Currently an appointed member of the Massillon City School Board of Education of roughly three months, Monica Weber is asking voters to officially name her to serve the unexpired term.
Weber explained her husband of 26 years is a graduate from Massillon and currently coaches within the district while teaching in the Norton City School District.
Both Weber’s two children graduated from Washington High School and Webber noted she is the only one, dating back to her grandparents, that didn’t graduate from the district.
She explained her parents moved a short distance away during her school years and she graduated from Perry High School but returned to Massillon when she was roughly 24-years-old.
Weber holds a Bachelors in Psychology, a Masters Degree in Social Work and as well as an MBA.
She explained she worked at a mental health center for a number of years, spent time in social work in a private practice and dialysis arena and currently manages the clinical social work department and spiritual care departments as Cleveland Clinic-Akron General.
Weber is a current member of the Massillon City School Board of Education. She was appointed to the board this past July after an interview process that included a pool of roughly seven or eight candidates.
The position was made available following the resignation of another board member. Webber is running for the unexpired two-year term.
“The reason I wanted to be on the school board is I want to get involved more with Massillon,” explained Weber. “I’m on a couple different board in the Akron area because that’s where I work and it’s work-related but, I wanted to get more involved with my own hometown. I just wanted to pay it back to the school system and help the school system continue to grow and thrive.”
She noted the excellent education her children received through the Massillon City School District and explained she just wants to give back to that.
“I don’t really have, what you would call an agenda,” she explained. “I went into this looking at it as I want to do what’s going to best serve the community and the students.”
Weber added, “My thought process is, with my background in social work and also with business, I can look at the needs of the community as well as the school system when it comes to a social services perspective as well as looking at the budget and really doing what’s most fiscally responsible for the district.”
She did not an interest in the ongoing conversations surrounding possible changes to current facilities.
“Being only on the board for a few months I don’t know all the specifics and all the details, but one of the things that I’ve noticed in talking with people in the community, I think I favor of more the concept of the neighborhood schools. I’d like to see the fourth graders back in the elementary school.”
Currently, fourth graders are in the middle school.
Overall, Weber said her education and dedication to the community help make her the best person for the job.
“I think that with my background and the role of a board member is that of the financial aspect as well as setting policy, helping to create policy, and I think that I’ve had that. Also, the human resource aspect of it, managing the superintendent and the treasurer, I’ve done that as well, I have a department that I manage. I just think I can really take a look at the social needs of the community that’s’ so important to look at and not sweep under the rug, but then also to look at what’s fiscally responsible from a business standpoint of running the district.”
Michaela Madison Reporting
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