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4 vie for 3 open Alcona school board seats

Brandon Schroeder

LINCOLN — Voters on Nov. 3 will choose three winners from four candidates hoping to be trustees on the Alcona Community Schools Board of Education.

Incumbents Warren MacNeill and Brandon Schroeder are seeking reelection and are being challenged by Erika Rice and Melissa Upper.

MacNeill has been on the board four years, is a former state conservation officer, and has served as a school resource officer in the school district.

MacNeill said he is proud the board was able to purchase the 43 acres of property adjacent to the school district, which allows the district to have a cross country trail, outdoor classrooms, and a community hiking trail.

“I’m extremely proud of the district that we serve,” he said. “We have some forward thinking staff and faculty that are looking for better ways or other ways to do things. I believe, when we come out of COVID, that we are going to be ahead.”

Erika Rice

Shroeder was also elected four years ago and said he has enjoyed the opportunity to work alongside educators and students to grow educational opportunities.

He said he’s focused on fostering school and community partnerships as well as recruiting, retaining, and supporting high-quality staff and said the district has responded well to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I’ve been really proud our school in some ways has been a leader in this,” he said. “It’s no small feat to be able to bring students back into school safely but also offer virtual online learning opportunities for families who are not comfortable being in school.”

Rice graduated from Alcona High School in 2005 and has two children who attend Alcona schools. She wants to represent the children in the community.

Rice said supporting students, their families, and staff during the coronavirus pandemic is the biggest priority in the district now.

Melissa Upper

Rice believes she would bring a different perspective to the board of education because of her experience working as a child advocate for children and families in Alcona County.

“I think the Board of Education needs to understand all the barriers that not only their students are facing but their families and the staff, while making sure students are meeting their educational goals,” she said.

Upper is a former teacher and now serves as a grant administrator for the federal government. She has two children enrolled in the school district and said education is important in the course of a person’s life.

Upper said she would like to see some more intervention for struggling kids, especially during the pandemic, and she would also like to see more intense programs for students who need a challenge, such as computer programming.

“My goal as a school board member is just to help make our little school as good

Warren MacNeill

of an educational opportunity as we can and try to make it as personal of an education experience as we can for all the students,” she said.

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