Schools
Meet John Laughlin — Fox C-6 School Board Candidate
A questionnaire was sent to each of the seven candidates running for three, three-year terms on the Fox C-6 School District Board of Education. The following, in their own words, are their responses.
John Laughlin has lived with his wife, Mary, in the Arnold/Imperial area for 16 years and has two children who attend middle school and high school in the district.
Laughlin said his educational and work backgrounds have strong emphasis in Economics and Business management and he is currently a partner, Chief Executive officer and President of Conference Technologies Inc. ®
CTI, is a St. Louis headquartered technology company that provides audio visual engineering, design and installation.
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Laughlin said he and his family are actively involved in the Fox district volunteering time, money, and equipment to the schools his children have attended.
Mary Laughlin, a stay at home mom, has bachelor degrees in both education and nursing, Laughlin said, and said she volunteers by helping at district school picnics, field trips, aiding teachers in the classroom and involvement in almost all school functions.
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Laughlin said he uses his resources within CTI to supply services and equipment to the district such as donating SmartBoards to the Reading 180 program, donating computers to classrooms and providing audio systems for special events.
Laughlin said he spends much of his free time coaching and has been a coach and/or sponsor for the softball, baseball, wrestling, football, volleyball and basketball teams.
In a recent statement, Laughlin said “I believe that achieving success requires collaborative partnerships involving, students, parents, teachers, school administration, coaches, support personnel, and community leaders working together for the betterment of our education system.”
“I bring a business perspective to the district, with a goal to have fiscal responsibility and balance the budget fairly,” Laughlin said. “Under my leadership, the CTI team grew from a one office St. Louis-only organization in 1997 to the nine office Midwest leading technology company it is today. We did so through sound policies, strategy and teamwork.”
“I feel one of my strongest talents has been my ability to recruit, lead and set policies that are effective and enforceable,” Laughlin said. “I believe the key to success is to raise the standards and skills of those around you so that the entire culture shares in the success and learns from our mistakes.”
”It is my goal to become an informed and useful member of the school board utilizing my experience and relationships to inspire everyone to be involved in their district,” he said. “I believe inspired and empowered teachers, parents, and administrators are imperative to reaching our goals. Our students require structure and policies to guide them. Our policies need to be effective and enforced. Outdated policies should be eliminated so that teachers and administrators can focus on that which it important: Sculpting, Educating, and Inspiring future generations. Creating a culture of success that is sustainable and encourages responsible change should be our number one priority.”
“In closing, I am proud to be an active participant of the Fox-C6 school district and did not run for this position to further any personal gain,” he said. “Rather, I truly believe through common sense policies, open communication, and fiscal responsibility we can continue growing and developing an outstanding school district.”
Laughlin did not provide a photo for the profile.