"My wife and I are also empty-nesters and a
majority of the district residents do not
have children in school, and as a taxpayer I
think it's important that every tax dollar
is well-managed and wisely spent," he said.
"It is also important that someone on the
board can read detailed accounting
footnotes."
Wilson is an attorney and an associate law
professor at Ohio State University. He has
lived in Worthington for more than 21 years.
His wife is Melonie Buller, and his sons are
Richard Wilson and Geoffrey Buller, both
graduates of Worthington Kilbourne High
School. Richard, 23, graduated from Amherst
College in Massachusetts and is employed as
a third-grade teacher. Geoffrey, 20, is a
junior at Yale University.
Wilson's law degree is from New York
University of Law; his bachelor's degree in
business administration is from the
University of Kansas.
"I came from a family who was not very
well-educated, but they stressed reading and
education as I was growing up," he said. "I
have a very deep passion for education.
Public education is the foundation of our
democracy, and with universal suffrage,
where all adult citizens are allowed to
vote, we need a well-informed citizenry.
"Public education is what makes the United
States extraordinary compared to other
countries in the world," he said. "I feel a
commitment and obligation to do everything I
can to maintain our school district's
excellence and to make it a truly exemplary
district."
Wilson said he has enjoyed his stint as a
board member.
"The greatest thing has been going to the
schools and seeing what the kids are doing,"
he said. "I spent many years coaching kids
and volunteering in the schools, so I've
really enjoyed visiting the schools. We are
doing some exciting and innovative things in
this district.
"We have a superintendent who wants to
transform our schools into schools which are
cutting-edge in the 21st century," he said.
"As board members, we need to support our
teachers as they come up with innovative
ways to teach our children. We can't be tied
into the old 20th-century ways of educating
kids."
Wilson said the district has some challenges
ahead.
"Our biggest challenge is making sure we
maximize the potential for every kid in the
district, when our resources are limited,"
he said. "We want a school system with
programs geared to all of our kids. It
cannot be one size fits all. We have 9,500
very unique students and have to provide
them with many different kinds of options,
but we have to make sure those options are
cost-effective."
