Schools

Who Gets Your Votes, To Spend $210M On Public Schools?

Chesterfield school board race heats up with three good candidates.

At a glance, it's three candidates for two spots on the Parkway District Board of Education (total seven members) in the April 3 election. A term is three years.

Two are incumbents, current board Vice President Beth Feldman, and 2-term member Helen Casteel.

Kim Appelbaum is the third candidate and challenger to the two incumbents. She is an IT contract manager and Ballwin resident.

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See who else is on the Parkway school board.

The has an annual budget of some $210 million a year to spend on public education—the majority of it from residents' property taxes.

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Read candidates' bios, in their own words:

Beth Feldman
314-317-9569
I have been a resident of Parkway since I married in 1990. My husband and I have two children who attend . I have been active in classrooms, school leadership and at the district level. I have served on the Parkway School Board since my appointment in June of 2008. I currently serve as vice-president, and am a member of the budget and curriculum sub-committees.
I am proud of the progress Parkway has made since I joined the board. My proudest moment was approving free full-day kindergarten for all. My philosophy of school board membership is to always keep the students in the forefront of the decisions.
During my time on the board, we have approved the mission, vision and learning principles of Project Parkway, our strategic planning initiative. I am excited, both as a board member and a parent, to see it implemented in schools. I look forward to continuing to work on preparing students for what awaits them in life after Parkway.
In spite of current budget difficulties, I believe there are many opportunities to better serve our community while maintaining fiscally responsible spending. We must think differently in this ever-changing world.

Helen Casteel
314-434-1388
Helen is a retired teacher who has been involved in Education for over forty
years. In addition to her Masterʼs Degree in Counseling, she also holds a real estate brokerʼs license as well as an insurance license. Helen has also spent sixteen years in the banking industry.
Helen has been married to Walter, a Union carpenter, for twenty-seven years,
and they have two sons. Matthew, 25, is employed as a production assistant in New Yorkʼs theatre district. Adam, 21, is an actor in Los Angeles. Both are graduates.
During the twenty-six years Helen has lived in the Parkway School District, she
and her family have been active volunteers in the community. From chaperoning field trips to building sets for plays and musicals, everyone has participated in some way to help build a strong community.
Helen has enjoyed traveling to forty-four states with a goal of visiting all 50 as
part of her bucket list. Other interests include camping, photography, free-lance writing, bowling and attending St. Louis Cardinals games.
One of Helenʼs long-term goals include continuing to share her valuable
experience and knowledge towards the education of Parkwayʼs students, thereby
ensuring a community of capable, curious, and confident contributors to an ever
challenging world.
Helen is currently serving her second term as a Director on the Parkway School
District Board of Education.

Kim Appelbaum
Kim Appelbaum graduated from Lindenwood University with a BA in Psychology. She began her career as a Technical Recruiter and moved into IT Contract Management 15 years ago.
Kim was raised in St. Louis and has been happily married to Paul for 15 years. She chose the Ballwin area because of the reputation of the Parkway school district. She has two boys, a 7th grader at and a freshman at West High. She is a proud "Band Mom" of a baritone player and percussionist. Kim has always been involved in her children's education by serving on the PTO and as a grade level party planner. She remains involved in Boy Scouts and served as Cub Scout Den Leader.
Kim feels training and education are critical for individuals to perform and function successfully in today's society. To continue to be viable in her current position at Maritz, she obtained certification in ISO 9001:2000 and won the award of "Peak Performer for Outstanding Customer Service and Commitment to Quality."
Kim is excited about new opportunities in alternative methods for education and is eager to have discussions with students, teachers, and residents to help Parkway further lead the way in education.

(The order listed is the chronological order in which they filed to run, according to Parkway administrators, which would also be the order on the ballot.)

Currently, of the 7-member board, two list their residences as Ballwin, one as , and the four others as St. Louis.

Keith Marty is superintendent of schools, at 314-415-8002.


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