More Of The Intertwining Lives

Baird, one of four candidates vying for three seats on the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District Board of Education, is immersed in civic affairs such as the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, Partners in Education and the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation. The real estate broker and owner of Baird Group Real Estate, is also owner of One Stop Handyman Shop, a maintenance and repair company for homes and businesses.
But, it’s Baird’s involvement with the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation – he has served the past two years as the co-chair for the annual Taste of Lee’s Summit event – which he believes is a steppingstone to his next civic endeavor.
“I’m pretty passionate about Lee’s Summit and what goes on here in the schools,” Baird said. “You can say I do like that aspect of (running for a seat on the school board).”
Baird, 44, and wife Hillory have two children in the district; one (Bailey) a junior at Lee’s Summit High School and the other (Grant) an eighth-grade student at Pleasant Lea Middle School. It’s not lost on Baird that the two will walk the halls of the same building next school year. In fact, Baird himself will be there too.
He is also a volunteer coach for the football program’s freshman team, just one of many hats Baird wears around the city.
“With my schedule I can’t be there at practice everyday, but I try to be there on Mondays and Wednesdays,” said Baird, a former college football and baseball player at Missouri State, Kansas State and Baker University. “I work a lot. I don’t measure the hours – I really don’t think of it that way. Real estate is really weird; it’s like a way of life. You’re visiting and socializing one minute then you’re talking business the next. I don’t notice the change, I just do it.”
Baird said prior to opening Baird Group in 2011, he managed more than 130 real estate agents as owner of Infinity Realty. He sold the business to a competitor – Platinum Realty – then opened the group under the Platinum branch with a staff of five that includes Hillory and Bruce and Sheila Clark. Andy Davies is the fifth member of the Baird Group.
The small staff means more personable interaction, and for Baird and his group, more flexibility to engage in community activities.
“I think I love the fact that it’s flexible,” Baird said. “My daughter plays (basketball) at 5:30 tonight and I’ll be there. If they have an activity at school at 3, I can be there; I can set my appointments and that’s the same thing with my team members, they love the flexibility.”
Chip Moxley, president of Tingle Flooring, just recently finished a stint as co-chair with Baird for this year’s Taste of Lee’s Summit. Last year, Hillory and Bill Baird co-chaired the event. Moxley said Baird’s passion for all things Lee’s Summit is obvious with the work that Baird does on his own dime and time.
“He is an extraordinarily dedicated individual,” Moxley said. “He’s been involved with the Foundation for a lot of years. He’s has always been one of the people you can always depend on. I’m really happy he is doing the school board thing. Having had children go through the district…you can feel good about a guy like Bill stepping up to take on that responsibility. And that’s what it is; it’s a huge responsibility.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post

Missouri Schools - The Washington Post Some schools brag about their high passing rates on AP or IB, meaning the percentage of test-takers who scored 3, 4 or 5 on the 5-point AP exam or 4, 5, 6 or 7 on the 7-point IB exam. Passing scores make students eligible for credit at many colleges and universities. I decided not to count passing rates in this way because I found that many high schools kept those rates artificially high by allowing only top students to take the courses. AP, IB and AICE are important because they give average students a chance to experience the trauma of heavy college reading lists and long, analytical college examinations. Research has found that even low-performing students who got a 2 on an AP test did significantly better in college than similar students who did not take AP. On the list, we also give readers a sense of how well each school’s students are doing on the tests by posting the Equity and Excellence rate, which is the percentage of all graduating s
Read more

My Letter Requesting To Become A Board Member

Sherri R. Tucker 1200 SE London Way Lee’s Summit, MO   64081 816-554-3017 autism@kc.rr.com Lee’s Summit R-7 School District C/o Linda Ismert, Board Secretary Stansberry Leadership Center 301 NE Tudor Road Lee’s Summit, MO   64086 Ms Ismert I would like to submit my name for the position on the Lee’s Summit R-7 School Board.   As you know, I have expressed an interest in being on the school board in the past.   On my first attempt I only lost by 2% which would indicate that the voters have an interest in me being on the board as well.   I would think that the voters’ wishes would be taken into consideration. I have a strong relationship with many of the districts’ families and I can help to bridge the gap between them and the district.   I understand the commitment to the time and energy required each week for meetings, phone calls, conversations, visits to schools, and professional development seminars and workshops.   I already do that with the families that I work with and can c
Read more

School Board Candidates

I am attempting to find information on the school board candidates.  It has been much easier in the past.  This year it has been more difficult.  Susan D. Coffman Susan Coffman has served as the Outreach Program Coordinator and Finance Officer for Lee’s Summit CARES since 2008. She has been a mayor-appointed representative to the Human Services Advisory Board, facilitated alcohol retailer trainings, organized the annual Holly Festival with the DARE program, managed bookkeeping and accounting, and served as the community liaison between LS CARES and local business, universities and the cities.  Coffman’s financial background includes work as a customer support specialist at Jack Henry & Associates Inc. for 11 years and assistant vice president and customer support specialist at Merchants Bank for 17 years.  Her community activities include serving on the Human Services Advisory Board, Paradise Park Advisory Board, Lee’s Summit Social Services Board, former treasurer of Rotary C
Read more