BUSINESSWOMAN FILES FOR SEAT ON CAPE SCHOOL BOARD

A chance to serve her alma mater has persuaded Kathy Swan to seek a seat on the Cape Girardeau Board of Education.

Swan, president of Johnson Communications Co., filed Tuesday for a one-year term on the board. She is the first person to file for the unexpired term of former board member Carolyn Kelley. Kelley resigned from the board Jan. 23. She plans to move to Little Rock, Ark.

Two incumbents are the only candidates so far in the race for two three-year terms on the board. The incumbents, Ed Thompson and Lyle Davis, both filed the day filings opened.

The deadline to file for any of the three openings is Feb. 4.

Swan said, "I think being a Cape Girardeau native, I have a little extra dedication, motivation and concern for the school.

"I think you have a certain pride in your alma mater. Universities conduct financial campaigns where people can give. Public school systems don't do that. What you can give is your time."

Swan and her husband, Reg, own Johnson Communications in Cape Girardeau. The company was started by Swan's father in 1959. She also works part time as an infection control nurse at St. Francis Medical Center.

This is her first run for public office.

"I've had a lot of encouragement from different people, and I've thought about it for quite a while," she said.

She said the opportunity to run for a one-year term helped her decide to seek the office.

"The one-year term is a one-year commitment. That will help me determine if I have the time to do the job. I know I can make the sacrifices and changes to accommodate the job for one year.

"My dad went to school here, I went to school here, my son just graduated from school here, and my daughter is in school here," she said. "The school system gave me the very best. I felt that I got a very good education, and I took advantage of every opportunity offered. Now it's my turn to give something back.

"I feel an obligation to serve. It's not just my children's school it's my school.

"I think it's a very exciting time considering the challenge before us with the budget," she said. "I would like to provide some input."

Swan said experience as a small-business owner gives her a perspective for managing the school district's funds.

"Owning a small business, I'm very much in tune with profit and loss, income and expenditures. Running a school system, in a way, is like running a business; you need to know how much money is coming in and where it is going.

Swan said she is also interested in educating students about alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and AIDS. She is a certified state speaker on AIDS.

"I'm not that familiar with what is already taking place," she said. "But these are some issues we definitely need to talk about with these kids.

"I think of myself as a student advocate," Swan said. "Anytime I think about any of these issues, I think about the students; not just the students now but also the up-and-coming students."

Swan commended the board and administration for soliciting community involvement in the school district.

"I hope everyone does take an opportunity to provide some input with the questions about finance and facilities," she said.

She said with many people looking for solutions, more options are likely to surface.

"I'm involved with band program at Central, so I know where the money comes from and where it goes. I can see a number of creative ways to make a difference in that program," she said. "If you get more people directly involved, they will also have ideas."

Swan, 1302 Kenwood, has one son, a freshman at Southeast, and one daughter, who is in ninth grade at Central Junior High School.

She is a graduate of Southeast Missouri State University with a bachelor's degree in nursing.

Swan is a member of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, Friends of St. Francis, Southeast Hospital Association, Cape Area Personnel Association, Beta Sigma Phi, Sigma Theta Tau International Honorary Society of Nursing, the Copper Dome Society, Southeast Missouri State University Boosters Club, Zonta Club, and St. Vincent de Paul Church Choir. She is past president of the Central High Band Boosters.

This year she is co-chairman of the American Heart Association's Celebrity Waiter fund-raising event.