WARSAW — The following individuals are running uncontested races for seats on the Warsaw Board of School Trustees.

District 4

Randy Polston

Polston is running for a second term on the Warsaw Board of School Trustees. Polston has served the children in Warsaw Community Schools for thirty four years with Warsaw Schools. He taught fourth and fifth grade at McKinley and Lincoln Elementary for a total of nine years. He was the Principal of Claypool Elementary for five years. He then opened Harrison Elementary in 1991 and was principal there until his retirement in 2011.  He has served on the Warsaw School Board for the past four years. (A total of 38 years serving children through Warsaw Schools.)

Polston is the Director of Applied Learning at Grace College.

Polston is married to Rachael Polston. They have two children, Nathan Polston married to Krista Polston and Tiffany Smith married to Alex Smith and have four grandchildren; London Smith, Livia Smith, Maddox Polston and Nash Polston.

Polston says he is running for re-election on the board of trustees because, “As a member of the Warsaw School Board, I want to continue promoting quality schools. I want to make a good school corporation even better. I want Warsaw to be known as the top school corporation in the State of Indiana. (High Quality–High Performing Schools) It’s about our children and making sure we provide quality schools. Our students are being assessed throughout the school year. I want to make sure what gets measured gets improved. I want to make sure we are using the data to improve our teaching strategies. I look forward to serving our community in this capacity for another four years.”

District 3

Elle Turley

Turley has lived in Warsaw with her husband Troy for 16 years. They have two children, Audrey and Lewis, who attend Warsaw Community High School and Edgewood Middle School. Turley earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications and Marketing from Indiana University, Bloomington.

After nine years in marketing and telecommunications, she and her husband made the decision that she would stay at home full-time for her children. During that time she worked as a guided reading instructor at Madison Elementary. She re-entered the workforce in 2013 and currently serves as Executive Assistant to the CEO at SYM Financial Advisors.

Turley has served the community as Edgewood PPE President, Madison PTO President, Tri Kappa Officer and Committee Chair, Center Lake Conservation Association board member and has worked on various councils at Warsaw Community Schools. She also enjoyed serving as Sunday school teacher at Walnut United Methodist Church and in other volunteer capacities at Warsaw Community Church where she and her family currently attend.

Turley says she is running for the board of school trustees because, “I would bring to the board a positive and inquisitive disposition. My experience in identifying and advancing common goals will be valuable in reaching sound decisions. I appreciate that the Warsaw community has a strong reputation of embracing its students and supporting its schools. I believe that both parents and citizens alike should be able to count on a strong school board to be open-minded, intentional and transparent. A responsible school board makes well-researched decisions that enable students to reach their full potential and elevate this community. I feel that my position as a parent and her strong connection with this community will build on the strengths of the board.”

District 6

Jay Baumgartner

Jay Baumgartner is the Senior Vice President – Financial Services at the Otis R. Bowen Center where he has worked for the past 25 years. He received his undergraduate degree in Accounting from Manchester College/University and his MBA from IPFW. He is also a CPA. He is running for re-election to District 6 of the Warsaw School Board of Trustees and is finishing his fourth year on the Board.

He serves on the Cardinal Services Finance Committee and is a member of Warsaw Noon Optimist. His family attends Warsaw Community Grace Brethren Church. He has been married to his wife Deb for 23 years, and they have three children. Ryan is 20 and works for Chore-Time Brock. Eric is 17 and is a Senior at WCHS. He is a licensed pilot and is planning on attending either Purdue or Indiana State to study aviation. Kyle is 15 and is a Freshman at WCHS. He is actively involved with playing Rugby. In his spare time, Baumgartner enjoys doing projects around the house and going fishing.

Baumgartner said he is running for re-election because, “I really enjoy making a difference in the lives of our students in Warsaw Community School system. I have high interests in ensuring our students graduate and are prepared to either attend college or have the skills to become meaningfully employed in their trade.”