Amy Barth, (Central Nebraska Today, KGFW)
KEARNEY — Amy Barth is seeking to maintain the seat she was appointed to on the Kearney Public School’s Board of Education this election season.
Barth filled the vacancy left by Dave Brandt, who resigned in January 2024 to take on a new role as a science teacher at Kearney High School.
She will serve the remainder of Brandt’s term, which runs until December 2024 and announced she intended to pursue election for the 2025-2029 term.
In a statement made after her appointment, Barth said, “It is an honor to join the Kearney Public Schools Board of Education. I am deeply invested in ensuring our policies reflect the values of our families and community. My vision includes expanding our educational offerings to incorporate niche disciplines such as social media, graphic design, engineering, and artificial intelligence, addressing the need for additional schools to accommodate growth, and prioritizing the safety and well-being of our students.”
Speaking of her personal background, Barth said she grew up in Amherst, attended and graduated from Amherst Public School and then pursued her secondary education at Doane College and got her degrees in accounting and business management.
She and her husband, Matt, have three children, their oldest daughter attends Sunrise Middle School and her two boys attend Meadowlark Elementary.
Barth is the proprietor of Just for Ladies Fitness and an audit manager with Contryman Associates.
She has had roles on the Collage Board of Directors and Yanney Heritage Foundation, along with her volunteer work with organizations such as Junior Achievement and United Way. She was also a member of the Leadership Kearney Class 28.
When asked why she is running to continue her time on the board, Barth said her main “why” is her three children and all the others in the district.
“Being on the board is where I can have the most impact on these (children) where they are at for eight hours a day,” Barth said. “The spot on the board is where I can be the most impactful.”
Barth also noted she believes the elected officials should be close representations of the public they serve. She said with her connections in the community, that she is well placed to hear concerns or ideas and take them before the board.
When asked about the most pressing issues affecting the Kearney district, Barth spoke first about teacher shortages and teacher retention.
Barth noted a recent presentation from an Educational Service Unit representative who said that there used to be a hundred applications for one teaching position. Today, it’s difficult to get over five applicants, if there are any at all.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Barth said there are certain industries that have had issues hiring new people, the teaching profession being one of them.
As an effect, “we really have to focus on keeping our good teachers,” Barth said. She said this can be helped by having communication from teachers to the principal, principal to the superintendent and superintendent to the board needs to be, “wide open.”
To help address the issue, Barth said she would like to see a teacher mentoring program return to full strength. She said it could increase morale and relationships and always working to improve communication.
When asked about the Unicameral discussing putting spending caps on local entities, including public school boards, Barth said this could cause issues.
One example she noted was the fact that the board works to ensure that teachers and staff are fairly compensated, and it helps ensure that they stay with the district. But a spending cap could essentially tie the board’s hands behind their back, and they could see more people leaving the district for a higher paying job.
Barth also learned that around 86 percent of the budget is taken up by the salary and payroll of the staff. “Our people are our most important asset and that is reflected in our budget,” Barth said.
In conclusion, Barth said that she encourages everyone to hit the polls and vote this election season. “When it comes time for you to pick your candidates, find out where their values lie…and which direction they would go with decisions.”
Editor’s Note: Amy Barth appeared on 1340 KGFW and this article was written using information provided during that interview. The full interview can be found here.
