Denny Mariola: School Board Candidate, Incumbent

Name: Dennis Mariola 

Age: 64

Lives in Stow: 30 Years

Married/children: Denny is married to Vicki and they have a daughter who is a sophomore at  and son who went through the Stow-Munroe Falls School system.

Education: Archbishop Hoban High School graduate and a B.A. in business from the University of Akron.

Political Affiliation: Democrat, according to the Summit County Board of Elections.

(Board members serve the district on a non-partisan basis)

Position Sought: 

Occupation: Retired

Other Elected Positions: Past president and vice president of the Stow-Munroe Falls School Board. In the private sector I was on the board of directors and board of governors of the American Bus Association.

What is the biggest problem facing the district? 

• "Unfortunately, it is the state funding to our school district. My main priority is the 'Excellent' education that can be offered to our children. Yet each year we are always restricted on how much we will receive from the state for the education of our children. This forces us into a cut back of expenses, looking for every dollar we can do away with and still not effect the children we are trying to educate. In the last five years we reduced the budget by $7.9 million dollars. We need to keep our teachers and classified staff so that we can maintain our excellent rating by the state."

How can you help that problem?

• "My past four years on the board and my 41 years of service at Bridgestone/Firestone helps me scrutinize the budget and expenditures by our district. My earlier years with B/F, I held positions of systems analyst and financial supervisor. The last 11 years I was Director of an organization within B/F where 123 people reported to me and I was responsible for a $60 million dollar budget and forecast. Using the knowledge I have acquired on this board and my experience in the private sector, I feel I have many opportunities to contribute to this board and district."
  

Are you in favor of the ?

• "By all means. This will contribute to the future of our children. We need the best community, teachers and students to effectively maintain our excellent rating with the state. By getting the highest rating the State offers, means that the whole community, teachers, staff and students had the same goal, and that is, a premier education for those who we are turning our world over to."

What are your goals if re-elected?

• "No matter if the levy passes or not, our budget and expenses have got to be questioned constantly. A major goal of mine is improving the education of our children by getting new and updated textbooks, increasing the technology in our class rooms, keeping our excellent teachers and remembering they are the foundation of our education. Are we spending our dollars wisely, using the education of our children as the answer to this question. I will work toward a more transparent board of education between our community, teachers, classified, staff and students. 
• "No matter how simplistic this sounds, I feel I can help in making a difference in providing a premier education for our students."

What qualifies you to be on the board?

• "My past experience as president and vice president of our school board. My 41 years experience, most in management and director positions, at one company in the private sector. And all the experience and knowledge I gained these past four years on what makes a school district run effectively."

Where do you stand on the  Program?

• "I really think the second language requirement is terrific, especially for our younger students. The other affirmative is the teacher collaboration and planning that takes place. Students learn to be inquisitive and take a great deal of responsibility for their own learning through asking questions and reflecting on their lessons. Remember, nothing changes with the curriculum that the teachers present to their students as this is controlled by the state, its just how the our teachers present this information."