BY RILEY WILSON
Mark Chrislip isn’t ready to step away from a school district that’s always been a part of his life. For 29 years, Chrislip has served on the Eudora School Board and will run for another term.
“I just have always felt like we have a great school district and the boards that we have right now are really good,” Chrislip said. “I just feel like I can still contribute.”
Chrislip is one of four candidates running for four open spots on the board. Member terms last four years and are uncompensated.
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Occupation: Retired
Ties to the school district:
I’ve been on the board for 29 years, so I have a lot of ties. Primarily, my kids attended K-12. I have three children and then some of my grandkids are in the school system. It’s always just been part of our lives, and I’ve enjoyed being on the board for as long as I have.
What is your prior relationship with the Eudora School Board?
I was president of the board for a number of years. I’ve been on the negotiating team almost the entire time. I was also on the safety and security team. Just a variety of different things over the years.
Why are you seeking (re-)election on the Eudora School Board?
A couple of different reasons. One, I just have always felt like we have a great school district and the boards that we have right now are really good, and I just feel like I can still contribute. It just made sense to stay on the board and run again.
What makes you the best candidate for this position?
I think, primarily, experience. I know the district well.
What do you think the Eudora School District is doing particularly well right now?
I think a number of things. I think we have great staff. I really like the principals that we have right now. We’ve always been able to attract really great teachers and keep them here. So, I think we offer students a really good education because of the staff and the teachers. Also, I think it’s a great district because it’s small enough that all of the kids can participate in lots of different extracurricular activities. It’s not like only a few get to do that. I think it just offers a lot of students a lot of opportunity. We have really good things going on with our tech vo-ed school. I think that’s a really good asset to our community. So, just a number of good things.
What have you achieved so far?
We have good relations with the teachers and the negotiating team. I think they know that we do all we can to give them as much as we can, but we’re always limited by what the state provides. But our goal is to make sure that we give the teachers adequate resources and do what we can to help them with salaries and health benefits and that sort of thing.
Reach reporter Riley Wilson at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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