the Board. One of the requests that the Board deals with each school year, has been and continues to be, is request for students to be excused for enhanced educational opportunities---those instances in which a student’s family asks the Board to approve time away from required attendance to take a trip somewhere.
“One of the things I do not like is the enhanced educational opportunities requests,” Eaton candidly admitted. “I will not miss those. Some are justified. For some students and their parents, it’s a great opportunity. For others, it’s a vacation. I really have struggled with that. We probably have had more split votes on our Board since those started. In the first 16 years or so, outside of hiring an architect, you probably could count the number of split votes on one hand.”
Eaton has been a part of three superintendent searches in his 22 years. Within a year of his appointment in 1992, Bethel resigned. The Board was launched into a search---a search which included prayerful consideration as the members look at some very qualified candidates.
“It’s been some hard choices,” Eaton explained. “I can’t remember the number of resumes we looked at when we hired Mr. Weaver but we interviewed four final candidates. Three of the four later became superintendents. I also asked the Board if we could pray before we made our decisions and that was a big thing for me. It was a big decision. And when we hired Mr. Williams, we interviewed three candidates. It wasn’t a lot of time and took a lot of effort.”
Eaton added that the results of the superintendent searches in two cases were somewhat surprises based on the way Board members were impressed during the interview process.
“I did not know Mr. Norm Weaver so I had no opinion of him going in,” Eaton admitted. “But, Norm blew us away in the interview. I did not know Randall when he applied. But, I did know some people that knew him and he also gave a great interview.”
Looking back at those years---and giving future Board’s something to think about when the time comes to conduct the next superintendent search---Eaton says asking the Kentucky School Boards Association (KSBA) to assist in the process might be worth consideration.
“If I had my time to go over, I would probably get KSBA involved,” Eaton said. “I don’t know what the cost is but they have a lot of resources to help with that.”
When asked about what changes he would like to see in the education process in the future, Eaton mentioned a couple of things.
“The superintendent needs to be hiring principals,” Eaton said. “Also, if we are going to keep Site Based Councils, there needs to be a parent added to that council. We need equal representation. KSBA is working to get some of that changed.”
Eaton has also served on the Kentucky School Board Association’s Board of Directors for eight year and notes he will miss working with the individuals he has come to know and respect.
“When I was first elected as the Third Region chair, we had our state meeting the next weekend,” Eaton recalled. “I didn’t really know what to expect but it was different than I thought it might be. You didn’t have people there with an agenda which surprised me. I thought I would be around people that wanted things their way but it wasn’t that way.”
Eaton’s decision to not seek reelection this year as the District 1 member came after prayer and careful consideration---as well as knowing the man that would seek the position.
“Brian (Celsor) asked me in February if I was going to run again,” Eaton said. “Brian had indicated that he was considering a run but would not run against me. At that time, I was thinking about applying for the president’s position at KSBA. I told Brian that I needed to pray more about what I was going to do. In April, I went back to Brian and told him that a part of me didn’t want to quit but when it came to the praying part, I realized it was time I was done. I have been clear with it ever since.”
Eaton’s acknowledges he will also miss working with the current Board, Superintendent Jackson, the central office staff, and the students in the district.
“I will miss the people in this office,” Eaton stated. “You get used to seeing the people once a month. I am going to miss the kids. I really have enjoyed this opportunity to serve. It has been a pleasure to serve with this Board. I just have to thank them for all they do.”