Andy Garber believed he had something to offer the staff, faculty, and administration members of Ohio County Schools after 47 years in public education.
He did not, however, know he would be elected the boss.
“I was surprised when I was asked about becoming the president of the board, and while I was preparing to join the board, I was not concentrating on serving as the president, so this is very new to me,” Garber explained. “But I will rely on my colleagues and go from there to make sure Ohio County Schools remain the best in the state.”
Garber started teaching in Ohio County in the 1980s and quickly climbed the ladder to administrative positions before being appointed as the principal of Warwood School, a facility that houses both elementary and middle-school grades. During his campaign, Garber explained he would oppose any legislative action that diminishes local control, and he also is determined to guard against unnecessary spending of taxpayer dollars.
“That hasn’t been a problem in Ohio County Schools as far as I’m concerned,” he insisted. “And it won’t be an issue while I am in this position, and that’s because I see our mission as pretty simple. Our job is to make sure the students in our schools receive the best education possible, and that’s exactly what I have seen take place for a lot of years in Ohio County.
“So, let’s just keep doing that,” Garber said with a smile. “And let’s keep doing that by staying up-to-date with the latest techniques and technology. It’s important to keep all that, and our folks have done a terrific job doing that over the years.”
Learning Curve
Not only was Garber a teacher and administrator in Ohio County Schools; he was a coach, too.
In that role for baseball, basketball, and football teams, he did not focus on specific execution, but instead, Garber assisted his young players with slowing down the games to ensure each of them was in position and was ready to contribute when expected. That exactly is what he did for himself prior to being sworn in to begin his service at the beginning of July.
“I have been to some training sessions since being elected to the board and as president of that board, and I really did learn a lot. Both of the conferences I’ve attended offered me some great insight about being a board member and about being the president of the board, and after that I sat down with Dr. (Kim) Miller so I could speak with her about a couple of things,” Garber explained. “In fact, some of those things I’ve learned will be topics of conversation with some of my fellow board members in the future.
“When you decide to run for a position, you make that decision believing you know what you need to know to do the job, but then you find out there’s so much more to it,” he said. “I ask a lot of questions. I always have, so that’s my plan until I reach a point where I don’t have to anymore.”
Not only does that include topics such as start times for high school students and contributions to public libraries, but also with the ongoing bond projects currently taking place at several school buildings in the county.
“There are a lot of initiatives in motion right now, so part of becoming the board president is making sure we do everything we can to ensure the rest continues until completion,” Garber said. “And that includes our bond projects that are really transforming our school borders into 21st Century facilities. The improvements to those 13 buildings are just amazing, and I encourage our residents to take notice of how their tax dollars have been utilized.
“The work that has been completed has been amazing, and there’s more taking place right now. I know the objective during the summer months was to get as much accomplished as possible, and that’s exactly what took place,” he continued. “The visions are coming true, and our students are going to benefit. I can’t wait to see the differences that the facilities are going to make in the education we can offer here in Ohio County.”
An Educator’s View
Two incumbents, Molly Aderholt and David Croft, were re-elected to the Ohio County Board of Education at the same time Garber was selected for his seat. Moments after Aderholt nominated Croft for a second term as the board’s president, member Pete Chacalos nominated Garber. Chacalos and member Grace Norton voted in favor of Garber, and now Superintendent Dr. Kim Miller is working with the fourth BOE president since she was hired in 2016.
Garber, however, is the first who is a retired educator.
Croft and Aderholt are attorneys, Norton is a former professor at higher education institutions, and Chacalos is a retired science teacher after 35 years at Wheeling Park High School.
“I believe we have a terrific board in Ohio County, but I think what happens with boards of education sometimes is that we lose sight of how to deliver the best education possible,” Garber said. “There is so much pressure on money anymore that it takes over sometimes, and that’s OK because we are stewards of the taxpayers’ money. But when it comes to education, a teacher usually has the answers.
“I believe having attorneys on the board of education is a very good thing because of how legal everything is these days,” he added. “I am sure our attorneys can see things that I can’t because of my education and career as opposed to theirs, and I think we all benefit from that diversity on the board. But when it comes to how a school operates, I believe I have a better understanding about that and everything that goes with it.”
