BETHALTO - Dallas Zimmerman wants to see changes in Bethalto.
Zimmerman, one of nine candidates running for a seat on the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 Board of Education, shared more about who he is and what he stands for. He noted that he wants to see more transparency and efficiency from the school board, and he believes he is the right person for the job.
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“I’m focused on the leadership, the transparency, and my background in being efficient,” he said. “Personally, I believe there’s just too much familiarity amongst the school board and that whole group to where they’re kind of a band of brothers.”
Zimmerman grew up in Fosterburg, then moved to Bethalto and transferred to Civic Memorial High School. After graduating, he joined the military for nine years and then lived in Florida and Wisconsin for another ten before eventually moving back to the Bethalto area.
Back in Bethalto, Zimmerman owned a consulting business and then joined Worldwide Technology in 2016. His children attended Bethalto schools.
He explained that he and his daughter recently trained to become “Constitution coaches,” so they can educate students about the Constitution. He said he reached out to the school district about coming into the schools for Constitution Day, but was denied. This is one reason why he decided to run for the school board seat.
“I’m the type of person, just give me some feedback, good, bad, or indifferent, but don’t ignore me and blow me off,” he said. “Really, it’s because of the most recent events, the things that I described with my interactions with the school board, school system, that all happened over the summer and during that first semester of the school year. Plus, not only that, I’ve become more active in the community as well as more on a state level, and those three things were my driving factor, my driving motivation to consider it.”
Zimmerman also voiced concerns about how school board meetings are conducted. He noted that he wants to see more frequent performance reviews for the district’s superintendent.
“From attending the school board meetings here, it just seems very robotic and predetermined,” he explained. “Everybody knows how they’re going to vote. There’s really no discussion. There’s usually a presentation. It's just very robotic and there's no real discussion. We know the decisions, what’s going to happen, and that’s it, and it’s very brief.”
Zimmerman is interested in volunteering and giving back to the community. He said he is involved with his local representatives and the County Board, and he wants to advocate for the school district on a county and state level.
He characterized himself as a “very transparent” and “very direct” person, and he believes he would be an asset to the board. He hopes people will consider voting for him in the consolidated election on April 1, 2025.
“I have a diverse background as far as different roles in large organizations and small organizations as well as global operations,” he added. “I’m thankful for the opportunity and the ability to run for this. I really believe and really feel strongly about having a positive influence on the school district.”
This is the second in a series of nine articles about the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 Board of Education candidates.
