Daphne Moehring
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Daphne Moehring is an at-large member of the Gahanna-Jefferson City School District school board in Ohio. She assumed office on January 1, 2016. Her current term ends on December 31, 2027.
Moehring ran for re-election for an at-large seat of the Gahanna-Jefferson City School District school board in Ohio. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.
Biography
Moehring earned her bachelor's degree from Capital University in 1985. Moehring's career experience includes working in banking and as a licensed insurance agent.[1]
Elections
2023
See also: Gahanna-Jefferson City School District, Ohio, elections (2023)
General election
General election for Gahanna-Jefferson City School District school board At-large (2 seats)
Incumbent Daphne Moehring and incumbent Beryl Brown Piccolantonio defeated Cynthia Lampkins and John Dooley Jr. in the general election for Gahanna-Jefferson City School District school board At-large on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Daphne Moehring (Nonpartisan) | 30.8 | 10,255 |
| ✔ |  | Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (Nonpartisan) | 28.5 | 9,492 |
 | Cynthia Lampkins (Nonpartisan) | 21.7 | 7,243 | |
 | John Dooley Jr. (Nonpartisan)  | 19.0 | 6,318 | |
| Total votes: 33,308 | |||
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Endorsements
Moehring received the following endorsements.
- State Brd. of Ed. cand. David Donofrio (Nonpartisan)
- Ross Goldsmith - Gahanna City Cncl. cand.
- Franklin County, Ohio, Democratic Party
- Gahanna Jefferson Education Association
- Ohio Association of Public School Employees
- Central Ohio Indivisible
- Gahanna Democrats and Friends
- Matriots PAC
- Red Wine and Blue
2019
See also: Gahanna-Jefferson City School District, Ohio, elections (2019)
General election
General election for Gahanna-Jefferson City School District school board At-large (2 seats)
Incumbent Daphne Moehring and incumbent Beryl Brown Piccolantonio defeated Jon Handler in the general election for Gahanna-Jefferson City School District school board At-large on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Daphne Moehring (Nonpartisan) | 41.1 | 7,211 |
| ✔ | | Beryl Brown Piccolantonio (Nonpartisan) | 37.0 | 6,489 |
| Jon Handler (Nonpartisan) | 21.9 | 3,844 | ||
| Total votes: 17,544 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2023
Daphne Moehring did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Moehring completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
2019
Daphne Moehring completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Moehring's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I believe that I am the best-qualified candidate because I have proven that what I promised during campaigning in 2015, I have delivered. I bring a strong sense of commitment along with financial expertise and strategic thinking. My 14 years of volunteering in Gahanna schools helped to cement the sense of obligation to our students and our amazing teachers and staff. I prepare for all meetings by reading and researching the agenda items, participate in classes and learning sessions, and meet with community members constantly.
I bring a financial and analytical background to the board which serves well in times like these when a master facilities plan is in play, growth in students and programming occurs, and economic realities need to be acknowledged. I have served as the chair of the Finance Committee all four years and this is a valuable tool for in-depth discussions and community input.
Community involvement is important to me. I serve on the boards of the Gahanna-Jefferson Education Foundation, the city of Gahanna Parks & Recreation, and Gahanna Kiwanis. I was active in children's ministries at Peace Lutheran Church when our girls were of age. I continue to serve as a communion assistant. As a Girl Scout leader for ten years, my goal was to inspire girls to recognize the gifts that they have for service while developing their skill sets with courage, confidence and character. For me, serving others is a way of life.
- We have a fiduciary responsibility to manage the finances to most efficiently invest our dollars. I take that responsibility very seriously. Students are the focus of every decision that the board makes. We made the hard decision to spend precious dollars to return elementary school counselors to each building to compliment those at the middle and high school. I believe that attention to social and mental health along with promoting a caring and safe environment are the foundation to a robust safety program.
- Enrollment growth is an initiative started during my first term through the Master Facilities Planning needed to accommodate our growing district. Phase I is in the completion stage. Phase II addresses the high school facility in addition to where it is prudent to add classrooms for elementary and middle schoolers. Our buildings were designed to educate 7535 students. Currently our enrollment is 7783. A recently commissioned enrollment study projects 8672 students by 2025. Our district is an attraction for families looking to settle and with developments planned in Jefferson Township, there will be new students.
- Financially, healthcare costs exceeded projections for the past two fiscal years by double-digits which has eroded the cash balance projected at our last levy due to catastrophic situations. Finding dollars through operating cost reductions or new income is necessary earlier than anticipated.
I am passionate about public education as a foundation for our citizens to develop into contributing adults who are able to support themselves and their families at a comfortable level. Our state has a convoluted way of financing education which makes it stressful for all.
I look up to Ruth Bader Ginsberg. What an example of commitment to a just society and public service.
An elected official must adhere to the highest level of morals and ethical standards. Honesty, adherence to demands of the office, and respect for other views are very important.
High moral standards; compassionate, committed to education, committed to preparation in order to do my best work.
The core responsibilities of a school board member are to hire/manage the superintendent and treasurer and to manage policies that provide for a highly functioning school district. We are to work through the superintendent and his staff to implement change. We are to be a listening agent to our constituents and share concerns with the superintendent and/or treasurer when necessary. We are to study educational trends and watch the state legislature to make sure we are proceeding properly. We are to respect all parties.
That the students who are attending our school district are prepared to live comfortable, successful lives.
On my first birthday President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. While I don't remember that event, I am reminded of the impact to my mother who was crying in pictures from that day and in the background of the pictures the black and white TV had live shoots from there. We talked as a family for many, many years on my birthday and that anniversary of how the country had put their faith and hope in this young man who was tragically targeted to die. I guess it is fitting that I am involved in politics given that association.
I was a server at Pizza Hut in Jackson, Ohio. That job taught me so much about relating to others, listening, taking directions, prioritizing, being part of a delivery team. I worked there for 2 years during high school.
On Becoming a Leader is a book that I read but revisit regularly. Developing others is very rewarding to me and this book reminds me of the tools that help with that.
Mickey Mouse - he is iconic with happiness!
Amazing Grace - I that God for grace every prayer and that song sticks for good reasons!
Balancing what I would like to accomplish with what I am able to accomplish.
The primary job of a school board member is to become educated on what is happening within my district and outside of my district that will impact our students so that our supervision of the superintendent and treasurer are focused on the proper things and our policies are in alignment.
My constituents are the voters and residents of the district, our district staff and teachers, and our students.
In Gahanna our diversity is valued and the district uses many methods for serving them. Proper distribution of Title I funds for the purpose of enhancing experiences for needy children is an important method of support. Communication is a pathway to understanding the needs and ensuring that they are being met. I reach out to teachers, parents, and administrators to make sure there are not gaps of support.
One of my campaign messaging points is "Community Minded" and to reach a broad range of community members I volunteer for city events, school events, and service-organization events. My work on the education foundation board and events committee allows a great opportunity. I also worked on a team of volunteers for the recent city income tax initiative that pulled together from diverse groups in Gahanna which was rewarding. Several times a year I ask to sit in on a teachers union leadership meeting to hear what they are concerned about. The whole is only as strong as the sum of its parts, so for me understanding each of the "parts' is important.
One of the early goals of the board after being elected 2015 was to add three committees for the school board: finance, student learning & achievement, and policy. We invite all community members to participate in those committee meetings and encourage dialogue.
One of the early goals of the board after being elected 2015 was to add three committees for the school board: finance, student learning & achievement, and policy. We invite all community members to participate in those committee meetings and encourage dialogue.
Our district welcomes parental involvement and I will continue to push for that. By attending PTO/PTA meetings to give the opportunity to voice concerns to meeting one-on-one with parents. One of the early goals of the board after being elected 2015 was to add three committees for the school board: finance, student learning & achievement, and policy. We invite all community members to participate in those committee meetings and encourage dialogue. They have been successful in obtaining involvement and building relationships.
I do believe it is important to intentionally recruit for diversity in our teachers and administrators. We directed the superintendent to have his HR staff seek out opportunities for diverse recruitment. We also look to support and promote within our staff.
The one that is at the forefront of our efforts is the lack of social and emotional skills of our students. Especially our kindergartners who have "device" dependence that cannot transition to listening and focused attention. As a board we approved the hiring of school counselors for each building in the district to be able to address this problem. We have also added classroom aides where needed.
There are other issues like hunger and clothing. We partner with Gahanna Residents In Need to address hunger issues and within our district we have student-led initiatives that help with clothing. One cannot learn when hungry. One needs to have self-esteem in order to embrace the framework for success.
There are other issues like hunger and clothing. We partner with Gahanna Residents In Need to address hunger issues and within our district we have student-led initiatives that help with clothing. One cannot learn when hungry. One needs to have self-esteem in order to embrace the framework for success.
Good teaching comes when the teacher reaches the student where they are. It is difficult to measure and teachers have the unique situation where the 24 students in the classroom possess 24 different learning points. No other profession has this conundrum! Many times the range of aptitudes can be 4 grade levels in one classroom. Measuring learning should focus on growth by the student over the period of time - there is no other common set of learning points that can be applied because of the range in aptitudes within the classroom.
Our district introduced a robust phonetics language arts curriculum that is very engaging. Engagement is the key to active learning. Active learning is the key to long term retention.
Our district introduced a robust phonetics language arts curriculum that is very engaging. Engagement is the key to active learning. Active learning is the key to long term retention.
Critical reasoning, technology respect and usage, writing for understanding and persuasion, soft skills like conversation, eye-contact, manners, presentation of self and concepts.
In Ohio, the value of a diploma changes annually by the state legislature. I would like to see the State Board of Education have more control and power with the state legislature receiving and respecting the results of the State Board of Education work. A 21st century diploma should reflect the ability to obtain a job that supports a family without additional support from the government. It should reflect that basic concepts are needed to be a consumer in our society. It should inspire those with the desire and cognitive ability to proceed to higher levels of education for careers that are critical to maintaining the USA as an economic powerhouse.
Workforce development is an area that I would like to see development in. College is not for everyone and we need to offer the alternatives that still produce a comfortable living for those so inclined. Apprenticeships are an excellent way to engage in active learning; I would love to see more apprenticeships offered.
State of Ohio code requires school funding to be first generated from the community where the district resides relying on property taxes. This puts an undue burden on those retirees living on a fixed income. The involvement that I can have is to advocate to my state representatives to change this legislation. Within our district we manage finances to a very high degree and have five fiscal beliefs that all expenses are vetted against.
Each life is sacred and valued. School safety is a constant thought for me. We hosted a school safety summit involving our law enforcement officials in the fall of 2017. We heard concerns from parents and shared ways that the district is addressing safety. The board also hired a safety consultant to do an evaluation of our properties, policies, and operations to give us ways that we can manage safety. I will share that our most important method is by building a caring and concerned community who looks out for each other and is willing and trusting of our teachers and leaders to communicate when they have concerns.
As I share early in this survey, mental health needs are high for our students and consequently for our staff. We as a board hired additional mental health specialists/counselors for each building instead of sharing them across several buildings. This is a high priority for our district.
One of our successes during my first term was going to a 1:1 technology initiative putting an iPad in the hands of K-2 graders and a Chromebook in the hands of 3rd through high schoolers. This serves a couple of purposes: enables kids to work in the manner that they will most likely work when they go into the workplace, it allows them to get comfortable with using devices to respond to classroom work and testing before the state tests are administered, and lastly, it is what they have know since they were babies. We then altered the curriculum for technology to push down content into lower years of schooling and made more robust the responsibility part of technology.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 21, 2019
