By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
Two new names are in the running for April’s USD 489 school board elections, while current board members Sarah Rankin and Greg Schwartz officially filed their paperwork at the Ellis County Clerk’s office Tuesday.
Luke Oborny, 1720 Wheatland Ave, Hays, filed his paperwork Wednesday morning and Miranda Fox, 4413 Larned Circle, Hays, filed Tuesday along with Rankin and Schwartz.
This week is not the first opportunity Oborny and Fox have taken action to become a part of the USD 489 board of education. Both were also in the running with Rankin to fill the seat vacated by Darren Schumacher in April.
Oborny, a Fort Hays State University graduate with a degree in communications, is a supervisor at Nex-Tech, and has three children in the school district, a middle schooler, 2nd grader and preschooler.
Oborny said his wife, Kristy is a teacher at O’Loughlin Elementary, but does not feel his role on the board will conflict with his wife’s role.
“My goal is to lead the district in the best possible way and if that conflicts with teachers in some particular way, then that is just the way it has to be,” Oborny said.
“With that being said I don’t want to sound anti-teacher because any company and any organization is nothing without the people inside of it and teachers are a large part of schools as are custodians and everyone else who make the wheels turn,” he added.
According to Ellis County Clerk and election officer Donna Maskus, Miranda Fox may also be a familiar name in the school district as her application has her listed as co-president of the O’Loughlin Parent Teacher Association.
Fox is Kansas State University graduate with a bachelor’s degree in agronomy, is owner of Fox-Z Consulting, an environmental consulting business, and has worked for K-State, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Texas A&M University, where she earned her master’s degree in soil science.
Fox was not available for comment Wednesday.
Maskus said it is great to see “interest growing” in the Ellis County city/school elections.
There are four seat open in USD 489. As of Wednesday afternoon, Board President James Leiker and board vice president Marty Patterson had not registered for the April 7th election.
The deadline to file for open city and school board seats is noon, January 27 at the Ellis County Clerk’s office located at the new administration building, 718 Main St., Hays.
Maskus said the county building is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.