Five compete for three seats on the Plymouth-Shiloh School Board

Editor’s Note: Each candidate was asked the same questions and given the same opportunities to answer those questions. 

PLYMOUTH — Five candidates are vying for three seats on the Plymouth-Shiloh Local Schools Board of Education in November’s election. 

Newcomers Kevin Ray Echelberry and Gretchen Huttleston will face off against three current school board members — John Hart, Sally Hoak and Deb Noble — who are each aiming to retain their seats. 

Hart and Noble are both seeking re-election, while Hoak is competing in her first school board election. She was appointed to replace former school board member Casey Rogers in November 2018.

The winners will join board president Doug Hamman and board member Angela Hall. The winners new four-year terms would begin in January 2020.

School board members currently make $75 per meeting, but anyone new to the board will make $100. This is because an increase was approved by the current board in early 2019, but because board members can’t approve a raise for themselves, it could only apply to Echelberry and Huttleston in this election. 

Deb Noble

Deb Noble, of 8180 State Route 61, is currently the school board’s vice president.

She retired as a teacher from the district in 2013. She had taught first, fifth, and seventh grades over the course of 25 years.

“I began teaching in Plymouth in 1988 and loved my job. I worked with dedicated colleagues and met many wonderful parents and students,” Noble said. “I was able to move my family back to Plymouth where they could have the same small-town opportunities my brother and I had.” 

Noble was born in Mansfield, but her parents moved their family to Plymouth just in time for her first day of school. 

“My parents wanted to raise us in a small town where we would have more opportunities to participate in school activities. They still say it was the best decision of their life,” Noble said. 

She has been on the Plymouth-Shiloh School Board for almost four years. She cited one of the board’s “major accomplishments” as the building of an all-weather track, which she says was “a dream for our community since back in the 1970’s.” 

“Even more important is the great partnership we have begun to establish with our teachers, support staff, and administrators; working together to do what is best for our students,” Noble said. “I would like to continue to serve on the school board as we plan to establish a much needed preschool on our campus.

“With the leadership of our new superintendent, Brad Turson, a Plymouth graduate who has been dedicated to our students as a Middle School principal for many years, I know good things are in store for our district. I would like to be a part of the team that helps make it happen.”

Noble and her husband, Ralph are both Plymouth graduates, as are her two children. They have two grandchildren who will most likely be Plymouth alumni, as well.  

She attended Bluffton College, where she earned a degree in elementary education.

John Hart 

John Hart, of 7971 Fenner Road in Shiloh, has more than 41 years of experience in the Plymouth-Shiloh School District. 

He worked as a teacher for 12 years, a middle school principal for 18 years, and high school principal for 11 years. Upon retirement, he became involved with the school board and is now wrapping up his sixth year.  

“I have a wealth of experience and knowledge as to how a school district should be run and operated,” Hart said. “It also gives me a way to stay connected to the community I worked in for my entire career.”

Hart says his experience has equipped him for this role. He has an understanding of school development, management, operation, and the fiscal responsibility of a school district. He’s been involved in curriculum development, facility development, negotiations, athletics and numerous student-related initiatives throughout his career. 

Further, he adds that he has a “good knowledge” of the current student testing and teacher evaluation systems. He says he keeps on top of the ongoing changes in state and federal mandates. 

“I feel these experiences have prepared me to be a competent school board member,” Hart said. “If elected to the school board, I will be open-minded and a good listener. 

“I will follow the proper chain of command and make no decision without input from the entire board and those involved in any specific situation. I consider myself to be a fair person and will always put the best interests of our students first in any decision I make.” 

He sees an immediate need to address the “current preschool situation” and “bus fleet.” Plus, there’s some projects to be completed in the athletic complex, he said. 

A long term goal of the district is to “look at building a new bus garage/maintenance facility,” Hart explained. “We are always looking for ways to improve our student curriculum and educational opportunities.”

Hart has lived in the Plymouth Shiloh School District for 47 years. He is married with three children and six grandchildren.

He was born and raised in Shelby, and graduated from Shelby High School in 1967. He received his Bachelor’s degree in education from The Ohio State University and his Masters degree in administration from Ashland University.

Sally Hoak 

Sally Hoak, of 4867 Preston Road, hopes to retain her seat on the school board.

Hoak, who has lived in the district for the past 18 years, interviewed to replace a board member last year, and was then appointed to finish the remaining term.

“I hope to continue on and I am focused on keeping the best interests of the students first and make sure things are efficiently run in our district,” she said. 

Hoak is married and has a daughter, two step-daughters and four grandchildren. Her daughter, who is a freshman, is active in sports, FFA, 4-H, Girl Scouts, student council and other activities. This keeps Hoak involved, too, as she volunteers with these organizations. 

Hoak is a full-time business owner. She is the owner/operator of Uptown Curls Salon in Plymouth, which opened in 2014. 

She was born and raised on a dairy farm in Shelby. She is a graduate of Shelby High School.  

Kevin Ray Echelberry 

If elected in November, Kevin Ray Echelberry, of 363 Plymouth St. in Plymouth, would be new to the Plymouth-Shiloh Local Schools Board of Education. 

The longtime Plymouth resident believes his experience in business and finances would serve him well in the role. 

Echelberry spent 44 years working for Shelby’s ArcelorMittal. He retired in 2016, but has remained otherwise active in the community acting as an official for local sports teams and by managing the finances and property at Presbeterian Church in Plymouth. He added that he’s served several consecutive terms as the church’s finance manager. 

In his time at Arcelormittal, Echelberry was the person who listened to other employee grievances and was vice president for the steelworkers union and played a role in negotiating a contract between the company and the union. 

“I think what makes me a good candidate is the years of experience I’ve had with people. We had 500 people in the union … I had to balance out things, and we had to fight for everyone. 

“We had to look at the big picture … and I think I’m good at that.”  

Echelberry says he’s been a leader his whole life. 

“I was the captain of the football team, a leader always on the basketball team,” he said. “And as a leader, I listen to people. I’m a very good listener. And try to do what we can do the best we can.” 

He says he hopes to support the superintendent and teachers. 

“I think we have excellent teachers here,” he said. “And I think long-term, we need to try to continue to get good teachers. We want to make sure kids get the good education they need.”

Echelberry was raised in Plymouth. He graduated from Plymouth High School in 1971.

Gretchen Huttleston

Gretchen Huttleston, of 34 North St. in Shiloh, says she appreciated the education both her daughters received in the Plymouth-Shiloh School District and would like to join the board to further support the schools.

“If elected I would like to take things as they come,” she said. “It will be a learning experience for me as I have not held an elected position before, but I am very excited for the opportunity.” 

Huttleston has lived in Shiloh for more than two decades. She works as a dental hygienist at Third Street Family Health Services. 

She grew up all over the place, as her father was in the Air Force until she was 14 years old. She was born in Louisiana and lived in California, Massachusetts and Spain before her father retired and moved her family to southern Ohio.  

When her parents divorced, Huttleston’s mother moved to Shiloh, and eventually Huttleston moved there, too. She was a young adult at that time. 

“So I have lived in Shiloh for 21 years now. It is a wonderful community, and I am very proud to call this my home,” Huttleston said. 

She noted that her two daughters, Megan and Mia, graduated second in their respective class. They have both since graduated from college, too. 

“I am grateful for the education and support my girls received at Plymouth and would like to give back by serving on the board of education,” Huttleston said.

She and her husband often volunteer at the school’s concession stand and with the FFA alumni. 

“We enjoy being around young people at the school and helping out where we can,” she said.

Huttleston also serves on the advisory board at Pioneer for dental assisting program. She formerly ran the Shiloh Diner for five years.