Ballwin's Stake in Parkway Board Challenged by Maryland Heights Woman

A total of four candidates filed this week for open spots on the Parkway Board of Education: Patricia Adair of Maryland Heights who's new to the district, as well as Ballwin incumbents Chris Jacob, Bruce Major and Dee Mogerman of Creve Coeur.

Duties for board members include administering school policies, approving the district's annual budget and providing feedback on various personnel, financial and academic issues throughout the school year. Members on the Parkway board oversee those areas and more for all district schools, including , , , , , and schools.

Patricia Adair

Adair only recently moved to Maryland Heights, with two of her children starting at Parkway schools last fall. She has one son at and another at .

Adair said that although she has not previously served on a school board, she has been very active in her children's prior school district's in St. Charles County.

"I have always taken a very active role in my individual children's education," Adair said. She added that now she has more time to dedicated to a position such as a board member. "I have the time to do it and I feel like I can bring a fresh perspective to the school board."

She has a son who's diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, an autism-like disorder, so one of her main focuses will be special education.

"My passion is special education and making sure that all of the children have access to all of the resources they need," Adair explained.

In addition, she wants to work to ensure that when students leave high school they are prepared for college and adulthood, something she feels her daughter's education was lacking. Her daughter did not attend the Parkway School District.

Chris Jacob

Jacob, who is also finishing his first term in the board, said he is becoming more acquainted with the way the board functions.

“I learned a great deal about the people I work with and I think we were able to accomplish a lot of good things,” Jacob said. 

Jacob said his number one priority is to spend the money designated for students and education wisely.

“I want to make sure that our kids’ money is spent as closest to the classroom as possible so that they get the most out of their education,” Jacob said.

Bruce Major

Bruce Major of Ballwin presently serves as a board member and acts as vice-chairperson of the special school district governing council.

“Topic one has to be student achievement, “ said Major, whose wife has been a teacher in the district for 12 years. “We have got to do better across the spectrum. It is far more than just test scores.”

He has a third-grader in the Parkway School District and another child who graduated from in 2009.

He said his 22 years of experience in the Navy and as an attorney have helped him aggressively pursue his goals as a board member.

“I feel like I have contributed substantially to the board, helping to achieve our goals and I hope to do a lot more in a second term,” Major said.

Dee Mogerman

Mogerman became a board member in 2004 and served as the board president for two terms. She tells Patch she is running again because she feels Parkway is in the middle of a strategic planning process that she wants to see through.

This process is Project Parkway, which the board launched in 2009 with the goal of getting input from parents and residents for the long-term education of their children.

“I feel I have worked very hard for the district and the level I of experience I have will be beneficial for the board,” said Mogerman, who has served in the board for six and a half years. “ With this project, we can plan for the future of the parkway kids.”

Mogerman's three children all graduated from the .

Editor's Note: Candidates are listed alphabetically, with challenger Patricia Adair listed first.