There is one contested race for Neelyville Board of Education, involving two seats with two-year terms.
Marco A. Gavino, Jack Stull and Tracee Stotts are competing for the two seats. Stull currently holds the position after being appointed following the resignation of the previous board members.
Candidates were asked the same questions and their responses are listed in ballot order.
The Neelyville district also has two uncontested races for board seats. Those races will fill two seats with three-year terms with Gene Russom and Ronald Hover, and a single seat with a one-year term with Matthew Marshall.
__Gavino__
Age: 52
Occupation: Retired Navy
Education: Bachelor’s degree from St. Leo University
Current Affiliations: Fellowship General Baptist Church
Gavino, 52, is a retired Navy veteran and father of seven. Now that his biological children are out of the house, Gavino and his wife take care of four foster kids and one grandchild.
He attends Fellowship General Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff. Gavino is running for the Neelyville School Board’s two-year position because of his perception of the state of America’s public schools.
“It’s indoctrinating instead of teaching them,” he clarified.
Gavino stated he would focus on educational priorities. He retired from the Navy in 2022 and explained he saw a diverse spectrum of school performance through the multiple moves his family has undertaken.
Gavino applauded Neelyville’s reputation and seeks to preserve its quality.
He hopes to, “give tools to teachers to ensure both students and teachers have a voice on what is the right path.”
Regarding the recent four-day school week decision, he preferred the five-day week. However, Gavino wants to see the data on how the school performs before forming his final opinion. He will solicit feedback from teachers on student performance and child welfare.
Gavino commented some children rely on school meals for food or to get away from situations at home. With a shorter week, he speculated some students may be put at risk.
Lastly, Gavino wants to cultivate increased parent engagement and proactivity in the school’s decisions and out of the classroom.
Stull
__Age: 53__
Occupation: Owner of Stull’s Sawmill
Education: Neelyville High School
Current Affiliations: None
Board experience: Previously served a nine year term on the school board.
Stull, 53, has a wealth of experience he hopes to continually utilize as a member of the Neelyville school board. He served as a board member for nine years, retired, and was called back when four members resigned.
He owns a logging company that has been in business for 23 years. His wife has served as a teacher in the Neelyville School District for over two decades. Stull explained his lengthy experience gives him an edge when making Neelyville’s tight budget go the extra mile.
“Every dollar counts,” he stated.
Stull affirmed he knows how to run an organization with less money. He opined the government favors larger, urban schools while leaving rural districts like Neelyville behind. Stull clarified one of the largest challenges facing the district is attracting and retaining educators with payroll being one of the largest expenses.
While skeptical at first, he said one of the reasons he voted for the four-day school week was to compensate for Neelyville’s comparatively lower offered salaries. Stull said it was too early to tell if he would vote to keep the shortened schedule if re-elected and would wait to see how the school fares.
Stull described the split in the community from the resignation of four board members as another major challenge.
“The repair is being made right now,” he expounded. Stull believes his experience with the board will be a necessary component of the rebuilding process.
He asserted he will, “tell it like it is,” and make the hard decisions. With his grandkids attending Neelyville schools, Stull emphasized his investment in the continued maintenance and improvement of the district’s education.
__Stotts__
Age: not provided
Occupation: not provided
Education: Bachelor’s of science in engineering
Current Affiliations: None
Board experience: Served two terms from 2003-2009.
(No photo provided)
Stotts is looking to return to the Neelyville School Board as a way to give back to her community.
She stated a good board member should have the characteristics of, “a good listener, having an open mind, and the ability to look at the big picture.”
Stotts promised to make decisions that would benefit the students of Neelyville’s schools. She pointed to a lack of sufficient funding and qualified applicants as large challenges facing the district.
Stotts is strongly in favor of the four-day school week.
“There are numerous studies which show improvement of overall mental health for students, faculty and support staff,” she asserted.
The additional time for extracurriculars without compromising instruction time was also a deciding factor for her. Stotts recounted her primary focus would be to develop Neelyville into a model school for other small towns to imitate.
Editor’s notes: All candidates were given the same set of questions. Answers are provided for the questions in which candidates answered.