Dan Berry spent more than 30 years in front of the classroom at Morgantown High School, where he taught history, civics and geography.
Now, it appears he’ll be witnessing the proceedings from his new seat on the Monongalia County Board of Education.
Berry quickly emerged as Mon’s top vote-getter in Tuesday’s BOE primary, with 7,025 votes netted in his first run for office.
Three seats were up for grabs on the five-member board, after Sara Anderson and Melanie Baker Rogers, both in their first terms, opted not to seek re-election.
The former teacher will be joined by longtime incumbent Michael Kelly and Jennifer Hagerty, also a veteran educator in the Mon district making her first go for BOE.
Hagerty earned 5,612 votes, with Kelly bringing in 5,007.
Cristy Moats and Brandon Myers completed the field with 3,284 and 2,747 votes, respectively.
A total of 35 write-in votes were also recorded in the contest.
During a meeting with the editorial board of The Dominion Post last month, candidates discussed subjects related to the future of Mon’s district, from a new emphasis on STEM education to the introduction of charter schools across West Virginia.
Other thornier issues came up in that session.
They ranged from a discussion to the teaching of history – even with on-the-record facts that reflect badly on the Republic – to the idea of pulling books from school library shelves that might be considered by some to be divisive or controversial.
“My rule is, if you’re gonna ban a book, you should read it first,” Berry told the editorial board.
Hagerty logged more than 20 years in the district as a teacher and a principal, and she said she wants to use her newly elected position help hone the craft of her past career.
Hagerty wants to see a “more relevant” form of professional development opportunities for teachers, she said – related to the specific needs of their schools and the content areas they teach.
Meanwhile, Kelly, the veteran in the pack of candidates, was first elected to the BOE in 2005.
He said he’ll continue his embrace of both STEM education and the arts in Mon’s schools, while fostering and nurturing the critical-thinking directives in the classroom that make the district famous.
“Every answer should create a question, which creates perpetual learning,” the incumbent said.
All totals are unofficial until the canvass.
TWEET@DominionPostWV
