Two Oxford School Board members have decided to give it another whirl during the upcoming May 8 election.
Although Treasurer Doug Myer and Trustee Major Murray haven’t filed yet, the two said they will definitely meet the 4 p.m. Tuesday, February 13 deadline.
Nominating petitions for school board must contain a minimum of 40, but no more than 100, valid signatures from registered district voters.
Petitions and affidavit forms are available through township clerks. Petitions must be turned into the Oakland County Clerk’s office by the deadline.
A $100 nonrefundable fee may be paid in lieu of filing a petition.
Myer, 50, is a 20-year resident of Oxford who joined the school board four years ago.
He and his wife, Theresa, have three children; Charlie, 24, Aileen, 22 and Michael, who is a sophomore at OHS.
Myer is hoping to fill the open four-year seat, the term of which begins July 7 and ends June 30, 2011.
Myer said there was no question that he would run for re-election.
‘I (have) truly enjoyed being involved in some of the fundamental decisions that our district (has) made,? he said.
Myer described himself as a ‘well-known commodity? to the district because he’s a people person who likes to be involved in the community.
‘I can get input from so many people to help share the views of what the people want,? Myer said.
One might say being active in the community is one of the Myer family’s strong points. His wife, Theresa, serves on the Oxford Parks and Recreation Commission while he started the popular Junior Wildcats wrestling team 15 years ago to create a ‘positive program for kids to get involved with.?
‘It’s not so much that we want to change the world, it’s (that) we like being involved,? he said. ‘If you’re not part of the community, how would you know what the community wants??
Myer said his goal will be to help the community fully understand what’s going on in the district so they’re not left confused.
‘When people don’t know the problems, then they complain about things maybe they don’t know enough about,? he said.
One of Myer’s concerns with the school board is the direction they’re taking with the increased graduation requirements, which he said seems to focus on college-bound students or the ‘overachievers.?
‘The A students will continue to get A’s, but we’ve got to find more educational resources in the way of technical training,? he said. ‘The kid that doesn’t care that much about physics or economics ? how is he going to get a diploma??
When Myer isn’t serving on the school board, he helps run P. K. Contracting based in Troy.
The new face on the board for the past month has been Major Murray, 42.
Murray, a Brandon Township resident, was appointed to the board Dec. 12 after former trustee Judy Kubina resigned.
He said deciding to fill Kubina’s seat was his way of serving the community. Murray wanted to stay on the ballot for the May 8 election because he wants to fully finish Kubina’s term.
‘I considered that a responsibility of accepting the appointed trustee seat included being willing to (run in) the election in May,? he said.
The partial term Murray is running for will end June 30, 2008.
Murray’s wife, Amy, is the Polly Ann Trail manager. They have two children, Jordan, a junior at OHS and Nicholas, a freshman at the University of Michigan.
Murray works as a business unit director for Noble International in Troy.
He has a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois, served as a naval aviator for nine years and flew missions in the first Gulf War.
His family moved to Oxford in 1997 after he finished a business posting in England.
As a new member to the board, Murray said his goals are to ‘become more knowledgeable on the topics at hand and to be a useful and credible member on the Board of Education team.?