Illinois Valley Times

James "Jay" Walsh says he decided to run for a seat on the Serena Community Unified School District 2 board because he wants to bring a new view and is now vying against three others in the April 4 election.

Along with Walsh, Joseph H. Cantlin, Neal Rosengren and Justin DeBolt are all competing for that one spot, according to a story by Shaw Local. Cantlin is attempting to keep his seat, which is about to expire. Walsh recently decided to run for the first time.

"I just decided it was time," Walsh said in an interview with Illinois Valley Times. "There are some things going on in the district that I feel need some different insight. At the end of the day, we just need to be working on making things better for the students, and I want to help with that in any way I can."

According to U.S. News, Serena Community Unified School District 2 has four schools and a student population of more than 600. Minority enrollment in the district is 10%. Serena Community Unified School District 2's student body is 87.1% White, 1% Black, 0.2% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander, 7.9% Hispanic/Latino and 0.8% American Indian or Alaska Native. 

Walsh's three daughters are students in the district, with two attending high school and the youngest in fifth grade, he said in the interview.

"I want to make things better for them and all the other students," he said. "I know change doesn't happen overnight, but we need to be focused on making that happen."

On average, Serena Community Unified School District 2 spends $18,829 per student, U.S. News reported. In addition, 100.0% of the instructors in District 2 are certified with three or more years of experience, according to U.S. News. 

With his engineering background, Walsh said in the interview he's "accustomed to dealing with large-scale issues, which is what I've been doing for the last 25 years."

Walsh considers that his business experience will be a benefit on the board.

"I know it's not a business, but it really is with the product being the students," he said. "I'm trying to make everything better for them and getting them prepared for the next stage in life."