With speculation that he won't be seeking re-election, District 1 school board representative John Ahmann may be making an announcement regarding his plans at Tuesday night's City Schools of Decatur board meeting.
When asked whether he is seeking re-election, Ahmann told Decatur Patch, "You'll have to wait and see what I say [Tuesday night.]"
On Tuesday morning, Decatur resident Garrett Goebel confirmed he will be seeking the District 1 seat this fall.
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"Yes, I'm definitely in, but I'm still working with my committee on an initial announcement," he said. "More details will follow."
This will be Goebel's second attempt at the seat, having sought the seat once before and losing by 81 votes.
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Decatur Patch was notified of Goebel's announcement via an e-mail from Goebel's friends, which also indicated that Ahmann will be announcing his intention not to seek re-election on Tuesday night.
Decatur Metro is also reporting that Peg Bumgardner is also running for the District 1 seat. Bumgardner posted a note announcing her candidacy and detailing her experience on the school district's parents message board on Monday.
Bumgardner, a resident of Decatur since 1996, is a Leadership Team parent member and current SLT chair.
Goebel has four children enrolled in Decatur city schools, ranging between kindergarten and ninth grade.
He currently serves on the Fifth Avenue School Leadership Team. At , he tutors and runs the chess club while maintaining his involvement with various committees at .
"Those who have worked with Garrett through the schools know that he is committed to inclusive dialogue and an open process," said friend Nicole Kaplan. "He also has a proven track record of digging into difficult issues to master the data with his focus always on ensuring that decisions support a strong learning environment for our children."
Ahmann was first elected to the District 1 in 2003. He has two daughters, one of whom attends Decatur High School, and the other, Renfroe Middle School.
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