Garrett Goebel recently announced that he’s not seeking re-election to Decatur’s school board and will step down at the end of 2019, his eighth year on the board. Goebel said he wanted to announce early giving potential candidates plenty time to step forward.
Qualifying is August 19-21, with the election Nov. 5
Besides Goebel, Tasha White is up for re-election along with city commissioners Scott Drake, Brian Smith and Tony Powers
“In my time on the board, between [former Superintendent] Phyllis [Edwards] and [current] David [Dude], we’ve done a tremendous job in fiscal stewardship,” Goebel said. “In building for 10 to 12 years out, you don’t want to under build or over build, and we haven’t done either. When [new school] Talley Street opens [next August], we will be on balance to hold an average of 500 students per grade level.”
Goebel has served two terms and was voted board chair in 2015 and vice chair in 2016.
He pointed out that one area the board might explore in the next few months is the district’s commitment to extra-curricular programs, including sports.
“Ten years ago we said that 50 percent of our students participated in sports,” he said. “Since that time we’ve doubled our [district-wide] enrollment, but I don’t think we’ve doubled the support for sports and extra curriculars. That’s something we need to look into.”
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