School Board Candidate: Sam Tuten

MARIETTA, OH — Some members of the public have reached out to Patch about the media coverage, or lack thereof, around those running for Marietta City Schools Board of Education. There will be three new members on a board of five, so obviously, this is a very important election. The latest article of any significance was written by the Marietta Times some time ago. They reported that the Marietta Education Association's Public Action Committee endorsed three candidates, Sam Tuten, Eric Reed, and Cody Parman.

There are still three other candidates on the ballot, Ethan Vessels, Seth Miller, and Rudolph John Lehman. So the invitation is out to all candidates, reach out, we will publish your statement about why you want to be on the Board of Marietta City Schools, why you were or weren't endorsed by the MEA, and why that is or isn't relevant.

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Here's why I’m running for School Board.

My name is Sam Tuten, and I’m running for Marietta City School Board. I decided to run because I firmly believe our school system is an investment that our community must support no matter if you have kids in school, once had kids in school, or don’t have any children at all. We should be committed to this investment all the time, not just when a levy is pressing. Regarding our past attempts on improvement and investment, I find it extremely disappointing that our community has the following rhetoric. In 2019, a Marietta Times article once quoted a gentleman for saying “…We’ve paid our way. I paid when I worked and paid as a landowner. When my kids were in school, we paid their way.” I wholeheartedly disagree. We need to address this issue of failed transparency and help rebuild the trust of the public about the decisions we are making and the decisions we are going to make.

Trust & Standards
As a former public servant and now a consultant for local governments, trust is one of the core issues communities everywhere are facing. Trust is important in any top-down organization, and it is apparent that trust is broken within our school system. Trust between the Board/Administrators and Teachers, and the trust between our school district as a whole and the public. How can we fix it? If elected, I plan on creating opportunities within the Board meetings to hear from teachers and the standing committees. Our teachers should be given opportunities and feel comfortable speaking to the Board and the public about all matters, good or bad. Aside from Board meetings, the public should also have more opportunities to get involved and speak about their concerns. I would like to set up a public committee with representation from all stakeholders and people from all socio-economic and educational backgrounds.

I’m never in favor of making decisions on the spot without understanding the details and gathering the appropriate information. If a decision is on the table which impacts how our teachers teach or how our students learn then we must do our due diligence to listen to those parties way before the Board is ever faced with making a decision. Board Members aren’t typically teaching experts, so why should we as a Board make decisions without hearing from our own experienced teachers? Right now, listening is more important than talking.

Also, are we setting ourselves up for success? What are the standards or goals for yearly expectations of the Superintendent, the Administrators, the Teachers, and also the Board? WE can’t build trust if we aren’t holding ourselves and others to a high standard. We can break down these barriers of mistrust by being vocal and being consistent in our expectations, standards, and decision-making. Within the first couple of months, I’ll work with other Board Members to set established goals for the year and hold ourselves accountable for those goals.

Now, I understand that people need to trust me. I left Marietta Main Street to take care of my own well-being. I, like many people, am not perfect but I want to be. I carried the stress of running a local non-profit on my shoulders and instead of asking for help sooner, I let it build up. Stress, anxiety, and depression play a role in all our lives, and we all handle them differently. I ended up learning from my experience, but some people don’t. In our community, we have children who have it way worse than me. I vow to work on improving our academic excellence but also work to create a space that breaks down barriers so our children and teachers can improve their well-being. As a Board member, I would passionately further support the work being done in our schools to address student mental health. Why is it okay to get treatment for physical illnesses but we’re judged for taking care of our mental state?

Main Street programs are generally funded through municipal funding, business support (membership), and fundraising (events). The demand for Main Street and the tremendous impact it has in our City is a blessing. With only one staff member and very limited financial resources, it’s amazing that the organization continues to do all that it does without significant support from the City of Marietta and Washington County. Most, if not all, municipalities with Main Street programs in the State of Ohio contribute at least ~$30k or more to the operations of the organization. Washington County contributes $0. Marietta does offer the time of some amazing staff, who spend time hanging holiday decorations but historically only $15k in restricted funds has been given to support national accreditation and downtown beautification. This year, that funding has been cut. With support from the CVB, a small portion of the bed tax is now given to Marietta Main Street but the need for municipal support continues. The job is more than most folks realize, the level of demand on just “one” position can lead to burnout. Cristie Thomas, my predecessor and also the current Executive Director will always have my respect for her role in making our downtown a special place and building Marietta Main Street to what it is today. Our community is extremely fortunate to have great leaders in our community organizations like Cristie.

I still demand excellence within myself, from others, and my community but by accepting and acknowledging my own vulnerabilities, I can continue on a path that is best for me. I will always advocate for others to accept their own limitations because where you may end, someone else can come in and begin. We all want excellence, and we all want to succeed. I’m witnessing my community hurting, it is time for a change but we can not simply speak morale into existence. We have to build it.

Morale
I’ve seen several comments mentioning "warm and fuzzy". "Warm and fuzzy" is not always the answer but are we fostering an environment where our teachers and students feel good? After hearing concerns from members of the Marietta Education Association, simple things will go a long way. Solutions like rotating meeting locations to the schools. Our teachers want the opportunity to show the public what they and the students accomplish. Our teachers care, so why wouldn’t they want to open their doors to the public or the Board? The Board is closed from them, it isn’t the other way around. Sending them cards and celebrating their wins can be simple morale boosters. Our Board and our Administrators should be implementing practices that will foster an environment that our teachers feel encouraged and more importantly, valued. I just talked about opening opportunities for feedback. That feedback should come from both directions, and we must celebrate the successes that we’re experiencing through these feedback channels.

Community morale is also important. I will be an advocate by working with local officials to connect the dots on the importance between the local decisions they make and the role those decisions have in our school system. In Parkersburg, Mayor Tom Joyce invites those students who achieve in his community to City Council meetings so he can highlight their achievements. Our community leaders can do the same. We can establish better relationships between all stakeholders to show more solidarity than ever before. Yes, this is, "warm and fuzzy", but still needed because we need people to have an emotional investment in this community.

Now, let me tell you a story about how we haven’t been kind to our community through our school system. I had a parent inform me about their experience reaching out to the Facebook page associated with promoting the levy in 2019. This individual wanted to help push the message and asked for an explanation so they could best answer to people who had asked her, “How will the levy impact my taxes?”. They were told the following, “…All of the numbers have been laid out in detail in the Marietta Times and the website but we know that while we can point people to that info, we cannot make them read it!...”. What a missed opportunity, because it goes to show that our words do matter. The district can not miss out on the opportunities to hear from our community, our teachers, and our children. Why should they ever open up to the District, if we aren’t just a little bit, well warm and fuzzy? Obviously, being cold and unsympathetic hasn’t been working here.

I hope to gain your trust as an individual, a community member, and your potential School Board Member. Thank you.

Sam Tuten
Candidate for Marietta City School Board.

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