This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Hembree Runs for Fourth Term on School Board

He is the current board secretary and serves on the school district's African-American Achievement Gap Committee.

As secretary for the Brentwood Board of Education, Joe Hembree signs his name on the diplomas of the 60 to 70 students who graduate from each year. If re-elected in April, Hembree will have a unique opportunity: He could sign his son’s diploma and present it to him during commencement.

“It’s not why I am running,” said Hembree. But it’s a nice perk, nonetheless.

Hembree, 53, is seeking his fourth . For the past three years, he has served as secretary. He was treasurer before that.

He didn’t seek public office. A neighbor, who was on the school board, approached Hembree and his wife about running. Both would be good candidates, he said. So the couple talked.

Find out what's happening in Maplewood-Brentwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We still had kids in elementary school. We were involved in their school (McGrath Elementary) and with its PTO,” he said.

His wife, Christie, encouraged him to run. “She said I had more business experience,” said Hembree, a manager at Edward Jones. “And I found out that I really liked serving the board.”

But, as in any relationship, Hembree has had challenges being on the board. He talked about some difficult decisions and new concerns affecting the school district one evening, as his wife took the family dachshund out for a walk and their son, Addison, turned in for the night. The couple has another son, Grayson, 20.

“My most difficult decision?” Hembree asked. “Hiring a superintendent. That’s the most critical thing you can do as a member. I had been on the board for one year. I felt ill-prepared. The decision (to hire Dr. Charles Penberthy) worked well. We were either very good or very lucky.”

Today, the school district is facing a drop in revenue and aging facilities. A couple of factors weigh in on finances. An error in calculating the local tax rate resulted in a $1-million loss that will be repaid, but over three years, property values are declining, and the tax collection rate has dropped as more people contest their assessments.

“We’ve been lucky managing our resources,” Hembree said. “Most of our money is generated locally; very little comes from the state.” The Brentwood School District derives approximately 95 percent of its revenue locally, but the district is beginning to feel the pinch and some financial belt-tightening is warranted.

If cuts become necessary, Hembree said everything would be on the table.

Find out what's happening in Maplewood-Brentwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I don’t like to say that anything is forsaken,” he said. When pressed for specifics, he cited technology. “We maybe have to pull back on some technology purchases."

And what about merging schools as a cost-cutting measure?

“It depends upon enrollment,” which has “kind of declined, but stabilized,” Hembree said.

“ and have a unique fee,l and there is an immense neighborhood tie with those schools,” he said. Simple answer? He doesn’t think schools will merge.

In regard to the district’s aging school buildings, Hembree wants long-term plans. “We’ve been able to eke a few improvements on buildings that are very old,” he said. “But instead of doing piece-meal work, we need to look at a comprehensive plan.” To that end, the board has embarked on a facilities study.

Hembree is happy to have given back to the community and is proud of his tenure on the school board, especially with regard to serving on its African-American Achievement Gap Committee, which was developed to improve standardized test scores.

“I was the original board member and am still on the committee,” he said. “Brentwood has the narrowest gap in St. Louis County, but there is still work to be done."

Hembree wants to continue to serve on the school board and feels he has the business acumen and experience to make a difference, whether it is negotiating salaries with teachers or reviewing the ongoing facilities study.

“I’m dedicated to our students and their ongoing achievement," Hembree said. “I have also been told by several parents that they know if they ask me something, they know they will get a straight answer.”

Joe Hembree
9006 Pine Avenue

PERSONAL: Age 53. Married to Christie Hembree. They have two sons: Grayson, 20, and Addison, 17.

OCCUPATION: Manager, fulfillment services, at Edward Jones.

EDUCATION: Hembree received a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1980.

RELEVANT  BACKGROUND: Hembree has been on the Brentwood Board of Education since 2002, serving as its treasurer for six years and as its secretary for three. He's also a member of the board’s Non-Traditional Bargaining and African-American Achievement Gap committees. In 2006, Hembree received the Best of Brentwood Award presented by the school district. He was treasurer of the Citizens for Proposition 1 Bond Issue committee and fundraising chairman for the PTO of McGrath Elementary and schools.

Editor's note: This is the seventh article in a series of candidate profiles leading up to the April 5 election.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Maplewood-Brentwood