Meet the Candidates – Shelby County R-IV School Board

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Candidates running for Shelby County R-IV School Board were emailed questions by the Shelby County Herald. Below are their responses. Rebecca Hammond reported her name will be on the ballot, but she is withdrawing from the race. Voters will be voting for three candidates to serve on the school board for a three-year term on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

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Darin Eleazarraraz

What motivated you to seek this position?

  I have enjoyed my time serving on the board and look forward to an opportunity to continue to serve our great community. I believe that the time I have already served on the board allows me to be a strong candidate to provide my skills and talents to contribute to the future success of the school district.  I have a strong interest in the school district and want to make sure that our children get the best education possible.  I pledge to continue to diligently study and understand the perils to the district, and work with the other members of the board to make sure all resources are being utilized to their highest possibility.

What experience do you have to qualify?

I have currently served on board for the last three years in addition to previously serving a term as a replacement member prior to that. I come from the business sector, and much like my workplace the school needs to operate in the same manner.  Being both fiscally responsible and having a strategic plan for the future of the district are critical.  I have extensive experience with both, having served previously in both the financial & insurance sectors, as well as my day-to-day responsibilities in the workforce.  I have 4 children in the school 

district, representing each building. Therefore I get first-hand knowledge of the operations of each building as well as the perspective of having a spouse who works within the district.  I have a vested interest to see our district succeed, and understand that those successes are what makes Shelby County R-IV such an outstanding district.

  What goals do you have for the District?

  It is important to remember that we are all just individual members of the board.  We individually can’t fix or change on our own, so it’s important that we share and discuss during meetings to work as a team. Our responsibility is to ensure the school operates well, not to run it day to day.

  This falls into three main areas.  Policy Making, Strategic Direction & Budget.

  In addition, providing a safe & healthy environment for students to learn and staff to work is crucial to our success.

   What do you want voters to know about you?

I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of the board and my fellow board members during my time serving.  Each member is dedicated to their responsibilities, and we have a great working relationship. It’s been my honor to be the President of the Board for the last two years. As we look around at the facilities, upgrading the day-to-day environments, employing the best staff we can..are all areas that I personally take great comfort in as we empower students to strive to be successful and develop leaders in our community. I would appreciate your vote to be re-elected to the Shelby County R-IV School Board.

Joshua L. Miles

What motivated me to seek this position?

  My grandfather, Russell Miles, served on the North Shelby School Board years ago. I always admired his plaque he received for being a board member, and admired him for giving his time for an unpaid service to his community, not everyone is capable of that. Now I would like to do the same for my community.

  What experience do I have to qualify?

  I have a wide array of professional experience, ranging from being a line cook in a kitchen, to being the interim supervisor for my department at my current maintenance job at Salt River Community Care.  I have no previous board member experience, but I do have a very sound logical thought process. My claim has always been, “With 2 weeks preparation time and a good text book I can do anything.”

  What goals do I have for the district?

  My main goal is to maintain our districts good financial security, while also continuing to keep our facilities up to date, our staff well compensated, and our students safe, happy, healthy, and well educated.

  What do I want the voters to know about you?

  I graduated from South Shelby High School in 2013 and since then I have married and started a family right here in Shelby County. My wife’s name is Ashley Miles and our two children’s names are, Carter Hagan (9 years old, in 3rd grade) and Coraline Miles (3 years old).  I love this community, always have and always will. I would love to do my duty in giving back to our wonderful community by serving as a school board member. I am no longer active on any forms of social media, if anyone has any questions or concerns before the election, feel free to give me a call on my cellphone, 573-822-2929.

  Thank you to everyone for even considering me, and I hope you all have a good spring.

Lindsey Perotti

What motivated me to seek this position?

  I am motivated to run for the school board because I have a desire to work with the students,

school staff, and community who make up Shelby County R-IV. I want to see Shelby County R-IV thrive for many years to come. I care about the children in our communities and I am prepared to keep the children’s best interests in the forefront. I think it is important to volunteer in an effort to grow our community.

  What experience do you have to qualify?

  I am a member of the Shelbina United Methodist Church. As a member, I have been on committees and have helped make decisions for the church’s best interest. I have also been involved in the Missouri Quarter Horse Association, serving on multiple committees over the years.

  What goals do you have for the district?

I would like to see Shelby County R-IV continue to put the needs of our students and staff first. I will listen to those around me while staying firm in my beliefs. I would like to see our district continue to improve and maintain our infrastructure, while ensuring taxpayer money is spent responsibly.

What do you want voters to know about you?

  My name is Lindsey Wilt Perotti. I work at Schwada Builder’s, Inc. in Shelbina. I have been married to my husband, Mike, for almost 10 years. Mike is a lineman for Macon Electric Cooperative. We have two children, Leah is 8-years-old and McVae is 4-years-old. When my children are grown and have children of their own, I hope that they wish to raise their children in Shelby/Monroe counties, and that Shelby County R-IV is one of the reasons they choose to raise their families here.

Kendel Wood

What motivated me to seek this position?

  I have now been on the Shelby Co. RIV School Board for two terms. I have enjoyed my time on the board working with a great team that has adversity across the district. I think our knowledge and different backgrounds allow us to see different aspects of the decisions we have to make. That is one key item that motivated me to join the school board. I wanted to be a voice for the area of the district I call home and have called home my entire life.

  What experience do I have to qualify?  

  I came onto the board with very little knowledge of school board duties, throughout my two terms I have learned so much behind what the position entails. The knowledge I have gained and continue to gain has given me the experience necessary to be successful on the board.

  What goals do I have for the district?

My main goal is probably the same goal each member on the board shares, and that is to make the decisions that will impact our students in the most positive way. The kids our number one. My wife and I are both South Shelby graduates and are parents of three wonderful children that will be South Shelby graduates as well. Being a parent myself gives me many other points of view to consider when decisions have to be made.

  What do I want the voters to know about you?

   I was born and raised in the Clarence area and have lived in the area my entire life. I am currently employed by BNSF Railway as a heavy equipment mechanic and have been in this field since graduating from high school.  My wife Ann is the director of Camp Jo-Ota north of Clarence. We have three children McKenna Wood, age 8, Judge Wood age 5, and Carolann age 15 months. When we are not working our day jobs we raise cattle and farm row crops. I have always known what a strong work ethic means to be successful, and look forward to working hard for the district. I would appreciate your vote in April.