Kelley Arnold
Hilliard City Schools Board of Education At-large
Tenure
Term ends
Years in position
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Kelley Arnold is an at-large member of the Hilliard City Schools Board of Education in Ohio. She assumed office on January 1, 2024. Her current term ends on December 31, 2027.
Arnold ran for election for an at-large seat of the Hilliard City Schools Board of Education in Ohio. She won in the general election on November 7, 2023.
Arnold completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kelley Arnold was born in East Chicago, Indiana. She graduated from Andrean High School. She attended Ohio State University. Arnold’s career experience includes working as a field representative for the U.S. Census.[1][2]
Arnold has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1][2]
- Far West Side Area Commission
- Cross Creek Village Civic Association
- Progress Hilliard
- Rainbow Hilliard
Elections
2023
See also: Hilliard City Schools, Ohio, elections (2023)
General election
Endorsements
Arnold received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Arnold's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here.
2021
See also: Hilliard City Schools, Ohio, elections (2021)
General election
Endorsements
To view Arnold's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.
2023
Kelley Arnold completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2023. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Arnold'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 have been an active volunteer, advocate, and leader within our schools for 20 years as the parent of two recent Hilliard Darby graduates. My volunteer activities have included support from elementary through high school including helping teachers with small groups, seven years in the middle school media center providing weekly help, stitching flags or uniforms for color guard, and so much more. I have served within our PTO groups and InterSchool PTO (ISPTO) for a collective 17 years as treasurer, including working with all our organizations to understand their fiscal responsibilities. My experience in our district also includes service on several committees including: Portrait of a Learner, Master Facilities Planning, Athletics Sustainability, Technology Task Force, and Next X Finance to name a few. Additionally, I have attended nearly every Board of Education meeting for over ten years in addition to participating in Board committee meetings on Facilities, Policy, and the DEI Committee. My work within our schools also led to my involvement in the creation of the Far West Side Area Commission where I currently serve as the Zoning Chair helping guide decisions with an understanding of impacts to our schools.
- Accountability & Transparency – We need clear and quality metrics to evaluate progress in our goals. Board decision-making should happen within the public eye.
- Growth & Facilities – We must work together with local municipalities and our community to help shape growth and future planning. We have aging facilities that need attention through renovation and potential replacement.
- Collaboration & Community – We need to work closely with all our partners in service to our students.
The creation of public policy has always been a source of interest and study for me, especially centered around education. This is an area that I have long pursued in service to our local PTO groups, and now within our Area Commission, in understanding how policies relate and inform our state and local codes. It is important to study the intersection of federal, state, and local inputs that form the foundational work of school boards. Crafting effective and clear policy is key to ensuring our schools can produce the best outcome for our students. Policy must be tight enough to provide rules and regulations for structure, but loose enough to ensure goals and vision can be met. It is a fine balance that is essential for school board members to understand. Our policy must serve the best interests of all students.
There are three main responsibilities for all elected officials: knowledge, inquiry, and listening.
The candidate should bring a firm grasp of the knowledge essential to the office, in this case our school district. I have studied many facets of our district, not only through my participation on committee work and volunteer efforts, but also by studying and analyzing our policies and budget documents on a regular basis for several years.
That knowledge should then serve to drive inquiry. Board members should be asking questions about the metrics we will use to quantify our successes and/or future work and how decisions affect our school community. Quality representation is only achieved if we ask the right questions and it must be rooted in a depth of knowledge about the district. I have long reached out to current and past board members in addition to administration to question and dive into our school data.
In concert, board members must be listening to all stakeholders: students, teachers, parents, staff and community, in order to understand the shared vision for our schools. Listening should drive inquiry, but also produce feedback on the knowledge of the district’s processes and policies. It is crucial to educate our community on the “how” and “why” of our policy decisions. My service to our groups and Commission has been to listen to the concerns, explain decisions and the decision-making processes, and advocate when impacts to stakeholders are not in alignment with goals.
I would hope my legacy is to have helped make a positive difference in the education of all our students.
Mail Room Clerk for a national direct buying club service. The position lasted only three months when I was hired as a Purchasing Representative for the same employer. Two years later I was named home office Employee of the Year as voted on by the 90+ franchise clubs across the country.
The primary job of a school board member is to create effective policy and strategic goals for our schools with accountability and fiscal responsibility always in mind. These policies and goals are a product of federal and state regulations, dialogue with the administrative team, and should be developed in concert with the expectations of the local community they are elected to represent. The board should also be a voice of advocacy for our schools on issues such as clear funding structures from our statehouse and responsible growth policies and planning from our municipalities.
Key to building relationships is taking time to listen to the community. In past years, the school board held “coffee chats” periodically to engage on issues community members would bring to those informal meetings. In recent years, that practice fell by the wayside in favor of community hours with the superintendent. While that approach has some value, it is essential that school board members provide opportunities to have direct engagement and conversation with those that have elected them as representatives of the community. I would encourage fellow board members to return the occasional informal “chat” meeting to the calendar. I would also like to have individual regular monthly options to sit down with community members for one-on-one or small group conversations. Additionally, I would also like to take the opportunity to attend individual PTO, booster groups, and other community partners meetings to listen their questions and concerns.
Why did the cookie go to the doctor? Because he was feeling crummy. It’s a favorite as it was the only joke our son could remember for about two years when he was little. We heard it over and over, but it brings a smile thinking about his earnest face telling it to anyone and everyone he could.
Hilliard Education Association (HEA)
Ohio Association of Public School Employees OAPSE/AFSCME 4 Local 310
The Matriots Ohio
Central Ohio Labor Council AFL-CIO
Franklin County Democratic Party
Franklin County Young Dems
Sen. Sherrod Brown
As a member of the Hilliard Public Education Coalition (HOPE), I believe the collaborative vision statement we brought forth is an excellent summation of an ideal learning environment for students: "We envision a school district where students are driven to succeed while pursuing their unique interests in a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment that fosters a sense of belonging and cultivates feelings of acceptance. We envision a community where educators are trusted to do their jobs, where mistakes are learning opportunities, and where everyone, without exception, feels safe."
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.
Other survey responses
Ballotpedia identified the following surveys, interviews, and questionnaires Arnold completed for other organizations. If you are aware of a link that should be added, email us.
2021
Kelley Arnold completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Arnold's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Expand all | Collapse all
I have been an active volunteer, advocate, and leader within our schools for 18 years as the parent of two recent Hilliard Darby graduates. My volunteer activities have included support from elementary through high school including helping teachers with small groups, seven years in the middle school media center providing weekly help, stitching flags or uniforms for color guard, and so much more. I have served within our PTO groups and InterSchool PTO (ISPTO) for a collective 17 years as treasurer, including working with all our organizations to understand their fiscal responsibilities. My experience in our district also includes service on several committees including: Student Housing, Athletics Sustainability, Technology Task Force, Next X Finance, and Master Facilities. Additionally, I have attended nearly every Board of Education meeting for over eight years in addition to participating in Board committee meetings on Facilities, Policy, and the newly created Diversity and Inclusion Committee. My work within our schools also led to my involvement in the creation of the Far West Side Area Commission where I currently serve as the Zoning Chair helping guide decisions with an understanding of impacts to our schools.
- Accountability & Transparency – We need clear and quality metrics to evaluate progress in our goals.
- Growth & Facilities – We must work together with local municipalities and our community to help shape growth and future planning.
- Collaboration & Community – We need to work closely with all our partners in service to our students.
The creation of public policy has always been a source of interest and study for me, especially centered around education. This is an area that I have long pursued in service to our local PTO groups, and now within our Area Commission, in understanding how policies relate and inform our state and local codes. It is important to study the intersection of federal, state, and local inputs that form the foundational work of school boards. Crafting effective and clear policy is key to ensuring our schools can produce the best outcome for our students. Policy must be tight enough to provide rules and regulations for structure, but loose enough to ensure goals and vision can be met. It is a fine balance that is essential for school board members to understand.
There are three main responsibilities for all elected officials: knowledge, inquiry, and listening.
The candidate should bring a firm grasp of the knowledge essential to the office, in this case our school district. I have studied many facets of our district, not only through my participation on committee work and volunteer efforts, but also by studying and analyzing our policies and budget documents on a regular basis for several years.
That knowledge should then serve to drive inquiry. Board members should be asking questions about the metrics we will use to quantify our successes and/or future work and how decisions affect our school community. Quality representation is only achieved if we ask the right questions and it must be rooted in a depth of knowledge about the district. I have long reached out to current and past board members in addition to administration to question and dive into our school data.
In concert, board members must be listening to all stakeholders: students, teachers, parents, staff and community, in order to understand the shared vision for our schools. Listening should drive inquiry, but also produce feedback on the knowledge of the district’s processes and policies. It is crucial to educate our community on the “how” and “why” of our policy decisions. My service to our groups and Commission has been to listen to the concerns, explain decisions and the decision-making processes, and advocate when impacts to stakeholders are not in alignment with goals.
I would hope my legacy is to have helped make a positive difference in the education of all our students.
Mail Room Clerk for a national direct buying club service. The position lasted only three months when I was hired as a Purchasing Representative for the same employer. Two years later I was named home office Employee of the Year as voted on by the 90+ franchise clubs across the country.
The primary job of a school board member is to create effective policy and strategic goals for our schools with accountability and fiscal responsibility always in mind. These policies and goals are a product of federal and state regulations, dialogue with the administrative team, and should be developed in concert with the expectations of the local community they are elected to represent. The board should also be a voice of advocacy for our schools on issues such as clear funding structures from our statehouse and responsible growth policies and planning from our municipalities.
Key to building relationships is taking time to listen to the community. In past years, the school board held “coffee chats” periodically to engage on issues community members would bring to those informal meetings. In recent years, that practice fell by the wayside in favor of community hours with the superintendent. While that approach has some value, it is essential that school board members provide opportunities to have direct engagement and conversation with those that have elected them as representatives of the community. I would encourage fellow board members to return the occasional informal “chat” meeting to the calendar. I would also like to have individual regular monthly options to sit down with community members for one-on-one or small group conversations. Additionally, I would also like to take the opportunity to attend individual PTO, booster groups, and other community partners meetings to listen their questions and concerns.
It is absolutely critical we work towards diversifying our school workforce. Schools should be a chorus of different voices in order to create a fuller, richer sound and experience so that our students hear and see themselves reflected in the adults caring for their education. This can only be accomplished when the teachers, staff, and administrators are more reflective of the diversity of our student population. Our district has taken steps to address these issues in examining hiring practices, but further work is still necessary.
One suggested avenue is to “grow our own” via our Academy EDU program which is “an introduction to the teaching profession.” The goal is to encourage more diverse students to take part in this program in the hopes they wish to return to Hilliard City Schools as a teacher. However, it is important for our Board and administration to examine any barriers that might impede students from participation. Currently students are expected to provide their own transportation for mentorship options within Academy EDU. This would preclude many students from even attempting this pathway. We must work towards more equitable policies and solutions to ensure all students have access to opportunities such as this program if we have any hope of diversifying our outcomes.
Why did the cookie go to the doctor? Because he was feeling crummy. It’s a favorite as it was the only joke our son could remember for about two years when he was little. We heard it over and over, but it brings a smile thinking about his earnest face telling it to anyone and everyone he could.
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
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 3, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 15, 2023
