Sophia Allen | The Chronicle
Mason’s top-rated five-star report card is not just the result of strong leadership from its principals, teachers, and staff—the Board of Education also plays a key role in shaping the district’s success. The five-member board, whose members are elected to four year terms, oversees everything from approving new courses and expenses to setting district policy. This fall, three of those five seats are on the ballot: longtime board member Connie Yingling is retiring after 26 years of service, while incumbents Ian Orr and Charles Galvin are both seeking reelection.
Ian Orr currently serves as the president and legislative liaison for the school board and works as an Account Executive Officer for an insurance business. Though Orr grew up in the city of Cincinnati, he has had three children graduate from Mason High School (MHS) and another who is currently a student.
While growing up in Cincinnati, Orr attended private school for a short period of time—an experience that has impacted the way he views education. After seeing how impactful a high-quality education can be, Orr firmly believes in protecting students and giving them the widest range of opportunities possible to suit their unique interests.
“The educational opportunity of choice is important to me, and that is from when we offer preschool and kindergarten all the way to graduation,” Orr said. “Whether they are athletic, music, in the arts, tech, we have it here, and we do it as well, if not better, than anywhere else.”
With the potential abolishment of property taxes in Ohio, every board member and candidate has been conscious of how this can affect the Mason district. Orr’s financial background, where he works specifically with risk management, means that he hopes to secure as many alternative sources of revenue without disturbing the lives of students and staff.
While considering the logistical aspects of the district’s finances, Orr also knows that healthy relationships between the administration, staff and students are the best way to prepare for changes.
“I think if we manage our finances well and manage our relationships well and continue to evolve and innovate and create, to continue to be the educational opportunity of choice,” Orr said. “That puts us in a very good position to weather whatever happens externally.”
Editor’s Note: This candidate’s interview was conducted in person. Candidate photo provided by the Emori Witmer-Gautsch.
Charles Galvin was elected in 2017 and is approaching his eighth year on the school board. Having moved to Mason the same year that he first ran, Galvin was motivated not only by his three young children in the district but also by his professional background as an attorney.
“Because my law practice included representing school districts and other local government entities, I felt like there was a skill set that I could lend to the district that would be beneficial,” Galvin said.
Additionally, Galvin is the candidate on the ballot who has served the longest. With this experience, Galvin believes that he is equipped to tackle any issues that might arise.
“I’ve been very fortunate to learn from other board members who have been on the board for over 20 years,” Galvin said.
With issues such as a large wave of retiring teachers and potential changes to the district’s revenue sources that concern not only the immediate future of Mason but also the long-term, Galvin seeks to preserve Mason’s quality.
“The entire time that I’ve been on the board, I’ve learned a lot about public school funding,” Galvin said. “That is valuable knowledge to help preserve the quality of education that we have in Mason and to protect our financial stability going forward.”
Keeping his family and the community in mind, he feels a responsibility to continue to support the growth of the Mason School District.
“I want to make sure that [Mason] is a place that my kids could hopefully come back to and live someday when they’re grown,” Galvin said.
Editor’s Note: This candidate’s interview was conducted in person. Candidate photo provided by the candidate.
Danielle Tymitz first ran for a position on the board in 2021, campaigning against two incumbents and a returning board member, but fell short by a mere 41 votes. Despite this loss, Tymitz is running this year’s campaign with perhaps even more enthusiasm than before while using everything that she learned in her previous campaign.
Having been a teacher for 10 years and now working with a nonprofit that specializes in educational technology, being on the school board is the logical next step in Tymitz’s career. Currently, there is no one on the board with a background in education.
“I don’t think we need five school board members who have been teachers, but I think we should have somebody who has lived that life,” Tymitz said. “Somebody who has been in that room who knows the difference between 20 kids in a classroom and 25 kids in a classroom, not just in a numeric sense, but in a real, practical application sense.”
As her work with educational technology is involved heavily with policy and curriculum building, Tymitz seeks to advance the Mason learning experience while also staying in touch with the community, making sure not to push too quickly with changes to school policies. If elected, Tymitz plans to prioritize public school funding and address emerging technological challenges, including artificial intelligence.
“I’ve been a teacher, and now I have this broader expertise where I work nationally with districts all over the country and help them to build programs and build policies and things,” Tymitz said. “Why wouldn’t I bring that to the district that I care the most about?”
Editor’s Note: This candidate’s interview was conducted in person. Candidate photo provided by the candidate.
This year is David Charpentier’s first time running for a seat on the school board. For decades, he has served the Mason community in multiple other ways, such as being a part of the Kiwanis volunteer organization, the board of Warren County Community Services and the American Legion Post.
“I serve on the district’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, District Safety Committee and on the district’s futures committee,” Charpentier said.
Being connected to many different types of Mason voters through his community service, he is confident in his awareness of what people want out of the school district.
“I think I would sum it up this way: students first, community always,” Charpentier said. “Keeping in mind that with everything we do, we have to keep our students in mind first, but that community includes our teachers, includes our families, includes our businesses. It includes all of those other taxpayers that don’t have kids in the school, every piece.”
Charpentier doesn’t limit his definition of the Mason schools community to just the staff and families; he also considers the residents of Mason who do not currently have kids in the district. He views the schools as the foundation of the local community and hopes to maintain the schools as a point of pride for the city.
With the large number of teachers who are beginning to retire or nearing retirement, Charpentier especially wants to focus on preserving the quality of education and the standards that Mason strives to uphold.
“How do we make sure we maintain our Mason quality for new teachers coming in?” Charpentier said. “Those are real-world challenges we as a board need to tackle.”
Editor’s Note: This candidate’s interview was conducted in person. Candidate photo provided by the candidate.
Wendy Spatz hadn’t considered running for the school board until last year. During the summer of 2024, teachers in the district aimed to negotiate new contracts with the school. While she is not a teacher, Spatz, as a long-time Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) member, was nonetheless heavily involved in supporting them.
“[That summer] changed everything,” Spatx said. “I watched the people I admire most, our teachers, struggle for a fair contract. I saw them silenced, their voices unheard, despite the incredible work they do for our children every day. After years of volunteering and building relationships within our schools, I felt a deep responsibility to stand up for them.”
Spatz plans to prioritize teachers and bridge the gap she sees between them and the administration, as she feels staff lack adequate support and acknowledgment. Her advocacy for teachers will extend into her decision-making as a board member, though specific policies where this will be implemented remain unclear.
“It’s time for a School Board member who will truly listen, support, and advocate for our educators—because they want what’s best for our children, our district, and our community,” said Spatz. “We need leadership that will rebuild trust between the school board, administration, and staff. It’s time for the difficult, honest conversations that lead to real change.”
Spatz hopes to offer the Mason community an outlet for sharing their opinions on the school board.
“I’ve been vocal in speaking difficult truths,” Spatz said. “I’ve met with teachers, staff, administrators, the treasurer and the superintendent. I’ve spoken at school board meetings, organized rallies and engaged with the media.”
Editor’s Note: This candidate’s interview was conducted via email, not in person as previously stated in our print version distributed on Friday, October 24. Candidate photo provided by the candidate.
