Information provided by Fair Grove Parent Teacher Organization for informational purposes only. PTO does not endorse any specific candidate.
Meet the 2014 Fair Grove school board candidates…
Tom Buckner – Incumbent
Tom is married to his wife Linda. Tom has three children; Jessica, class of 2007; Zach, class of 2009 and Stephanie,
class of 2012. Tom’s stepdaughter is Kristen Hoenshell. Tom graduated from Fair Grove High School in 1979 and
went on to graduate from College of the Ozarks Class of 84. He has a degree in Business Administration and Aviation Science. He attended Missouri State University 1984-85 to work towards his MBA. He enjoys his family, running, snorkeling, and travel anywhere near an ocean. Tom has been employed with Meek’s The Builders Choice® for 27 years and is currently a District/Product Manager. Tom has served on the school board for a total of 9 years, acting as President for 2 years, and VP 2 years. Tom says “with that background I believe I have a good understanding of the difficulties in providing a quality education given the limited resources. My wife is the Middle School Counselor and my oldest daughter is a fifth grade teacher at Republic. So I am very concerned with education and how it affects our community. My business background gives me good insight into relationships and conflict resolution. I like to find common ground that all can work within.”
Tom’s goal’s for his term on the board are “maintaining and improving the quality faculty and staff that we have; pushing the school system ahead with new technology and maintaining the school/community partnership.” He would like to continue to bring his passion for kids and education to the district.
Tom says “I believe that Fair Grove is not just a great community but also has a great school system. I chose to live in Fair Grove and give my kids a chance to get a quality education in a system that has teachers who genuinely care about the kids in their class and make sure they are well educated.
Daryle Orr – Incumbent
Daryle has been married to his wife Jean for 27 years. She is a Professor in the Psychology Department at Evangel
University. Christopher (23) is married to his wife Emily and is finishing his degree at Evangel with a major in Psychology and minors in Biblical Studies and Film. Jean and Daryle’s daughter Samantha is 20 and is a freshman at Evangel majoring in Elementary Education. Alyssah (18) is a senior at Fair Grove High School. She plans on attending Evangel next year and majoring in English, Journalism, or Writing. Amanda (13) is in 8th grade and Joshua (10) is in the 4th grade.
Daryle graduated from Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Arizona and attended Evangel University where he studied Communication and Psychology. He has been employed with United Parcel Service since November 1987. He has lived in the Fair Grove school district since 1996. Much of his time is spent around his kids and their activities. He is also involved with his church and its various activities.
Daryle desires that every child reach his/her full potential educationally so each can pursue dreams in whatever field
that they choose. He says “I am a good communicator and I just completed serving 6 years as a deacon on our church
board. I am able to analyze situations and determine the best strategy for decision making. I have a continued desire to not become complacent, but rather actively pursue excellence in all that we do in educating our children.It has been an honor to serve on the Fair Grove School Board for the past three years and I would appreciate the opportunity to represent you for another three year term. Thank you.”
Daryle’s goals for his term on the school board include continuing to maximize tax dollars to their fullest potential in
educating our children; continuing to support advancement in technology in the classroom; and finally, “I would continue to strive for excellence in educating our children in helping them reach their fullest potential.”
Joy Reynaud
Joy is married to her husband Rusty, they have two children Travis 6th grade and Chloe 4th grade. She and her husband have lived in the Fair Grove area for 20 years.
Joy graduated from Drury University in 1991 with a BS in Business Administration. She went on to complete the
Advanced Human Resource Certification with Pinnacle Training and Development in 2006. Joy has experience in
business as an employee and an owner but says “my real area of expertise is in relating to people. I have a knack for
understanding other people’s position even if I don’t agree with it.” She is fortunate to be a full time mom and enjoys
volunteering at the school. She also enjoys spending time with her family, camping, scuba diving, riding motorcycles,
gardening, and cheerleading while her kids play basketball, volleyball, and football.
Joy says “I feel strongly that the quality of our teachers and staff directly affects the quality of our students education. We should strive to hire and keep the very best staff. I think it is important to continually update the technology available to our students. Experience in this area will help equip our kids to find employment after graduation. We must work hard to ensure that the funds available to the school are spent responsibly. I feel that I can help the school board make positive changes for our children by addressing each issue with a helpful and enthusiastic but responsible attitude. I would like to see more people attend the school board meetings. They are an excellent way for citizens to voice their ideas and concerns. The meetings also help people understand that the school is a part of government and decisions must be made carefully and changes often come slowly.”
Sarah Lewis
Sarah and her husband Billy have two children, Blake (3rd grade) and Bailey (1st grade.) Sarah and her family have
lived in the district for four years and Sarah says “we moved here specifically for the school district before our oldest child started kindergarten and like many of you I want Fair Grove Schools to be the best school around. I want our children to have the brightest futures and that starts with school. Being a member of the school board would allow me to positively impact the lives of our children, teachers and staff.
Sarah is currently working on her Masters of Science in Nursing at MSU and will graduate as a family nurse practitioner in May 2014. She has a Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSN, RN) from Southwest Baptist University. She has been employed with Mercy (St. John’s) now for 10 years as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Trauma Center. She enjoys her children and supporting their interests and their school. She is an active participant in the PTO.
Sarah says she is very open minded and her background enables her to help identify how to help the greatest number
of people with the resources that are available. She says “I am able to advocate for those in our school because being an advocate comes naturally to me. If elected I will openly listen to parents, teachers and staff and work hard to make a positive difference in the lives of all who make up the Fair Grove School. I want what is best for all our children and I would love to help make their education successful. I am also interested in bring academic success to the children of Fair Grove so that they grow up to be positive productive members of society who will be able to give back to their community.” Her priorities for her term on the board are: Safety, Finances and Resources. Regarding safety, Sarah says “I think that making a few small changes could help protect all our children.”
Terry Tolbert
Terry and his wife Cindy have a son Brett(8th grade.) Terry has lived in the Fair Grove area since 1980, except the years he was away at college. He graduated from Fair Grove schools, as did his grandmother, mother and all of his siblings. Terry attended Missouri State University, where he earned a B.S degree. He went on to the University of Arkansas, where he was awarded his J.D. He currently practices law at Tolbert, Beadle & Musgrave, attorneys at law. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, travel, reading and sports.
Terry’s goals for the future of Fair Grove Schools are:
- Ensure that students are graduating with skills to begin a career or college
- Work with the City of Fair Grove on projects that can benefit school, city, and students
- Ensure that the school is being a good steward of district taxes
- Encourage students to give back to community
Terry says that he hopes that he “could work with our local legislators about fully funding our schools that would allow for more services for students and the school as a whole.”
