By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
The challenger in the Okarche Board of Education Office No. 4 race says it’s time for fresh ideas on the board.
Ryan McIlvain will face incumbent Beth Schieber in the general election next February for a position that his opponent has held for decades.
“I think if people get on the board and serve as a good steward and then that person steps aside and lets another capable person come in, I think the district and community is better served with a multitude of people and ideas instead of just one perspective,” McIlvain said.
“I don’t intend to treat this as a lifetime commitment because I want to be able to pass that torch onto the next person. There’s a lot of opportunity for people to be involved in this community. Win, lose, or draw, I hope to see more residents become more involved in the schools.”
The father of four is a business owner with children who attend Holy Trinity Catholic School and a freshman at Okarche High School. McIlvain started N6 Hydraulics two years ago, which is a repair service on hydraulic cylinders for the utilities, farming and industrial markets. He and his wife Karen Mueggenborg McIlvain owned an Express Personnel franchise for several years. The couple maintains a ranch and farm.
McIlvain said his approach to board matters would heavily rest on his experience as a business owner, but not at the neglect of students’ best interests.
“I was encouraged to run by many people in the community,” he said. “I think now’s the perfect time to bring a fresh business perspective to the board. I’m a dad of four. Kids are my biggest interest. If it weren’t for the kids of my community I wouldn’t even be running. That’s the difference. The true reason is you need to run it like a business. If we don’t and we’re not smart about the bottom line, our kids are going to pay for it.”
McIlvain did not comment on specific ideas or potential fiscal concerns but did say his approach won’t be business as usual.
“The words, ‘this is the way we’ve always done things,’ are the most dangerous words to any business, government entity or organization. I’m also not a ‘yes-man.’”
McIlvan said he is already asking the people in Okarche about their expectations of a school board member.
“I’m garnering opinions from people who have kids, grandkids or just pay property taxes,” he said.
McIlvain said accountability and availability would be a priority in his role as board member if he were elected.
“I’ll return phone calls,” he said. “Accountability is important. The school doesn’t create anything and sell it. The money comes from us and you have a lot of people you should be answering to.”
McIlvain faces a highly experienced opponent in Schieber, but he said he is no stranger to a school board.
“My father-in-law Ray Muggenborg served many years in the ‘90s with my opponent,” he recalled. “I have some insight from my conversations with him while he was still alive when he talked about the inner workings of a school district.”
McIlvain holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in business from the University of Central Oklahoma and an associate’s degree from Redlands Community College.
