A crowded field is seeking two seats on the Kalamazoo School Board. Four incumbents and one challenger are running for four seats on the Portage School Board.
Two seats are up for election on the Kalamazoo School Board this year. There will be at least one new member after the November election. Incumbent Jennie Hill is running for re-election, but Martha Warfield decided not to seek another term. Paul Marquardt, Lauren Friedman, Jessie Herron, Maria Bosnak and George White are all running for the KPS board.
The two winners will serve six year terms. In Portage there are four incumbents running for re-election plus one challenger. Bo Snyder, Terry Novaria, Kurt Droppers and Rusty Rathburn are all running again. Daniel Bryer is the lone challenger seeking a four-year term on the Portage School Board.
All of the candidates were invited for an interview. They were asked about education funding, the role of a board member in relation to the administration, discipline and the gap in some schools between high and low achieving students and how much emphasis should be placed on testing.