Jodi Purgason

Role of a board member: “To oversee the superintendent and the district to make sure everything is flowing well, and that no needs are unheard or left behind,” she said. “Everything is checks and balances.”

 

Time she spends on board duties: “It’s a daily thing being out in the community, and hearing their concerns,” Purgason said, “or their brags.” She reports “constantly” talking to teachers as parents. 

 

District connections: None. 

 

Board meetings attended in the last year: She reports missing three in the last three years, commenting, “I miss more ball games than board meetings.”

 

Technology/AI in the classroom: Mentioning that although, she uses it herself frequently in her real estate business, she does not believe it needs to be used in classrooms at all right now. “It takes extra observation by teachers and parents that we’re not ready for,” she said. It’s not a terrible thing, and it’s not going anywhere, but she believes in pushing students to “get back to basics.”

 

How to establish a culture that retains teachers and students: Purgason believes there is room for improvement. Mentioning a hiring committee the district used, she wishes it were “more transparent on how that is performed and where teachers really stand on things.” She says teachers bring concerns about this to her anonymously, and she wishes they did not feel as though their concerns had to be anonymous. For retaining students, Purgason said that the district serves a unique area that is both large in square miles and weaves together the cultures of rural schools, but the strength in the district is looking after kids’ needs outside the classroom, such as with the Bridges program. “If there’s a need, we’re really good at meeting it,” she said. 

 

Role of social issues in a school board election: “I’m a unique candidate in the sense that I’m not a highly educated person. I’m more of a concerned parent,” she began. “And I do concern myself with the values [my children] are being exposed to. Values should be a topic at every table and in every conversation.”

 

Purgason said she is outspoken in both belief and conviction, that those convictions deserve a voice in public discourse. There are ways to have those conversations constructively and kindly, she said. 

“As a parent, our public school has not done a good job communicating since COVID. It’s a public school, and at the end of the day, we want to know what’s being taught.”

 

Any board action she would change: “There’s quite a bit that I don’t necessarily agree with, but when you’re in a situation when you’re a minority opinion-holder…” Purgason said. There are certain social subjects lately where decisions take on a personal meaning for her because they are directly impacting her children, who attend the district. She pointed out that with Coleman’s exit from the board, she is the only member with children currently in the district. “Lord Willing, my children will be in the district until 2034, and that’s a long time I’ll have someone in the building. I’ll hear the sides of the teachers, which is not necessarily what the board and admins know. The teachers need someone who physically sees them and hears them.”

 

New superintendent set up for success: Purgason said the new superintendent is set up to succeed, and she is thankful to have spent three years with Dr. Wes Davis as superintendent, who has been, “extremely fiscally responsible…I was excited about the idea to let Mr. Orchard train and job-shadow him with him for a year.” 

 

What do ‘common sense and family values’ mean? Purgason is running on common sense and family values. “I am Christian and conservative. My number one goal is heaven. Whether you think that belongs on a school board or not, that’s your opinion. As a taxpayer, I do believe that my voice and everyone else’s is valuable.”

 

“We have some tax bills coming up that are going to be really beneficial for our taxpayers, and I’m positive that we’re going to be able to navigate those. I do know that the government will always find a way to get its money.  You’re not going to fearmonger me into saying we’re going to have to shut down districts. It’s not going to happen. We will figure it out.”