By John Estridge
A Franklin County resident is seeking his first public office as he put his name in to run for the Franklin County Community School Corporation (FCCSC) Board of Trustees.
Grant Reeves and his wife moved into the county several years ago, making this their home.
“Initially, we wanted to be back in a small town near my hometown (Rushville), where I thought we could do more good than just being another number in a large city,” Reeves said. “We ultimately chose Franklin County for giving us a balance of small-town lifestyle with access to the city for my wife’s career as an engineer. I think Franklin County has the ability to draw other young families like mine, particularly if we work on improving our school system.”
And the desire to make the FCCSC better is one of the main reasons he is running for the school board, he said.
“We already have a great community and a desirable location, but I think we can be doing more in our schools,” Reeves said. “I believe we can do more for our own children and to make the schools a drawing card for people looking for a small, affordable community that still has access to Cincinnati’s employment and amenities. Our schools seem to be in a mode of maintaining the status quo. We need to be more aggressive and set aspirations for the schools instead of sitting back and managing a perceived inevitable decline. I have seen that this can work in my hometown of Rushville. A group of leaders came together in that community with a real vision and refused to simply roll along in inevitable decline. While their vision for that community is still a work in progress, you can see the difference they have already made in the town and feel the difference in attitudes. I believe we can do that here, and the schools can be a key part of that.”
There is a concern among many who have children in the school system that all of the elementary schools will be consolidated into one elementary in a school in Brookville like what happened with the middle school students a few years ago. That is also one of Reeves’ concerns.
“We have an opportunity to improve the schools to bring children back that are attending other systems and a real opportunity to attract students,” Reeves said. “I would like to reach out to families that are sending students to other districts to see what drew them — to East Central, Batesville, or even to private schools, for instance — and determine if those are areas we can improve. As a bedroom community to Cincinnati, we have an opportunity to attract families. We can market based on quality of life and cost-of-living, but ultimately people will move to good school systems. I do not believe we presently have a coherent message or drawing card for our school system. Personally, I would like to see STEM programs and vocational programs developed as a key part of our identity. The school system cannot do this alone and will need to work with the county and various economic development entities to promote reasonable, coordinated growth that remains true to the identity of our community.”
However, there are several other issues Reeves believes are items, which need to be looked at as soon as possible.
“I believe teacher recruitment and retention are critical,” Reeves said. “At the end of the day, buildings and fancy gizmos are secondary to quality faculty and staff. We have many good teachers, and we need to keep them and keep them content. I have spoken to a few teachers already and plan to continue to do so to see what obstacles they face. Some of that may be pay, but a good portion of that is also making sure they have the support and backing that they need. I would also like to see a more coordinated recruitment effort to bring in top creative young teachers and work to root them in our community.”
Reeves is an attorney with a Rushville law firm. He is also the Franklin County attorney. His experience as an attorney in problem solving should be a plus for him on the school board, he said.
“As an attorney with a background in engineering and economics, I believe I bring practical problem-solving to the table,” he said. “Well over 95 percent of legal matters resolve before trial, so practicing law is often much more about problem solving than about courtroom skills. While it is a bonus that I am familiar with open door laws and governmental operations, I would not be the attorney for the board and would rely on the board’s attorney for legal counsel.”
And as attorney, he must have good communication skills in all aspects of his chosen profession. He said he will continue using his communication skills with his constituents.
“I will likely apply the skills I have learned running my own business, much of it operated remotely and reliant on the use of various modern communication platforms,” Reeves said. “I have been working on setting up a social media presence for my campaign and would like to keep that going as a primary means of communication. It allows for flexibility to share different types of information and help push information from the schools themselves. If elected, I will also likely look into having a dedicated phone number — via Google Voice, for instance — if practical, and make sure at least one email is public.”
Reeves wants to begin the communication process immediately.
“I look forward to the opportunity of serving my district and the county as a whole,” Reeves said. “If anyone has any questions or concerns, please find my campaign page on Facebook and message me.”
Reeves is running for the District Four seat, which includes Springfield and Whitewater townships and the eastern half of Highland Township (precinct 2).