Board of Education candidate profile: Jan Reding

​     Education has been at the cornerstone of Jan Reding’s life, and the main focus of a life in service to the community.
     “Education has been an important part of my life. My father was in education, and I live by his words: ‘The more you learn, and the more you give, the better you’re going to be,” Reding said.
     Jan Reding is serving her twenty-third year on the Grain Valley school board. She has one son who is a 1990 graduate of Grain Valley High School and has three granddaughters. She received a BS in Business Administration from Central Missouri State University (now University of Central Missouri) and served as building manager of the Power & Light Building in Kansas City from 1961 until her retirement in 1998. She holds a master’s certification from the Missouri School Boards Association.
​     Reding serves on the Grain Valley Education Foundation Board, is a Director Emeritus of the University of Central Missouri Foundation Board, and serves on numerous community and nonprofit boards, including the Grain Valley Assistance Council, United Methodist Women of Faith UMC, Grain Valley Historical Society, and is treasurer of FOCUS of Grain Valley, treasurer of the Oakland Cemetery Association, and secretary of the board of the William Chrisman Class of 1953. She also creates a quarterly newsletter to help keep her classmates in touch.
     As Reding looks to serve another term, two focus areas are top in her mind. First, Reding said, is the challenge of wisely growing and maintaining the district’s facilities to accommodate the more than 4,400 students attending K-12.
     “We continue to be such a growing community. We need to put our resources to work in the best way we possibly can,” Reding said. Reding is also focused on equipping teachers with the resources and support needed in their roles.
     “We have an excellent teaching staff, and our focus should be on attracting and retaining quality people with the resources they need to be successful.”
     As for the board’s role in supporting these focus areas, Reding says their role is clear.
     “It is our role to not bring an agenda to the table, to represent every student, and be willing to participate in active discussions in all areas. We must also work to make sure the public understands the reasoning behind the decisions we make and to be responsible and trustworthy. Our main role is to ensure we are effectively educating every student, every day, and that we are making decisions that are good for all kids.

Grain Valley School Board incumbent Jan Reding is running for re-election. Photo credit: Grain Valley Schools