My name is Jennifer Kerns. I am currently running for SJSD School Board on the April 8th, 2025 Ballot.  Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a mother of two daughters, ages 23 and 15, who were raised in Saint Joseph and attended/are attending SJSD public schools. I have been an active volunteer with the school district by working on Committees, supporting school sports and Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Currently, I am the Council PTA Vice President for Saint Joseph and work closely with SJSD. I am actively participating in the following organizations as well: Project Graduation Committee, Junior League, Interserv, and the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.).  In 2022, I Graduated with the United Way Leadership of St Joseph. I have currently worked for Oracle, as an Integrated Technologies Consultant, for the last two years after furthering my education to a bachelor’s degree. I worked for Mosaic for 17 years prior.

There are several reasons why I am running for school board. These have not changed from my previous run in 2023.  They are the basics and that is what we need to focus on.  First, I believe it is beneficial for a school board to have people with different perspectives to make good decisions for the school district.  Teamwork is the only way to achieve success for our district.  My focus when making decisions will be student advocacy, parent involvement, staff support, and community engagement. Attendance, curriculum, and teacher/staff support are issues I would like to address as part of the SJSD board.

Community involvement is important. To build trust between the district and the community, transparency and parent involvement is a must.  Having parent engagement and transparency with the community encourages families to remain in our district while raising their children. Transparency will lead to families and businesses supporting our school district. Having a desirable school district encourages new businesses to relocate to our community as well as current business growth. One of the benefits of having a desirable school district is retaining and recruiting quality staff to support and educate our youth in the community as well as other needed professionals in this community.

Attending forums is a wonderful way to get to know all the candidates, so you can make an informed decision when you vote. If you choose, you can support me in multiple ways such as word of mouth, yard signs, and donations to my campaign. I encourage you to follow and share my Facebook page “Jennifer Kerns for SJSD Board.” Yard signs will be available soon and I will post on Facebook when they are available.  Monetary support is also welcomed to help fund merchandise for campaigning.  Please see the Donate & Support page for options.

Thank you again for all your support! See you at the polls on April 8th!

Sincerely,
Jennifer Kerns
PO Box 8161
St. Joseph, MO 64508
jenniferkernsforsjsdboard@gmail.com