June 3, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Get to know Scott Perkins

Scott is running for the St. Joseph Grade School Board.


What motivated you to run for school board?

I’ve been a member of the Board of Education for the past eight years and am seeking a third term. I believe everyone has a civic duty to serve their community and public education is the key to success so have chosen to serve the school board which I believe is one of the greatest assets of our community.

What are your short term goals for the district?

My short term goals would focus on educating any newly elected board members on the roles, functions and responsibilities of the board of education.

What are your long term goals?

Long term goals would be to continue building on recent progress in modernizing facilities, attracting and retaining amazing faculty and staff, improving student outcomes, and ensuring the long-term financial viability of our district.

Where would you like to see the district at in ten years?

Our District brought board members, educators and community stakeholders together and conducted a goal setting session just over a year ago with both short and long term goals for the district. I want to see the district evaluate the progress of those goals, continue updating goals and hold itself accountable for reaching and expanding upon district goals.

What Is one thing you would change about the schools in St. Joseph?

I would love to expand options for educational and extracurricular activities so every student has an opportunity to find an activity and take classes that they are passionate about. Bringing back a foreign language class and creating a junior high level FFA are possible examples.

What are the most pressing issues facing the district?

The most pressing issues continue to be the unknown. Uncertainly about state and federal funding, the unknown impacts of the potential TIF district, the rising cost of health benefits for employees are among the greatest financial concerns that will continue to impact our district.

What is the best thing about the school in St. Joseph?

We have top notch students, educators, staff, administrators, and parents. You couldn’t ask for a greater group of people that encompass and support our district. Why should people vote for you? I bring a unique combination of experience as a parent of four girls, a current 5th grader and freshman triplets who just completed all K-8 years within our district, as a college educator, attorney and current board member. The strength of our board comes from having individuals who bring unique qualities that build upon one another and I believe I provide attributes that are an asset to our Board of Education.

How will you make sure you work for the public and are accessible to your constituents?

Our time is the only product we have to provide as a Board Member. I strive to be accessible and am always willing to offer my time and talk whether you run into me at the IGA, while grabbing lunch downtown, before or after a board meeting or at any community function.

Banner
Related Posts

St. Joseph resident Lewis to star in ‘Frozen Jr.’

September 21, 2019

September 21, 2019

Hayden Lewis loves to act. The St. Joseph Middle School student is participating in the The Champaign Urbana Theatre Company...

Allen reflects on state pageant

March 11, 2019

March 11, 2019

Gracyn Allen has been the Champaign County Fair Queen for almost eight months. Her 2019 has included everything from competing...

For Schmidt, hard work pays off

July 12, 2019

July 12, 2019

Sammi Schmidt isn’t afraid of hard work. The future Illinois State Redbird was awarded the Gary Butler award at St....

Get to know Jim Acklin, write in candidate for the 102nd district

March 19, 2024

March 19, 2024

Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your family?I grew up in Paris, Il and graduated from PHS....

5 things you don’t know about me… Deklan Quinn

August 7, 2019

August 7, 2019

Deklan is in the running for the title of Little Prince! He is six years old. We asked him to...

A familiar face to lead PVO

February 25, 2019

February 25, 2019

Jeffrey Isenhower will start a new job on July 1, 2020. He will take over the Prairieview-Ogden superintendent for Vic...

Kids Say….What does farmer do?

January 6, 2020

January 6, 2020

We asked students from St. Joseph Grade School what they think a farmer does each day. Here are their answers....

As children go back to school why is it important that they wear masks?

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

By: Jeanelle Murphy, DO As Covid-19 continues to thrive due to the delta variant it is more important than ever...

10 things you don’t know about me… Taylor Baldner

January 29, 2020

January 29, 2020

This week we asked Taylor Baldner of Taylor-Made Photography to tell us 10 things about herself. Baldner has recently joined...

Kids say…

August 26, 2019

August 26, 2019

Every week we ask students at local schools three questions related to farming. This week we spoke to students at...

‘Once a spartan, always a spartan’ by Katelyn Berry

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

When I pictured giving a speech at my high school graduation, this isn’t exactly what came to mind. I imagined...

SJO School Board Candidate Les Hoveln Q and A

March 30, 2019

March 30, 2019

There are five candidates running for four open seats on the SJO School Board. Why are you running for school...

10 things you don’t know about me… Shawn Skinner

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

1. What is your favorite food? Italian food  2. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas 3. What is your favorite...

‘The first one to tell you how important you were to him’

September 5, 2022

September 5, 2022

Connor Wienke made sure people knew how he felt about them. Whether it was a smile, a friendly comment or...

10 things you don’t know about me… Kelly Cooper

April 30, 2019

April 30, 2019

Ogden Village Trustee Kelly Cooper was elected in 2017. Since then she has worked diligently to make sure Ogden has...

Comments
Leave a Reply