Can you tell us a bit about yourself, i.e., age, job, hometown, family, hobbies, etc.?
My name is Levi Jones. I am a 2002 graduate of Cordell Schools. My wife Tesa is a 2006 graduate of Cordell Schools We have two children Emerson age seven and Oran age five. My wife and I own and operate a small family farm in the Cordell area, and we also own and operate a small business in Cordell.
Why are you running for board of education?
What are things you hope to accomplish if elected?
I am running for school board because I care about our town and our school. I will bring a fair an honest opinion and do what I believe is in the best interests of all involved.
What particular experiences or skills have prepared you to serve as a board member?
I believe my experience in running my own businesses will be an asset to me in this position. I also taught at the Career Tech in Burns Flat for nine years, which has given me an inside look into school business.
What is the biggest issue facing the Cordell school district?
All schools including ours face many issues every day. I would like to be able to help work through those issues as the arise.
What can be done to improve student achievement and ensure everyone who graduates is college-ready especially after a year in dealing with the consequences of COVID?
I believe we need to be pushing students in all directions not just college. Many of our students will not go to college and we need to be working with students to provide other paths so that they can be career ready. As far as dealing with Covid, I believe our current board and staff are doing an excellent job dealing with the ever-changing variables that this situation has brought before them.
What are your areas of concern regarding student achievement in your district?
As I have stated before I would like to see more focus on careers and showing students that there are many paths in life. In my teaching experience, if you find what motivates a student and relate learning to them in that manner they will blossom.
What should your school district do to better prepare students as citizens?
I believe our school does an amazing job in offering many extracurricular activities which work towards teaching our children citizenship.
Why should you be elected to the board of education?
I would like the opportunity to serve in this position, to be a fair and honest person who will take all aspects into account.