Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
We embrace the change that awaits us this year. At our first Board of Education meeting of the year our board welcomed two members and voted in new leadership.
We’re looking forward to working with our two newest additions, Emily Hartman and Steve Johnson, who took the oath to serve our students and uphold laws pertaining to public education. Emily and Steve have been fixtures in our community for years.
Emily, a 1996 Perry Meridian graduate, is mother to four Perry Township students. Over the years she’s served as president, treasurer, and vice president of William Henry Burkhart’s PTA.
Steve has been an ambassador for our community for several decades as well. For 30 years he taught social studies at Perry Meridian High. He has even coached football and track and field. Steve’s two children are graduates of Perry Meridian High, and his wife, Lynne, is a teacher at Glenns Valley Elementary. They have a proven track record of investing in our students. We look forward to their guidance in the coming months.
Ken Mertz and Charles Mercer Jr. were also sworn in after being re-elected. The board also elected its new leadership: Mr. Mertz, president; Ed Denning, vice president; and Jon Morris, secretary. They will serve alongside Steve Maple, whose most recent term has spanned more than 10 years.
The board is a critical component to any public school district. Members are elected by voters; therefore, they represent the community’s values and voice. As the National School Board Association explains, school boards have several functions:
• Provide citizen governance for what the public schools need and what the community wants.
• Help to set the standard for achievement while assuming accountability for performance.
• Ensure taxpayer money is used responsibly.
• Adopt fiscally sound budget.
Our students have an incredibly thoughtful board to advocate for them, and our administrators appreciate the collaborative spirit with which our board approaches problem solving. We are committed to meeting the needs of every child placed in our care, and we value the positive relationship we have with our board, which makes this possible.