North Tama School Board Candidate: Haley Blaine

Age: 34

Residence: Traer

Profession: Traer City Clerk

Education: Gladbrook Reinbeck High School/Hawkeye Community College

Family: Duane (husband), Brityn (daughter, age 10), Hayes (son, age 8)

What motivated you to run for school board? I’ve been on the board since November of 2019. It’s been a crazy couple of years, but I’ve enjoyed my time and experience on the board and am just not ready to be done yet. I want to continue to be a voice and help to make sure that North Tama continues to be great.

What qualities and behaviors should school board members exhibit? A board member needs to be a strong, open minded, team player; someone who is willing to listen and communicate with others. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s a board of seven, and we aren’t all going to agree all of the time.

What do you see as the primary roles and responsibilities for the position you are running for? I want to continue to be a voice in the decision making process at North Tama. I want to see that we continue to make the best decisions possible for North Tama not only now, but for years down the road.

What do you feel are the three most important issues the school board will face during your (anticipated) term as a school board member? How do you plan to address those issues? Unfortunately life after a pandemic isn’t easy, but I’m hopeful North Tama is getting there. I want to continue moving forward so our students, teachers and staff have an amazing environment to learn and work in. I want to get North Tama back to the “normal” North Tama we all know and love. While working on the day to day it also excites me to see what the future holds. The recent facility study has brought many ideas to light for what the future might look like at North Tama and that’s a very exciting thing, something I hope to continue to be a part of as a board member.

Why should people vote for you on November 2, 2021? My term on the board has been anything but “normal” BUT I’ve learned and grown so much along the way, and call me crazy, but I’m just not ready to be done yet. I love this school, this district and this community and want to continue to see North Tama doing great things!