By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Lori Hertel, a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist, has filed for election to the Hays USD 489 school board.
Hertel joins Luke Oborny, who has filed for re-election, and Tammy Wellbrock in running for four open seats on the board.
“I have some time that I want to devote to some more children’s-type of activities,” Hertel said. “This position came up on the school board, and I thought this would be an opportunity for me to be able to make a difference in children’s lives, so I decided to go ahead and run.”
Hertel, 58, has extensive background working with children and families.
She was involved in the founding of both CASA and Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Ellis County. Hertel served as the first CASA director and later as president of the CASA board as well as president of the board of BBBS.
For years, she has done psychological evaluations with a parenting emphasis for the court in custody and child in need of care cases. She worked as a therapist in her own counseling agency as well as for High Plains Mental Health.
She currently works with children and families at Serenity Psychological Services in Hays.
She received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in resource counseling from Fort Hays State University, and is working on her PhD in health psychology through Walden University.
Her daughter, Ana, attended Hays public schools before her death from a childhood muscular disease. Her daughter was in the special education program, and Hertel said she is very familiar with that program.
“I am familiar with a lot of different areas of the school district and feel that I can be an asset to all of those areas,” she said.
Hertel has collected stuffed animals in her daughter’s name for first responders to give to children in crisis in program she calls Ana’s Gift. She has also donated books to the school district and spearheaded efforts to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program to Hays. The program provides free monthly books for Ellis County children birth through age 5.
Most recently, she donated to the ARC Park, accessible park project, also in her daughter’s Ana’s name.
For her work with children, she was awarded the Woman of Distinction Award by Soroptimist International.
“I am mostly wanting to focus on programming, staff and people who can make a difference for children,” Hertel said of her goals if elected.
She said she thought the current school board is doing a good job and she wants to continue with that positive work.
Hertel said she has supported past bond issues. The school district had failed bond issues in 2016 and 2017 and has discussed a third try for a bond to address facility needs in the district.
“I have served on a site council and have seen the facilities and some of the maintenance that needs to be done in the facilities,” she said.
However, she said she would need more information before making any decisions on facilities as a board member.
The Hays school board has clashed with the teacher’s union in the past. The board and Hays NEA reached impasse during negotiations last year.
“I think I am a very open person,” Hertel said. “My education, experience, etc. has always been in working with people, trying to resolve problems, conflicts, so I think I would be good at coming up with some good resolutions.”
The deadline to file for the school board election is noon Monday, June 3. The USD 489 positions that are up for election include those held by Oborny, Mandy Fox, Paul Adams and Greg Schwartz. All candidate filings need to be handled through the Ellis County Clerk’s office at 718 Main St., Hays.
School board and city elections will be on Tuesday, Nov. 5. If nine or more candidates file for the USD 489 school board, a primary election will be on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Brian Shannon has filed to run for the school board in Ellis USD 388. Don Pruitt has filed for in Victoria USD 432. Four positions are open in each of those races.
A portion of USD 403, USD 399 and USD 407 all are in Ellis County.
Justin Frye and Kristin Lyle have filed in the Paradise USD 399 election, and Kathy Wallert has filed for election in Russell County USD 407.
No one has filed as of Thursday for the open positions on the school board for Otis-Bison USD 403.