Josh McLaren Seeks Re-Election to School Board, Focusing on Academic Growth and Career Readiness.

Josh McLaren said, “Having children in the school [system] has sparked my interest in running for school board.” Making it a better place for all kids, not just his own. This is the reason he is running: to make a better school district for all in it.
Josh McLaren is one of the four candidates running for the school board on November 4th. He has been at the school for (13 or 14) years and is up for re-election. Before his first election, he was convinced to fill a vacancy in the school board by a fellow peer.
McLaren and his wife Emily have been married for 22 years and have three children together, Jackson, Gavin, and Benny. McLaren describes himself as an outgoing but non-emotional person in public. “I try to be level-headed…a part of that comes from being a police officer.” He said that he acts with integrity and looks at the bigger picture because not everyone will always be happy.
McLaren grew up here in Atlantic and was a part of many activities in the communit,y including football and journalism. One of McLaren’s fond memories from high school journalism was developing film from the previous week’s football game. Aside from developing films, McLaren enjoyed writing stories “back when they still printed The Needle.”
After high school, he attended college and later returned to Atlantic to serve as a reserve police officer. Within a year, he was hired full-time, and five years later, he became a sheriff, a role he has held for the past 15 years.
Important issues McLaren would like to improve on are the overall school district’s test scores. Rather than making sure every child is up to grade level, he would like to see improvement in each individual’s test scores.
“It’s no secret that I am 100% for the bond issues,” McLaren said. He is a big advocate for the two bond issues on the table here in November. He wishes to improve the Washington Elementary, Schuler, and High School for the better of the students.
Aside from the bond issues, McLaren is passionate about the high school’s higher education and career readiness opportunities. He credits the Atlantic School District with starting his son, Jackson, on his lifelong career path as a welder through a welding apprenticeship program offered here at AHS. McLaren also said that his son, Gavin, has expressed interest in flight after high school because of the aviation courses also offered here at AHS. He is extremely proud of the career readiness programs that AHS has and would like to enhance them greatly if possible.
After the “Day-to-Day stuff” is handled, he would like to focus on expanding and “seeing more numbers” in the career readiness opportunity programs such as the robotics club and AP classes.
“The reason that I do this is for you guys and trying to get each kid the best education they can,” said McLaren. He said that each candidate is equally formidable, but one thing that stands out most about him is his past experience on the board and his student-focused mindset.
Jordan Zarbano, Recent Atlantic Alumn, Runs for School Board and Wants to Give Back to the People

Jordan Zarbano is one of the four candidates for the school board. He graduated from Atlantic in 2019 and then went to DMACC for college. After he worked as a correctional officer, he lost sight in one of his eyes and stepped down from his position. He came back to the school district and worked primarily at the high school, doing maintenance. He is now working as a banker.
He has two children who go to school in the Atlantic Community School District, as well as many other family members. Although he is young, he sees this weakness as more of a strength. Zarbano understands what the younger generation wants and needs because he was in high school six years ago. He said when he was in high school, the school board was very transparent and involved; he said he feels, “it has lost its presence and structure.” He wants to bring it back. He said it isn’t very versatile anymore, and he said he doesn’t want to start arguments, but he wants to talk and understand different sides to things, so they can improve as much as they possibly can.
Zarabno has had an interest in the school board since he was in high school, so he understands the importance of these members. It’s always been something he’s wanted to be a part of. He “loves to give back to people,” and this is just one way for him to give back to those who helped him out. He wants kids to be able to be kids, he wants school to be a special place and not somewhere kids dread going every day. He wants “everyone to have a good day.”
Local Dentist, Chet Meneely, Finds Himself “throwing his cap in” to Support Improvements for the District

Chet Meneely is a local dentist in Atlantic, Iowa, working at Family Dental Center. His wife, Kasey Meneely, and he are Atlantic alumni, which he believes to be his “drive for wanting to help Atlantic”. He has two children who will be joining the Atlantic Community School District in the future. He is a huge Atlantic fan and supports the school and community and wants to see the town thrive.
He claims that while he is the one running for school board its as much him as it is his wife running as a team. Meneely said, “She will be in my ear constantly and helping to decide what we think we will be best for our kids but in turn best for the school district.” His two children are also a contributer to why he is running for school board.
Meneely has connections with much of the town due to his client base and staff who are supporting him through this election. However, before attending dental school, he returned and worked in Atlantic at the YMCA, and the school, serving as a substitute teacher. He is much connected to the community of Atlantic because he was raised here and has moved here to give back to his community.
Meneely attended the University of Northwest Missouri State for his undergraduate degree. Later, he went on to earn his Doctorate at the University of Iowa Dental School. He believes that his experience with his own business could be a beneficial skill and addition to the school board. He said, “I have to communicate with my staff, communicate with my patients, all day everyday. I have to be fiscally responisble and run a business efficiently to keep the lights on.”
Meneely has learned lots of skills because of his experience with starting and running a business in town. He said, “Communication is going to be the key, its how you can explain why this route, and why you can go ahead and get in front of flack from the community.” Another skill to learn is how to make the hard choices. While being a business owner hard choices come up often. He said, “I have to make hires, sometimes let people go, decide if we are taking this insurance or not and continue to make the best decisions for my office.”
After being contacted by other community members, Meneely considered running for the board. He said, “I felt I could throw my hat in, and this would be a good fit for me.” He supports the bond and wants improvement for the school district. Meneely said, “I am in support of growth, in support of new facilities, and definitely in support of renovations.” He feels the bond will be the most efficient and effective way of doing this.
Meneely plans on putting time and effort in to learning about each school and “getting a grasp around what each school needs to best help the kids of the district”. While he already attends atlantic events he wants to deep dive and make connections within the schools to learn the problems and start fixing them. He said, “I have the appropriate skills to make the hard decision…I am eager and willing to the research and solve the problems at hand.”
“Being a part of the school board would be a big learning curve, there will be a lot of nuances that I am ignorant on…however…I am ready to get down to it and ready to learn,” said Meneely.
Justin Williams, Calls for Academic and Fincancial Change for Students
Justin Williams is a previous AHS graduate who is one of the candidates on the ballot, running for a spot on the school board. Williams is a former teacher and coach in the Atlantic District. He taught at the alternative EOC (education opportunity center) school. While working as a teacher there, he graduated over 150 students from the program. This achievement is something that Williams is very proud of. “I had an amazing team who worked with me, Mrs. Vogel, and Miss Walter.” Williams coached football, soccer, and junior high wrestling, and was the original archery coach. Along with these, he sat on the Atlantic Booster Club for a few years
Williams is married to his wife, Lindsay, a 2001 graduate from AHS. He has a daughter named Paige, who graduated from AHS as well. He also has a son, Tegan, who is in first grade. Tegan came to live with Williams and his family during COVID and ended up adopting him.
The idea of running for school board first came to Williams while attending a school board meeting about the music department. “I attended a meeting where they had a kind of music department discussion, and I was very moved.” Williams was concerned about what was happening with the music department and wanted to step up. When Williams had left AHS to be a principal, some people had asked him to think about running for the school board. “I did not feel like it was the right time back then, but after the music situation and kind of just hearing some of the frustrations.” He thought that it would be good for him to help the school he came from. Williams already has a background as a para, teacher, and principal, as well as being a licensed superintendent and administrator. “I have a background that not a lot of candidates have, that is something very unique about me.”
The idea of giving back to his community sparked his interest in running. “I really enjoy giving back to my community, obviously, as a father, adoptive parent, that’s not an easy task at all.” Growing up, Williams did not have a very easy go of things. He knows a lot of kids in school who are similar to him and maybe even share some of the same experiences he did growing up. “I can give those kids and families a voice that is currently not at the school board level.” Williams simply did not want to sit on the sidelines anymore.
There are two areas that Williams is focused on: academics and finances. Williams understands that schools in the district are not doing as well as they should academically, and he wants to work to improve that. He also wants to help improve programs that are struggling and protect the ones that are thriving. Finances are another issue he is focused on. “I want to make sure that we are being fiscally responsible”.
Williams believes that students should be asked what they want to see improved. “One of the things I want to see improved is the student involvement and some of the decision-making and feedback we get.” A lot of the improvements he wants to make rely on student input and feedback. It is something that he would like to see happen, especially on the middle school and high school levels. Williams has seen a lot of aspects of school life and the ins and outs of schools and how they operate. “There is no candidate who has these experiences.”
Williams wants high school students to become more informed about local politics. “I think it’s important for our high schoolers to be involved in processes and pay attention to the politics of their local areas, always be informed by the local government and what is happening and what the truth is behind everything.”