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An incumbent on the Huber Heights school board will not be returning because of an invalid petition and another has chosen not to run for re-election, meaning two new members will be sworn in come the first of the year.
The two incumbents — Anita Brock and Carl Fisher — will not be back on the board, as voters will see Huber Heights residents G. Michael Miller and Krista R. Tipton running unopposed on Nov. 3.
Brock filed a petition to run again, but it had an insufficient number of valid signatures and was not able to be certified earlier this month, according to the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Fisher, who was appointed last year, said at the time he did not plan on running for re-election.
Brock, 49, was seeking her third full term on the school board.
She said she normally turns in 100 signatures, but this time, she had 91 signatures. Only 72 were valid, though, leaving Brock three short of the required 75 to be certified and on the ballot in November.
Jan Kelly, director of the Montgomery County Board of Elections, said a “lack of sufficient valid signatures is a fatal flaw.” Brock’s petitions were checked by board employees on three separate occasions, Kelly said.
“It’s pretty much one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with,” Brock said. “I take full responsibility.”
Brock said she plans to run for school board in two years, when three seats will be up.
“I still want to do it,” Brock said. “I’ll miss everybody there. I’ll miss being involved at that level. But I’m not going to quit. I’ll always be there to help with anything.”
Miller, 34, is a 2000 Wayne High School graduate and has two children in the district. It’s his first time running for a public office.
“I want the schools to be good, quality schools — similar to how they were when I went to school,” Miller said. “When I went to Wayne, it wasn’t just a sports powerhouse. It also was an academic powerhouse. There were a lot of options, and a lot of that has been lost over the years because of finances.”
Miller said he does see a bright future ahead for the district with the restoration of some academic programs, but more work remains.
“It’s unfortunate some of the children have had to suffer to get to this point,” Miller said. “Some of them still aren’t getting exactly what they need. I want to be able to restore that.”
Tipton, 33, moved to Huber Heights in 2013 and has four children in the district. It’s also her first time running for a public office.
She said she’s been involved in PTO, but now wants to have a greater impact by being a part of the district’s decision-making process.
“I’m like every other parent,” Tipton said. “I’m concerned and I want to affect change. Everybody has good ideas, and we need more of them. It takes an entire community of involved people.”
Tipton said she understands she hasn’t proven herself to the community, but she has “hopes, wishes and dreams that I do.”
“I want the community to feel that I’m worthy to be there,” Tipton said.
Huber Heights City Schools has been in the process of restoring programs and filling teaching positions after years of cuts due to budget constraints.
School officials said earlier this summer they do not plan to have a levy anytime soon. Huber Heights voters have rejected six straight levy requests for new operating money. They last approved an operating levy in 2005.
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