Jeff Todd

Why did you choose to run?

I first ran for the board back in 2017, so I’m running for re-election at this point. I ran [back then] for the same reason now — I had kids in the district at the time, I’m a graduate myself, and my father even went to Parkway. I felt that, with my kids getting toward the end of their school time, [running] seemed like the most logical way to stay involved in the district [that] I’ve grown to love over many years. [I] certainly appreciated the great education that I got and want to continue to make sure that [it] is viable for everyone who [will] come after me and my kids.

What is your connection to Parkway? Where do your kids go to school, if you have any?

My daughter started out at Pierremont, and most of her elementary time was at Henry. My son was at Henry, and they were both at West Middle and West High. 

What qualities can you bring to the school board?

What I have demonstrated over the past six years has been my leadership ability. I’ve been president of the board for the last five years, elected by the rest of the board. I think I bring a very balanced approach: I have my personal feelings about things and encourage other board members to do the same, but we check our personal opinions on things at the door and base decisions on all of the input that we received from all interested stakeholders. When we have a decision, we take into consideration every possible piece of information. I think that balance is one of the things that is one of my strengths — being able to consider all viewpoints before making a decision. One of the other things that I bring is being a graduate. There are no other candidates this year who are graduates of Parkway, and that gives me a unique perspective over the other candidates. 

What kind of role model will you be to the students in Parkway?

My leadership in the community before I even got on the board was a good example for students. Every year my kids were in school, I was a room parent in elementary school. I was PTO president in middle and high school. I was always very engaged with things going on in the schools. I’ve also been a Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader. I participate in a program called Mentors for College, where I mentor high school students from all around St. Louis. I’ve been involved in church youth groups and [activities] like that, so I feel I’ve always been a role model in some way or another. 

What do you do for work, if anything? How would that apply to your position on the school board?

I currently manage a small manufacturing company, the Aerospace Manufacturing Company. It doesn’t directly relate to the board in the sense of it being educationally-related. However, my organizational skills that I apply to my board position have largely come from the business world. I learned some organizational skills in school and college, but it’s the things that I do every day that make me a good leader and have a good business sense about the business of the district. 

Are there any big or small changes you would like to see happen in the district?
There are a lot of big things that we want to continue to see positive evolution on. Those include [the] safety and security of our schools and the continued implementation of the Mental Health Task Force recommendations. We feel — at least, I feel, though I’m sure the rest of the board feels the same way — that bullying is, and continues to be an issue and continues to require attention. [The] mental health of our students is paramount because we know if students aren’t happy, they’re not going to learn. The same goes for being hungry: if students are hungry, they can’t learn, and we have a tremendous number of students who are food insecure. We need to make sure [that] we’re doing everything [we] can to get students to a place where, when they walk in the door of the classroom, they’re able to feel comfortable, they’re able to feel safe, they’re fed and can focus on learning. One of the other things we need to do a little bit [of a] better job is employing a staff that mirrors our student population. We have a much higher percentage of teachers who are traditional white adults than we do our student population. Our student population varies widely from one side of the district to the other, so we need to make sure we’re recruiting and maintaining a staff that is very much like what we have in our student population. It’s been a slow change, but we’re making progress. 

Why should people vote for you?

People should vote for the candidate that best represents their values. I feel like I represent the values of the majority of voters out there. I am a thoughtful board member; I give a lot of consideration to different issues that we have to decide [on] and make my determination based on what I feel is in the best interest of students. As I’ve said before, I’ve been a very effective leader on the board [for] these last five years. I want to continue giving back to the community and the district that I love so much.