Kelly Dillon
Elections and appointments
Personal
Contact
Kelly Dillon is running for election for an at-large seat of the South-Western City Schools Board of Education in Ohio. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source]
Dillon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Kelly Dillon was born in Islip, New York. She earned a high school diploma from North Babylon High School, a bachelor's degree from Kenyon College in 2000, a graduate degree from Union Institute and University in 2003, and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 2016. Dillon's career experience includes working as a professor and in research management/support. As of 2025, Dillon was affiliated with the Democratic Party, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Organization for Women.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: South-Western City Schools, Ohio, elections (2025)
General election
The general election will occur on November 4, 2025.
Endorsements
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2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Kelly Dillon completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dillon'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 lived in our district for over 20yrs, have 2 children in our schools, and am a proud product of public schools. I joined this race to keep PUBLIC dollars in PUBLIC schools, to increase transparency and communications with our community, and to make sure every child gets the opportunity for a quality education. I'm a mom, wife, educator, and strong advocate for our students, teachers, and community.
- PUBLIC dollars for PUBLIC schools. Our district should be at the front lines of fighting for OUR dollars to remain in OUR public schools. Vouchers have a place in K-12 education as not every learner thrives in the traditional classroom. These should be need based, rare, and held to the same standards as our public schools and teachers. SWCS needs to rejoin the lawsuit against vouchers and fight hard every day in our statehouse to force our legislators for a FAIR FUNDING and CONSTITUTIONAL formula.
- Transparency in district decisions and discussions. We do not need to pay $9,000 per month to a lawyer to obfuscate open meetings. Unless otherwise legally bound, our board should have discussions and policy questions out in the open during meetings. If regular meetings do not suffice in time or audience, the board should have town halls, listening sessions, and release data on contacts and issues. Compromise, conversation, and civility can happen in the open. It's time we have that option.
- Learners of all types have equal opportunities to thrive. Our district covers over 119 square miles including over 21,000 students and hundreds of small neighborhoods - urban, rural, and suburban. It is time each school has opportunities for students to thrive, discover, and build key skills. There is no reason why a school in a Columbus city zip code doesn't have the same clubs, classes, or leadership as one in a Grove City neighborhood. Our diversity of cultures and environments in our district is our STRENGTH. Let's tap into that diversity, learn from each other, and help shape our children for a global economy.
Proper and fair funding of schools, inclusion and celebration of a variety of viewpoints and experiences, equal opportunities for all learners regardless of zip code, ability, or socioeconomic status.
My father. He sometimes had 3 or 4 jobs when I was growing up to make sure we had food on our table (a family of 6) and keeping our lights on. He loves my mother fiercely and helped show respect and honor in a relationship. My dad taught us family is first and foremost, and you can make do with whatever you have in your hands. He worked 2 jobs while going to school at night. He started in the shop making eyeglasses and retired as VP of Contracts. He's still the smartest person I know, and if I can make him proud, I know I've lived well.
Ethical communication, strong interpersonal skills, ability to compromise.
Good stewards of school funding, advocating for fair funding from the state, open communication with and to the community, equitable hiring and alignment with national organizations
I left the world better than I found it and I was kind to as many people as I could be.
I remember vividly the Challenger explosion in 1986. Every student's eyes were glued to the screen, including me and my 3rd grade friends. My family has a special connection to the space program - my grandfather helped design the first LEM, my dad worked at Grumman and helped with the ISS. It's a core media memory and President Reagan's speeches that night and days afterwards still remain in my heart.
At age 12 I was hired to stuff advertisements into a free paper. I had 231 houses and got paid $15 a week! I kept that job until I could buy a bike ($250). Then I started babysitting until I could get a work permit.
The Phantom Tollbooth. At its core is a celebration and love of learning. Learning and curiosity are my oxygen. I've been obsessed with learning as much as I can for as long as I can remember. In the Phantom Tollbooth, Milo travels to the Kingdom of Knowledge. He encounters different characters that help him learn to be still, take him to the land of Reason and Digitapolis. It's filled with lots of puns, clever ways to acquire knowledge, all through the eyes of a child. Milo, before he goes through the tollbooth, is bored with school and traditional ways of learning. The tollbooth excursion helps him find different way to learn. I try to incorporate this into my own teaching - trying to reach each learner where they are and to try and find different ways to create that spark.
CJ Cregg, the Press Secretary played by Allison Janey in The West Wing. The individuals she works with are ridiculously smart, clever, and are trying their best to make the country a better place for as many people as possible. CJ interacts with the media and while sometimes adversarial, have a dynamic relationship. She has a great sense of humor, treats her staff well, and fights for what is right in her heart.
Worrying what other people think of me. Whether it's my appearance, my grades, my teaching, or even my parenting. I know in *theory* I shouldn't compare myself to others' highlight reels, but it's very hard.
A mother recently approached me telling me how grateful she was that I decided to run. Her child struggles with reading and has an IEP. She was incredibly hurt and insulted when our school board decided to join an organization who perceives differently abled students as a drain on resources. She's afraid if things continue going in the direction they are with our board, and with those who are trying to get on the board, then only those who are "perfect" learners and from the affluent parts of our district will get a good education. No parent should ever think because their child is different in someway they would be discriminated against or left behind. It's those kids I want to fight for, no matter if I'm on the board or holding our elected officials responsible.
Earning my doctorate. My first day of graduate school was my youngest's second birthday, my husband's first day on third shift, and I felt I was completely over my head. I had no experience in communication whatsoever, and I found out my application was one of the most controversial acceptances in a while. I thought I was sunk - I quit a great job in the last years of a recession with a mortgage and family to chase a dream I never knew I really had. But I found out my older age compared to the other students was an advantage. I knew how to balance my time, how graduate school worked (I had been in medical and graduate school research support), and what was at stake. My organization skills meant I was able to recruit, train, and supervise 2 dozen undergraduate lab assistants, teach, AND run an NSF grant besides my own research. My children grew up watching their mom figure out how to manage it, and were old enough to know what it meant when I walked across the stage and receive my hood, tam, and degree.
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See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 30, 2025
