Aila Boyd
aboyd@mainstreetnewspapers.com
David Preston attended his last Salem City School Board meeting earlier this month, on Dec. 12. He declined to seek reappointment. His current term started in January 2021 and ends December 2023.
He first thought about joining the board when Wayne Adkins, who was on it at the time, was considering leaving it. Adkins asked Preston if he had considered serving on the board, which he hadn’t up until that time. “I went to a few meetings and one of the members ended up moving, so when it came available, I put my name in,” he remembers. “Surprisingly, I got on.”
He joined the board in May 2008.
Getting acclimated to the board, Preston said, took some time. During his first couple of meetings, he learned the three main responsibilities of the board, including budgets, policies and hiring. “It’s lots of other details and acronyms that take a long time to figure out,” he said. Luckily, the board at the time had quite a few seasoned members who helped him out.
He joined at a time of difficulty for the division, given the fact that the Great Recession was in full swing. “It was miserable,” he remembers. “It was a time when money was tight. People left and weren’t replaced. We had to figure out how to save money.” Ensuring that the students didn’t suffer guided the board’s decisions at the time.
Budgeting, spreadsheets and long-term were all things Preston enjoyed being involved in.
During his time on the board, Preston served as both vice chair and chair.
Preston balanced his time on the board with his business enterprise, Country Cookin. As chairman of the business, he said he had the flexibility needed to meet his obligations to the school division. Having feet in both a private business and a public enterprise, like the division, gave him a unique perspective. “I ultimately ended up being more of a planner with the schools. With business, the financials tell you where you’re being successful or not, then you just get on with it,” he said. “The planning was good.”
The board had to navigate yet another major disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks, remote learning and sports were issues the members had to contend with. “It was a fine line. Ultimately, we tried to make the best decisions for the kids,” he said. The board’s decisions, he added, were guided by professionals, like the superintended and health authorities. “We had to do what made sense.”
Preston said he’s proud of the work the board has done over the course of his tenure. He pointed to getting through the Great Recession and pandemic, the construction of South Salem Elementary School, the remodeling of Salem High School and the hiring of a new superintendent as being the major efforts the board has undertaken during his tenure.
“We have a group on the board over the past 15 years that are humble. They don’t want to be in the spotlight. They want to be supportive. I’m proud of the things we’ve done, not things Dave Preston has done,” he said.
Preston foresees spending more time at the lake, doing some business consulting on the side and occasionally helping out with the schools during his newfound free time. “I think I’d like to stay involved some, if they’re interested,” he said.
