×

Casey Schilke, (Central Nebraska Today, KGFW)

KEARNEY — Casey Schilke is running for a seat on the Kearney Public School’s Board of Education this election season.

Schilke said he has resided in Kearney for the past 17 years and raised his son in the community as his primary caregiver. His son is currently a senior at Kearney High School.

When asked about his experience, Schilke said he has been a business owner for the past 10 years and said his number one priority is his staff. He said without quality staff, “you will never be a successful company, business or school.”

To ensure the retention of those quality staff members, Schilke said that “you have to know how to treat people.”

He said that when you hire a person to do a job, you let them do the job, even if it isn’t exactly the way that you would have it done, but if the task is accomplished then the goal has been achieved.

On the teacher retention front, Schilke said that “things are getting critical,” for the Kearney district, especially at a time when the number of prospective teachers coming out of college is lower.

Schilke noted that his background is different from anyone else who is running for school board at the moment, citing his background and experience in construction.

Watching from afar for a time, Schilke said he feels that there needs to be a school board member who will stand up for the district staff, teachers, principals, coaches, etc.

“Someone has to put their foot down for these people,” he said.

In an effort to retain people, Schilke said that staff moral needs to be improved. He said this can be done by taking care of staff and treating them properly.

“You can’t ‘dictatorship’ people,” he added, “You have to treat people with respect.”

Outside of staff retention, another area that concerns Schilke is district spending. “We have to spend money smarter,” he added.

Schilke alluded to the recently announced $10.3 million, 28,704-square-foot flex space addition that is set to be constructed on the south side of Kearney High School.

“This cutting-edge facility will house dedicated spaces for the new girls’ wrestling team, a JROTC air rifle range, and an indoor drill area for JROTC cadets, providing essential room for these growing programs,” a press release from Kearney Public School stated.

Schilke said that girls wrestling “absolutely” needs their own space but said that the price tag for the addition is “a little jaw dropping to many of us.”
Schilke feels that funds should be spent “more intelligently,” and cited several elementary schools on the south side of town that are in need new desks, bathroom and HVAC repairs.

Schilke said that he is “100 percent different personality wise,” from anyone on or running for the school board and that is something he is proud of. He said it takes all types of people to make an enterprise successful.

Schilke said that, if elected, he does not plan to just fall in line but will stand on his own two feet and won’t vote for a matter if he doesn’t feel like it is on the “up and up.”

“I will stand my ground, period, and I don’t think we have that right now,” Schilke said.

Concluding, Schilke said that his life was changed by his high school football coaches and principals. “Those men…shaped who I am.”

Schilke said that he does not want to see good staff leave the district because they are tired of the way they are being treated.

Editor’s Note: Casey Schilke appeared on 1340 KGFW and this article was written using information provided during that interview. The full interview can be found here.