It’s a Friday afternoon, and as school has let out for the last time this week, many are looking forward to the weekend ahead. In the back office of Club MMA, a local martial arts gym, the laughter of kids can be heard through the doorway as they participate in games and challenges on the mats.
As the clock above the office door strikes 6:30, I step outside to meet Shane Krugler, a current candidate in the running for the OHHS School Board election. Besides meeting for the interview, he has also come to the gym to drop off his kids for the juniors class. He greets me with a smile, and a firm handshake assures his confidence for the upcoming interview.
Krugler is currently in the running for the OHHS School Board, whose elections are held annually in early November. Listed on his campaign website, Krugler currently serves on the Oak Hills Community Advisory Team and on the board of the Kids and Community Food Collaborative, a local nonprofit combating food insecurity in the district.
Krugler attributes his dutiful character to his five years of experience in the Navy. Through his enlistment, he learned the core values of independence, structure, and leadership that he believes translate to the position he is currently running for. “I was a medic, called a hospital corpsman, when I was in the Navy,” he explains. “My whole job was working in emergency services, so I got an interest in serving others during that time.”
Krugler admires many current policies in the OHHS district. Through his legal experience in estate planning, Krugler has dealt with numerous cases of children with disabilities and special needs. “Our district is phenomenal with the level of services we provide for those students,” he praises. “One of the things we do exceptionally well at Oak Hills is [that we are] in the top thirty percent academically in the entire state. Yet, if you look at the amount of tax dollars that are being spent per student we are second to [the] bottom in all of Hamilton County. Our district is amazing at providing a high quality education [at a very low cost].”
However, Krugler has acknowledged the absence of a process called a “chain of command.” For those who are unfamiliar, he explains, a chain of command is a strong value in the Navy and other branches, which is “following particular procedural processes to make sure that you approach challenges in a regimented way.” Krugler has observed, “A lot of people wanna jump that chain of command and go straight to the board. I think [we need] a better refined process for following the appropriate channels and remediating those problems.” During his term, he seeks to encourage this process in the district in order to properly represent the Oak Hills community.
When questioned about what sets him apart from his running mates, Krugler emphasizes his twenty years of experience as an attorney. “A lot of my approach is based on conflict resolution… I think I bring a perspective that isn’t typical of most board members.”
Nik Hoobler-Scherff is a parent in the OHHS district, and a head coach at Club MMA where Krugler’s sons practice martial arts. He recalls, “I met Shane through my work at Club MMA… I’ve got to know him through the years from his boys training with us, and interacting with them. Hoobler-Scherff affirms, “Mr. Shane has always been a standup guy that puts in a lot of good work and is always respectful and polite.”
On a different note, Krugler is happy to talk about his personal life. He reveals that his family moved from Indiana to the West Side in 2005. He smiles as he recalls, “I heard about this whole East side, West side gig and didn’t believe it was true until I moved to this side of town. It was really hard to integrate to this side of town… but from 3 years of really being engaged with our schools, …I’ve found that over time, once they accept you, there’s more support here for me and my family than anywhere else I’ve lived in my entire life.”
You can visit Krugler’s campaign website with links to his background, qualifications, and information on the new levy.
