On April 11, Lennox School District residents will go the polls to elect three people to serve on the Lennox School Board.
Four candidates: incumbents Scott Sandal, Melissa Daugherty, Heidi Bowers, and challenger Kari Black, will be will be vying for three 3-year positions on the Lennox School Board.
The School Board election is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, April 11 with the polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The polling place for each precinct of the Lennox School District is as follows:
Precinct No. 1 — Worthing Fire Station. This precinct includes all of Lennox School District No. 41-4 lying within: LaValley, Lincoln and Lynn Townships, including the Town of Worthing and Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35 and 36 in Perry Township and Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35 and 36 of Grant township and all sections East of Hwy 17 in Delaware Township all in Lincoln County, SD.
Precinct No. 2 — Chancellor City Hall. This precinct includes all of Lennox School District No. 41-4 lying within: Turner County including the city of Chancellor and all sections West of Hwy 17 in Delaware township and all sections West of Hwy 17 in Delapre Township and Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18 in Perry Township and Sections 19, 20, 29, 30, 31, 32 in Grant Township all in Lincoln County, SD.
Precinct No. 3 — LWC Intermediate School. This precinct includes all of Lennox School District No. 41-4 lying within: Minnehaha County, all sections East of Hwy 17 in Delapre Township and Sections 3, 4, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 of Perry Township including the City of Lennox and Sections 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 18 of Grant Township all in Lincoln County, SD.
If polls cannot be opened because of bad weather, the election may be postponed one week. The official ballot can be viewed on page 8.
Any voter who needs assistance, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may contact the school business manager at 605-647-2203 option #8 before the election for information on polling place accessibility for people with disabilities.
The Lennox Independent sent questionnaires to each of the candidates, what follows at right are their responses:
Scott Sandal
Q: What motivated you to run for school board, and what are your primary goals for the school district?
A: I have been honored to serve on the Lennox School Board for the past six years and Board Chair for the past two years. Throughout these years, I have learned that the primary objective of any school board member is to be the advisory panel for the team of professional educators and administrators which we have hired. My goal of returning to the Lennox School Board is to continue to hire the best professional educators and administrators to run the school district day to day, and then be there to make the necessary decisions brought forth by those professionals or district taxpayers that align with the district’s goals and objectives.
As a board we shall review the district’s goals and objectives to ensure they stay relevant and current.
Q: What are your educational experiences and qualifications?
A: Educationally, I attended K-8 in a two-room country school near our ranch in Western South Dakota. I graduated from Faith High School and then Dakota State University with a degree in Management for Information Systems. As a career, I am the VP of Client Services for Sunbird Software providing applications to manage data center facilities and processes. I have grown a team of 30 technology experts who deliver training, implementations, and technical support for our clients globally.
Q: How do you plan to engage with parents, teachers, and students to understand their concerns and priorities for the district?
A: Engaging within the community of parents, teachers, and students is being present, approachable, and available. When people feel they can approach me to share whatever is on their mind regarding the school district, I find that productive conversation ensues.
Q: Who does your family include?
A: My wife, Heidi, and I have four children and one grandson. Two of our children have graduated from Lennox High School, those being Kendra in 2019 who works full-time and will be attending Stewart school to become an esthetician, and Parker graduated in 2020 and is a Junior at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Courtney is a Senior at LHS who competes in golf, basketball, tennis, and is the current Student Council President. Preston is a 7th grader and serves on the Lennox Junior High Student Council and competes in football, basketball, and track. Our grandson Lincoln will be starting Kindergarten in Lennox this fall.
Q: What are your hobbies or interests?
A: When time allows, our family hobbies include traveling, attending sporting events, ATVing, hanging out at the lake, and sharing information from social media.
Melissa Daugherty
Q: What motivated you to run for school board, and what are your primary goals for the school district?
A: I grew up in the Lennox School District. When my husband and I started our family, we wanted our kids to grow up in a small school that was big enough to give the opportunities of a large school but provided personal connection. I became active on the school board four years ago to give back to the school my children called home.
I am an advocate for academic excellence for our kids and fight to keep mental health support and preventative services to help our kids navigate the negative effects of our world.
Q: What are your educational experiences and qualifications?
A: I have a business degree with an emphasis in land use economics and was a real estate appraiser for 5 years before staying home with my kids. While I was a stay at home mom, I was active in volunteering in the Worthing Parents and Teachers Together group.
As president of the group, I helped t facilitate multiple fundraisers to purchase new playground equipment at the elementary. Once my children all began school, I went back to school to get my Nursing degree. Throughout the years I have been active in many volunteer positions to help lead and support the students of Lennox through coaching and volunteering for several committees.
Q: How do you plan to engage with parents, teachers, and students to understand their concerns and priorities for the district?
A: As a school board member, I am always available with my email posted on the school website or in person as I am active in our community.
Q: Who does your family include?
A: I have been married to my husband Bill Daugherty for almost 26 years. We have raised 3 amazing children. Our daughter Katie graduated from LHS in 2017. Our son Will graduated from LHS in 2020. Our youngest Andrew will graduate from LHS this May. My family is very proud of our community and my oldest children have both purchased homes in the community. I want to continue to support the Lennox School District and they plan to raise their families here someday as well.
Q: What are your hobbies or interests?
A: What I love most is doing anything that involves my family. We enjoy getting together often to play games and joining in local activities like the summer volleyball league. You will often find my husband and I in the stands cheering loud for the Lennox Orioles!
Heidi Bowers
Q: What motivated you to run for school board, and what are your primary goals for the school district?
A: As the saying goes, “It takes a village to raise your children.” And a huge part of that village is the school system. I believe providing a solid education and a safe environment is one of the utmost important elements in shaping our kids outside of their home life. Running for the school board gives me the opportunity to make a difference and support our teachers, administration, employees and, ultimately, the students. I want to be a part of a team that focuses on educational opportunities for all students. I also want to give back to the Lennox community and school system because of its impact on my kids and family.
Q: What are your educational experiences and qualifications?
A: I have served two terms with the Lennox School District. During this time, the board has worked on many positive initiatives for the District. During that time, we were faced with the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact that had on our schools. I definitely never saw a pandemic coming, but my ability to be a part of the school board and work as a team to come up with a plan to maintain a safe environment and keep kids learning is something, I’m proud of.
As a school board member, we are elected to be the voice of our community and hold the school system accountable. I believe my career as an HR Director shows my ability to communicate well, build relationships, foresee possible future scenarios, analyze risk and find solutions with a wide range of personalities, wants and needs.
I have coached a variety of youth sports in Lennox. Coaching allows me to help develop the youth as well as be a mentor.
Q: How do you plan to engage with parents, teachers, and students to understand their concerns and priorities for the district?
A: I am actively involved in the community and plan to stay active so that I can meet and listen to parents, teachers and students. I view my role on the school board is to bring the community’s vision to life and that means actively listening for feedback.
Q: Who does your family include?
A: My husband Sam and I have been married for 21 years. We have three kids, Gracie, who graduated from Lennox High School in 2020, our son, Sawyer, who is a senior at Lennox High School and our youngest daughter, Addley, a 4th grader at Lennox Elementary.
Q: What are your hobbies or interests?
A: I love coaching basketball. I also enjoy spending time on the beach or fishing with family and friends.
Kari Black
Q: What motivated you to run for school board, and what are your primary goals for the school district?
A: I am motivated by my two children that go to school in Lennox. I graduated from Lennox in 1996 myself and love this community. I am concerned about the drugs and alcohol with our youth. We have a program called TATU in Lennox this year and the current board does not seem very interested in keeping this program alive. My kids have talked in dept about things they learn with this program. I am concerned that there is not enough interest in these areas when it comes to our kids’ education! I am not sure what is more important than actual education then these programs to set our kids up for success in life drug and alcohol free!
I am also a very strong negotiator and feel that I could help create the funds needed to keep the program alive by simply working on some of the other budget items and looking for cost savings. I do this every single day running my own local companies. Yes companies! I am an entrepreneur who can bring great value to our district! Managing a school is a business and that is something I can do!
Q: What are your educational experiences and qualifications?
A: I graduated from Augustana College in 2002 with a business degree. As a local business owner, I have spent time speaking at area colleges over the years and conducting entrepreneur workshops! My focus is on expanding what we currently offer our students by finding the dollars and cents within the budget! I will rely on the others who may have more of an educational directing background to help locate and access these opportunities, and then come in alongside to help gain funding and contracts to support our vision for bringing new ideas, programs and classes to our students! I am high energy and a MAKE IT HAPPEN person! I believe that where there is a will there is a way!
Q: How do you plan to engage with parents, teachers, and students to understand their concerns and priorities for the district?
A: I plan to work to get parents to our school board meetings! It is very sad that no parents come to the meetings! I have already been talking to teachers and students to understand the needs! I will continue to make an effort to be available and talking to our families! I think a facebook page for the district in general is important to engage with the community! We need an open line of communication where the community is able to easily engage with the board! My moto is – “Students thrive when parents are involved, families are heard, and teachers and staff are treated well!”
Q: Who does your family include?
A: My husband of 21 years Doug Black, Freshman Tiegen Black and 8th Grader Ryleigh Black
Q: What are your hobbies or interests?
A: I love to garden and grow my family’s food! Golfing, cooking, reading and church! God is at the center of all things I do! I love spending time outdoors water skiing, and having lake days! My family and friends know that I will do anything I can for any of them at any time! When I got your back, no one can fail!
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