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Julie Hess

• Julie Hess (South Union Township Seat-South Montgomery School Corporation School Board)

• Campaign contact information: 765-376-3112 julie.hess@talktotucker.com

• Residence: Crawfordsville

• Community Involvement: South Montgomery School Board, St. Bernard Catholic Church, past president of Montgomery County Visitor’s Convention Bureau, past chair for Small Business-MUFFY campaign, past member grant committee-Montgomery County Community Foundation

• Party Affiliation: Republican

Education/Profession:

• Education: 1994-Crawfordsville High School, 1994; Marian University, B.S. Business Administration, 1998 • Occupation: Small Business Owner-Realtor

Position statement 1:

• What specific experiences and skills qualify you to be a school board member? I have set on the SMCSC board for eight years now. We have continued to improve our responsibility fiscally as well with improving our facilities all while lowering taxes. Our scores/letter grades continue to hold steady or improve and we continue to build morale and a culture of excellence in all our buildings.

Position statement 2:

• What do you think are the most important issues facing the school corporation? Funding. Because the majority of salaries are funding through the state, we are always watching what legislators are looking at doing with cycles and laws. We lack the ability to think to far into the future because the funding cycles or rules change, along with never knowing when things will change.

Position statement 3:

• What are some of the concerns you hear from students, parents and citizens of the school community? Retaining teachers, teacher accountability, and the ability to teach and have goals more than just “going to college.” Not all students need, want or require a four year degree to help achieve their life goals.

Position statement 4:

• How can you balance the budget and meet the needs of the students? We do this every year with hard work from our administrators and teachers. We have taken out several low interest loans to improve our facilities making them more energy efficient.

Position statement 5:

• During and following the COVID-19 pandemic, what will you do to help the recovery of the schools in the district? We receive updates every week from Dr. Greiner, our superintendent, who is, along with other staff, meeting with Montgomery County Health Dept, city and county officials and other Superintendents to work towards getting back to “normal.” Our administrators, staff and entire team have worked hard to think outside the box, try new software, and figure out ways to best engage the students in a completely new environment. As we continue to move forward, we hope to continue with the strategies.