Kevin Dennis One Garfield Township resident is running uncontested to complete the remainder of a school board term, and three are competing for two open seats and full terms on the Engadine Consolidated Schools Board of Education. Jim Ramelis is running for a term that expires June 30, 2009, and Tracy Germain, Nora Edgar, and Kevin Dennis are competing for four-year terms.

Mr. Dennis, 38, lives in Engadine with his wife, Mary Beth, and their two children, Lauren and Hunter, both of whom attend Engadine Elementary School.

Having two children in the school gives him a strong vested interest in the district, he said.

A ranger at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Mr. Dennis is seeking his second term on the school board. After four years working with school policies, budgets, negotiating with school unions, and handling several administrative roles, he feels his experience will help the board face new challenges, he said.

"I am seeking a second term because the next few years are going to be critical to the longterm success of our school," he told The St. Ignace News.

Jim Ramelis For the district to stay afloat financially and remain academically successful, it must weather an ongoing budget crunch and meet ever-changing, state-driven, curriculum requirements, he said.

"We need to continue our fiscally conservative ways, while making sure we are operating efficiently and offering the best education possible to our students," Mr. Dennis said.

Nora Edgar, 49, lives in Gould City. She and her husband, Gary, have seven children, ranging from 8 to 17 years old, all of whom attend Engadine Consolidated Schools. Originally from Manistique, she spent several years in Lower Michigan before returning to the area three years ago.

Mrs. Edgar hopes to bring her educational and community service background to benefit the school board. She has a bachelor's degree in nursing and is has nearly completed a master's degree in public administration. She has also served on a the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including a Benton Harbor group called the Green Avenue Partners, which she helped found to assist people recently paroled from prison. She also worked on an Ohio-based board for the Adopt America Network, a national adoption advocacy agency.

Nora Edgar She can assist in grant writing, she said, which will help children in the district get the educational tools they need.

"As a small rural school district, finances are a major issue," she said. "I believe that the school board must ensure that every dollar is used properly. The board should seek additional forms of funding, such as grants."

Good communication is also critical for the school.

"The board should be available to the community at large [and seek] their input and suggestions," she said. "Many problems can be curtailed when there is active communication."

Tracy Germain, 33, lives in Engadine with her husband, Chad, and three children, Abigail, 6, Luke, 3, and Eli, 14 months.

A graduate of Engadine Consolidated Schools, Mrs. Germain went on to earn a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lake Superior State University. She owns Farm Bureau Insurance in Engadine.

Tracy Germain Mrs. Germain is running for reelection because she feels she can help Engadine Consolidated Schools succeed.

"Our school is the cornerstone or our community," she said. "Supporting our children is the most important thing we can do as parents and community members."

Keeping up with state and federal regulations is the main challenge to the district because the state and federal governments do not provide proper funding to implement required changes, she said.

A second key concern for the district is providing an education that enables students to compete with their peers from other states and other countries.

Not only can the school board ensure that its policies are being followed, it can set short and long range goals to solve its problems, she said.

Ultimately, the board's decisions must be based on what is best for students, she added.

Running uncontested to fill a partial term, Jim Ramelis, 57, from Gould City, has more than 30 years experience in government, including federal, state, county, and township service, he told The St. Ignace News.

He has worked for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Newberry Correctional Facility, Luce County Mental Health (now known as Pathways Community Mental Health), and served as a firefighter for Newton Township, where he earned the rank of assistant chief. Mr. Ramelis is a veteran of the U.S. Army and served for 13 months in Vietnam.

"I am a career civil servant and take the 'servant' part of that phrase seriously," he said.

The son of former Gould City residents Ruth and Tony Ramelis, Mr. Ramelis has been married to Paula Ramelis for 16 years. She works for Michigan State University Extension in St. Ignace. Their son, Gregory Deyak, works for the DNR fisheries division. Their son Michael Ramelis, 14, and daughter Mallory Ramelis, 12, attend Engadine Consolidated Schools.

Mr. Ramelis has a bachelor's degree in religious studies. He took classes at Wayne State University and completed his education at California State University.

"I want to bring my many years of governmental and organizational experience to Engadine Consolidated Schools," he said. "It is a way of serving my community. There is no greater satisfaction that serving one's fellow man."

"There are two major issues [facing] public school systems today," he added. "One is to provide a quality education for students, while dealing with a myriad of federal and state regulations and requirements."

Doing so within the bounds of the school's current funding framework is a second major issue, he added. The board must look at these two dynamics and take into consideration that the school is also a local community center and gathering place, where sports are played and all sorts of events and programs are hosted, he said.

The school board must balance these factors, develop cost-effective methods to solve the district's problems, and its strategies must be acceptable to the voters, Mr. Ramelis said.

Voters go to the polls Tuesday, May 6, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Residents in the school district who live east of Indian Trail Road are part of precinct one and vote at the Garfield Township Hall in Engadine. Residents who live west of Indian Trail Road, and residents south of US-2, are part of precinct two and vote at the Naubinway Pavilion in Naubinway.