MARTINSBURG — James Humen is running for Berkeley County School Board.
Mr. Humen moved to the Eastern Panhandle in 1990, when he attended Shepherd University and earned a degree in business administration. In 1999 he got a job at his Quad Graphics, where he has worked for the past 25 years and also met his wife. He is currently the Director of Technology and has four sons, all of whom attend Berkeley County Schools.
Humen decided to run for the school board after being approached by the local Democratic Party. Humen said she was asked to consider running for something, and after weighing her options, she decided school board was the best fit for her.
Many of his family members were teachers, including his father, mother, aunt, and grandfather. He also works with children through the Boy Scouts, helping young people learn about the outdoors and the world around them.
“I've been working with kids for a long time,” Humen said. “I've been in Scouts for 17 years.'' Parents have asked me if it's crazy for their kids to hold a piece of wood while hammering nails, but I've had fun doing it.'' I am, and I have not been hit yet.”
With his experience in education and Boy Scouts, Humen hopes to make a positive impact in the school system. One of the main issues Humen wants to address is finding better ways to address problem behavior in schools. He has heard of several issues where students were not receiving punishments that reflected their actions. Humen hopes to solve some of these problems by giving principals the power to consider each situation appropriately.
He also believes that censorship in schools is causing a big problem and that banning books should stop. He believes students should be allowed to read whatever they want and that schools should not prevent them from doing so.
Humen believes that students have the right to a well-rounded education that prepares them for the future. One of its major parts is cursive. There is a generation that has not received proper training in reading and writing in cursive, which is hindering their ability. Humen would like to add cursive to the current curriculum to help students function as adults in the future.
If elected, Humen hopes to use his business degree to help the board build more schools to accommodate population growth. With the county growing rapidly, Humen believes it's important to keep everything organized.
For more information about Humen and his campaign, visit his Facebook page.
