JEROMESVILLE — Hillsdale Local Schools is primed to have two new faces start terms on its board of education in 2024.
Jon Burkholder and Melinda Turk ran for the board’s two open seats in November. Both were elected to fill terms on the board.
They replace John Cutlip and Amy Jarvis, who had their last regular board meeting on Dec. 12.
At that meeting, the board elected Vella King, its current president, to serve as president pro tempore.
It also settled on a date for its planning meeting in the new year, which will happen Jan. 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Hillsdale Local Schools started its year off with a new facility. It also has a new leader in Dr. Catherine Trevathan, who took over as superintendent at the beginning of the school year.
Burkholder wants education to apply to life
Jon Burkholder, 61, has lived in Ashland County his entire life.
He’s a farmer, his sons graduated from Hillsdale Local Schools and he put in 30 years teaching automotive tech at the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center.
After his retirement in 2020, he said he’s also worked with Pathfinder Farms full-time.
That organization, a Christian-based youth ministry, aims to “help young people find their way and [grow] youth,” according to its website.
“One of the reasons [I ran] is everybody wants to complain about the way things are, but nobody wants to do anything,” Burkholder said. “I don’t want to be one of those people.”
The Ashland High and Kent State grad said his biggest goals are making sure students are taken care of and ensuring the district remains accountable.
He thinks it’s important to make sure students who enjoy more hands-on learning don’t get left behind in classrooms. That thought came from his time as a technical education teacher.
“We need to apply education to everyday life and can do that in math and science and all other subjects,” Burkholder said.
Excelling in the classroom is great, Burkholder said. But, he sees it as a school’s role to ensure students can apply their skills in the workplace, too.
He looks forward to starting his work on the board and working with staff and administrators in Hillsdale.
Burkholder did not provide a headshot.
Turk hopes to bring fair approach
Melinda Turk, 46, loves to be involved in the community.
She owns a business, Ashland Cleaning; completed Leadership Ashland; serves as vice president of the Montessori School of Wooster’s board; serves as an academic and athletic booster at Hillsdale Local Schools; and is a volunteer coach through the Ashland County summer recreation program.
She’s also a lifelong Ashland County citizen. She grew up in town, graduating from Ashland High School.
After this November’s election, Turk added one more activity to her list. She’ll start her first term serving on Hillsdale Local Schools’ board in January. Her son attends school there, and her daughter will start next year.
“Having the experience of being on a board already … I wanted to make sure policies are being followed,” Turk said.
She describes herself as somebody diligent about rules. She said she already started reading through Hillsdale’s board policies.
Turk hopes to bring questions to the table and to gain an understanding of why things are the way they are.
She added in her experience as a coach, she always tells players she’ll be their voice if rules don’t get followed.
“I’ve always felt that I can handle that in a civil way,” Turk said.
She also said she hopes to see more help for students as they plan their futures.
“Hitting your goals is hard to do if you just start when you’re in the 12th grade,” she said.
As she moves into her new position, Turk said she looks forward to learning the differences between how a public and private school board run.
She thinks she can bring a neutral voice to the board, and provide an unbiased perspective based on the facts.
