NANKIN — Four candidates filed to fill three seats that will open on the Mapleton Local Schools board of education at the year’s end.
Fred Hartzler, Vince Harztler, Jay Maggard and Kathryn Goon all will be on the Nov. 7 ballot.
They’ll compete for seats left open by the departures of long-time board members Shawn Grundy and Tom Donley. Grundy and Donley serve as the board’s president and vice president, respectively.
The third open seat comes from Vince Hartzler’s term ending. Hartzler stepped up to fill that seat in July, after former board vice president Tim McKean left it open in June.
McKean cited “personal reasons” for his departure, according to previous reporting from Ashland Source.
He also formerly served as the high school athletic director, and resigned from that position in mid-September. The board approved his resignation at its Oct. 16 meeting and Shelly Stackhouse now serves as athletic director for both the middle school and high school.
Mapleton Local Schools also has a second try at a levy on the ballot this November. That levy would place a 0.75% income tax on district residents. Voters failed to pass it in May.
If it fails, supt. Scott Smith has previously told Ashland Source that Mapleton Local Schools would have a budget deficit with potential to grow to nearly $484,000 by 2026.
All four board of education candidates — Goon, Fred Hartzler, Vince Hartzler and Maggard — caught up with Ashland Source ahead of the election.
Goon aims to add value to board of education
Kathryn Goon has lived in Ashland County since she was 5 years old.
She received her undergraduate degree and a master’s from Ashland University. Goon serves as the executive director for the university’s master’s in business administration program. Her son is also a sophomore at Mapleton High School.
Goon, 53, has experience working in economic development, and said that experience taught her that there’s always a way to get something done. She said she’s served on Chamber of Commerce boards, holding leadership positions as president, secretary and treasurer.
When she served on those boards, Goon said, she regularly attended school board meetings. Her main goal in running for a position at Mapleton Local Schools is to add to the board.
“I like to go where I can add value, and I think I can add value here,” Goon said.
Still, Goon said she tends not to go into any situation with an agenda.
Her first priority if elected to Mapleton’s board is to understand what’s going on behind-the-scenes. It’s through figuring out what should top the list of needs in Mapleton that Goon hopes to determine her priorities moving forward.
Goon’s hope would be to keep Mapleton’s students at the forefront, considering their needs even as the district may need to make cuts.
“A lot of people know my track record,” Goon said.
For her, conversations with leaders in the community have made her feel that she has a vote of confidence in this year’s election cycle.
Fred Hartzler running to keep things on the “right track”
Fred Hartzler, 50, a self-employed dairy farmer, decided to run for a seat on Mapleton’s Board of Education thanks to his concerns with the way society is going.
Hartzler, a high school graduate who attended college in Akron for four years, moved to Mapleton 18 years ago. He has children who graduated from the school, and are students still attending school in the district.
“I’m concerned with education and the things kids are learning in schools,” Hartzler said.
He said there have been “false narratives” pushed about history, particularly about the founding of the country.
He said he hasn’t heard about anything he finds concerning happening at Mapleton Local Schools.
“I just want to be involved and see what’s coming through the schools and help keep them on the right track,” Hartzler said.
It’s his first time running for elected office. Hartzler said he enjoyed getting signatures to run, and received a lot of feedback.
Hartzler said one of his main concerns is the levy on the ballot in Mapleton this fall. He said no matter whether the levy passes or not, his priority as a board member would be to maintain opportunities for students and teachers.
“I don’t want to deny children the education they need,” Hartzler said. “It’s tough to do with making cuts.”
Still, he said he’s excited about the chance to run.
Hartzler did not have an updated headshot to provide to Ashland Source.
Vince Hartzler seeks re-election
Vince Hartzler, 48, stepped up in mid-July to fill an open spot on the school board. The estimator for Simonson Construction is running for a full term this fall.
He has an associate degree from University of Akron in construction technology, and a bachelor’s of science from Walsh University in finance.
Hartzler also graduated from Leadership Ashland, and his wife is an intervention specialist for Ashland City Schools, so education is part of his day-to-day life.
Hartzler has three sons. One is a Mapleton grad, and the other two are still in high school in the district.
“Mapleton Local Schools has been good for my three sons,” Hartzler said. “I want to help in any way I can, and this is a way to step in and oversee the district and provide some guidance.”
He said he’s been proud of the district’s growth over the past few years, particularly in literacy. If elected to a full term, he would hope to help the district continue on what he views as an upward trajectory.
“I want to give staff and administrators the resources they need to continue that process,” Hartzler said.
He added that he hopes the district will keep its administrative team, one he views as capable.
Hartzler said he hopes the levy passes. Still, he is also prepared to help the board make tough decisions in the event that it has to function with a deficit. His first priority would be to maintain teaching staff.
As for the upcoming election, Hartzler said he knows the other candidates. He’s not related to the other Hartzler, Fred, on the ballot. Still, Vince Hartzler thinks any of the candidiates will do a good job leading Mapleton Local Schools.
“The school board has been here long before me, and it will be here long after I’m gone,” Vince Hartzler said.
Maggard aims to build trust
Jay Maggard, 39, has worked as a mechanical engineer for 15 years, after graduating from the University of Toledo in 2007.
He has three students who attend Mapleton Elementary School and Mapleton Middle School, and decided to run because he sees it as a way to give back to the community.
“I enjoy solving tough problems and have a strong track record of fixing them,” Maggard said.
It’s Maggard’s first time running for elected office. He cited fiscal issues and trust between the district and the community as two of the biggest problems that have stood out during his campaign.
“The community is trusting us with their kids and their checkbooks, and those are two important things,” Maggard said.
According to Maggard, some people have shared feelings that there’s a disconnect between the community and school district. He also has concerns about what would happen if the levy fails. Both, he said, are long-term projects.
Maggard doesn’t think coming into office with all the answers is the right approach, though.
With the levy, he hopes not to cut staff. But if elected, he plans to spend some time learning about the issues, the people in the district and wrapping his head around them.
Maggard also said he would donate 100% of his salary as a board member back to the district.
Katy Wiley, the treasurer for Mapleton Local Schools, said board members receive $95 per meeting. That sum is paid quarterly. Members only receive pay for meetings they attend.
“The board does donate their salary back. Mapleton pays them and they make a donation to the Mapleton Board of Education scholarship,” Wiley said in an email message.
She added that’s a tradition for board members.
“It’s a privilege to be in this position and an honor to serve,” Maggard said. “I don’t think I’d need to be paid for that.”
How to vote
Early voting and absentee voting by mail began in Ohio on Oct. 11. To vote early in Ashland County, you can visit the Ashland County Board of Elections. It’s open in Ashland at 110 Cottage St.
You can also cast a ballot on Election Day, Nov. 7. You’ll need to visit your designated polling place between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 if you choose to vote on Election Day. You can find your polling location here: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/.
