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WELLSBURG -- Through early voting and on May 14, Brooke County voters will decide the winners among three candidates in a non-partisan race for two seats on the county's school board.
They are incumbents Edward Robert Marks of 145 Hiddenwood Acres, Wellsburg, and Antoinette Perkins of 109 May Road, Follansbee; and challenger Michael Traubert of 1026 Yankee St., Wellsburg.
No more than two members of the school board may live in each of the Weirton, Follansbee and Wellsburg magisterial districts.
Because three board members not up for re-election live in the Weirton, Follansbee and Wellsburg districts, there may not be more than one winner from the Follansbee or Wellsburg districts, regardless of the number of votes they receive.
Marks has been practicing medicine in Wellsburg and at Wheeling Hospital since August 1998 and is director of the hospital's family medicine residency program.
A graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College and the Marshall University School of Medicine, he is campus physician at Bethany College and an adjunct professor for West Virginia University.
He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, serving as president and chairman of its West Virginia chapter; and a member of the West Liberty University board of governors and West Virginia Wesleyan alumni council.
He received the Physician's Recommendation Award with Commendation from the American Medical Association in 2002 and 2010.
He has published articles in several local, regional and national publications, including the West Virginia Medical Journal and Kaplan Review.
Marks said, "The focus in Brooke County schools is students first and advancing success for all. Listening to the families in our community and continuing values of character, integrity, hard work, fiscal responsibility and pride is the secret to success in our county."
He said as the son of a retired Brooke County school teacher, "I have a passion for education and owe all that I have achieved to the Brooke County School system. An education system is only successful when all children, regardless of background and resources, have the opportunity to reach their potential. Success is fostering a culture that allows all students to grow intellectually and thrive with pride in all that they do."
Perkins taught health, physical education, special education and dance in Brooke County Schools for more than 35 years.
She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in education from West Liberty University and West Virginia University.
She has served on boards for C.H.A.N.G.E. Inc., the Brooke-Hancock Family Resource Network and West Virginia University Extension Service.
Perkins said if re-elected, she will work with others to address a shortage of teachers, noting it's also a national and state problem.
"We need to become more competitive to get and keep great educators. To be proactive, Brooke County Schools has brought in the Grow Your Own program, which provides promising high school students a career path to pursue a career in education," she said.
Perkins said she'd also push for higher state test scores, more elective courses and awareness of the school district's success stories.
"Our test scores are on the upswing after the implementation of the Success for All program. Our students are flourishing and actually love the program. We have kindergarteners who are already reading," she said.
"Brooke County Schools are a great place to be, and we want students to continue to enter our district. We are updating our facilities across the board, creating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs, and offering courses in other interest areas such as robotics, marketing and business, among others."
Traubert is retired, having worked in the banking field for 46 years. A graduate of West Virginia Northern Community College and Wheeling University, he is working toward a master's degree in education at West Liberty University.
He has served on the board for the Hancock-Brooke-Ohio Victims Assistance Program for more than 30 years, many of them as its president; and as a Junior Olympic regional boxing coach and inspector for boxing matches overseen by the West Virginia State Athletic Commission.
Traubert said if elected, he will push for higher state test scores, noting Brooke County's overall scores for math and reading in recent years have been at or below the state average, which are among the lowest in the U.S.
He noted in response, the state legislature last year adopted the Third Grade Success Act, which is aimed at improving math and reading skills for children in kindergarten through third grade.
Traubert said if a child hasn't attained proficiency in reading by fourth grade, he or she won't be able to keep up with the school work required of them.
He said if elected, he would push for reading instruction based on the Scarborough Reading Rope, a strategy that incorporates phonics, vocabulary building, critical thinking and use of context clues.
"We need to strengthen our compassion skills and empathy when working with students who struggle," Traubert said.
He added that particularly includes those with learning disabilities, whom school officials can help through early diagnosis.