The Oxford school board will be without any members who served during the high school shooting after the general election next month.

Back in June, Mary Hanser and Heather Shafer announced their resignations after facing public pressure for the board’s role in the November 2021 shooting at Oxford High School. They were the last remaining members on the board when the incident occurred.

Board President Erin Reis was appointed along with Trustee Colleen Schultz in October 2022. Both of terms expire in December and both are not seeking reelection.

There are four open board seats — three four-year term seats and one two-year term seat.

Six candidates below are running for the four-year terms.

CANDIDATES

Shane Gibson

He decided to run to try and make a difference.

“I am running … because I felt compelled to do something. I could no longer wait for someone else to be the change I wanted to see,” he said. “I have two children in the district and I could not stand by and hope the board of education would make the best decisions for my kids.”

Gibson is a registered nurse and worked for Oakland County for the last ten years. He received his master’s degree in nursing from Walden University and finished his doctorate in education and healthcare leadership last year from Nebraska Methodist University.“This district sorely needs stability,” he said “There is a lot of mistrust and skepticism from parents and students toward their board. We need to bring back transparency and begin to build that trust again with students and parents.”

Gibson wants to continue to help the students and staff in the district recover from the events of November 2021.

“Classroom safety is a top priority, as it has been proven that true learning and retention does not happen in an environment of fear,” said Gibson. “There is still a lot of healing left to take place in Oxford, and we cannot “move on” as some people have suggested without helping students, staff, and the community with their mental health needs.”

Randall Kreger

He is a retired public school teacher, administrator and coach with grandchildren in the district.

Kreger was an adjunct faculty member for the College of Education and Department of English at Saginaw Valley State University and served as a teacher and assistant principal at Nouvel Catholic Central High School in Saginaw.

Kreger also sees reestablishing trust in the school board as a priority for the district.

“A primary issue challenging our board of education today is a weakened trust in those who are chosen to make decisions for our schools,” he said. “The board of education needs to rebuild this trust by clearly communicating with the school’s stakeholders: staff, students, parents and community members.”

Kreger said his background in education would be one of the assets he would bring to the position.

“I understand how all the different parts of a school district need to work together to offer high quality education for our students and prospective families considering moving into Oxford,” he said. “Education begins and ends with truths, and the board of education must focus on that principle.”

Christopher Zitny

He is the parent of two Oxford graduates, was parent liaison on the committee when the district switched the current high school and middle school locations in 2004, an Oxford booster for over 10 years and concessions director for 5 years.

“I believe that our school district needs a new voice and vision to take our school district into the near future and beyond,” he said. “I think I have the faith and knowledge to make the Oxford school district grow in this global society.”

Zitny sees a few issues that need to be addressed in the district.

“The communication between the administration/teachers and parents, bullying within the elementary schools and our middle school and lastly, the reading levels from kindergarten through 12th grade are things that need to be addressed,” he said. “Some of my ideas to work and solve these issues is one App for all grades and schools which should assist in preventing confusion on the parent level.”

Gibson, Kreger and Zitny are all running for four-year term seats.

Michael Aldred was appointed to the board in July after the resignations of Hanser and Shafer. He is running for the four-year term and along with Sara Beth Campogiorni and Angela Euashka. The three did not respond to requests for background information.

The two candidates below are running for the two-year term.

Rich Schneider

He has earned three associate degrees in robotics and industrial fields along with bachelor’s and master’s in Systems Engineering.

Schneider is also looking to improve the mental health of students and staff in the district.

“I have been doing independent research on mental health issues facing our kids, and look forward to using that knowledge to provide guidance and changes where needed to make Oxford community schools better for the community,” he said.

He believes his engineering background can work to the advantage of the district.

“I had a lengthy amount of college and experiences in the areas of Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that I believe will help guide our school system and consequently our kids to meet future challenges,” said Schneider.

Ann Acheson was also appointed to the board in July after the resignations of Hanser and Shafer.

She did not respond to requests for background information.

The League of Women Voters Oakland Area is hosting a candidate forum at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, at the Oxford Township Hall at 300 Dunlap Road.