Cedar Springs School Board Candidates Share Priorities Ahead of Election

Voters in the Cedar Springs Public Schools district will decide four full-term Board of Education seats and one partial-term seat in this year’s election.

Candidates seeking full four-year terms include incumbents Mistie Bowser and April Patin, along with Rick Bell, AnneMarie Slater, Heidi Armock, Jenna Hess and Alix Hudson. Incumbent Brent Willett is seeking a partial term ending in 2028.

The Bugle sent questionnaires to candidates asking about their backgrounds, reasons for running and priorities for the district. Responses were received from Bell, Slater, Armock, Hess, Hudson and Willett. Responses were not received from Bowser or Patin by original press time back in August, however The Bugle recently published their responses.

Common themes among responding candidates included the district’s superintendent transition, declining enrollment, staff retention, literacy, school libraries, career and technical education, technology use, student needs and communication between district leaders, staff and the community.

Richard Bell

Richard Bell is seeking a four-year term. He has served four years on active duty in the U.S. Army, three years in the Michigan National Guard and 23 years in law enforcement. He currently works for a building contractor.

Bell said he was encouraged to run by staff and community members and sees the role as another way to serve. He said he wants to help students continue to succeed.

Bell identified several issues facing the district, including the selection of a new superintendent, upcoming employee contract renewals, high absenteeism and the sinking fund bond renewal.

If elected, Bell said his priorities would include student and staff safety, adequate staffing, maintaining district buildings and grounds, addressing absenteeism, increasing enrollment and in-person learning, and supporting administrators, staff and students.

Bell said his experience working within budgets and grant parameters, along with decision-making under pressure, would be an asset to the board.

“I am a parent of two district students, the husband of a teacher, and a community member who wants the best for all our children,” Bell said. “These are our children. We need to do this together.”

Heidi Armock

Heidi Armock is running for a four-year term. A Cedar Springs native and Cedar Springs High School graduate, Armock has worked in public education for more than 20 years. She has taught elementary and middle school students and currently works as a certified school librarian in a neighboring district.

Armock earned a bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and a master’s degree in education from Grand Valley State University, with an emphasis in school library/media. She also serves as a Girl Scout leader, in church leadership and on a public library board. Her two children attend Cedar Springs Public Schools.

Armock said she is running because she believes in the value of traditional public schools and wants to support teachers, students and staff.

“In an era of apparent divisiveness, I see so much community in our public schools,” Armock said.

She identified declining enrollment, teacher and staff retention, technology use and behavioral concerns among young learners as top issues.

If elected, Armock said her priorities would include developing policies for wise use of educational technology, restoring school library services, attracting and retaining talented staff and maintaining fiscal responsibility.

Armock said her professional experience gives her an understanding of both classroom challenges and school finance.

“My goal is to be a steward of a great public school,” Armock said.

Jenna Hess

Jenna Hess is seeking a four-year Board of Education term. She grew up in Grand Rapids and earned a degree in special education from Calvin University. She began her career teaching special education in Denver, Colorado, and later earned a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Northern Colorado University.

Hess currently works at Grand Rapids Community College supporting students with disabilities and previously worked at the Community College of Denver. Her three daughters attend Cedar Springs Public Schools.

Hess said she is running because she believes in education and wants to use her experience to serve the community.

“Being on the school board would allow me to leverage these skills and passions in order to give back to a community I call home,” Hess said.

Hess identified technology, education policy trends, population changes in Cedar Springs and the transition to a new superintendent as major issues facing the district.

If elected, she said her priorities would include supporting teachers and schools, using policy and data to guide decisions, ensuring strong educational opportunities for students with a wide range of needs and supporting the incoming superintendent in developing a new strategic plan.

Hess said her daily work with students gives her perspective on how school experiences shape futures.

“I am genuinely interested in serving this community,” Hess said.

Alix Hudson

Alix Hudson is seeking a full-term school board seat. Hudson has 13 years of teaching experience in public schools in New Mexico and Michigan, including work in Grand Rapids Public Schools as a dual language early childhood special education teacher.

Hudson holds master’s degrees in bilingual education and early childhood education. She currently teaches an education course for Grand Valley State University, operates a licensed drop-in daycare and is a stay-at-home parent.

Hudson said she is running to better understand and contribute to the broader work of a school district.

“As a classroom teacher, I am so familiar with the micro,” Hudson said. “I would love an opportunity to learn about the macro.”

Hudson said she would like to see vibrant school libraries restored and believes the district should reevaluate the use of technology in classrooms.

If elected, Hudson said her priorities would include supporting teachers’ professional judgment, avoiding over-reliance on scripted curriculum, continuing to grow outdoor and agricultural education opportunities, protecting play in early childhood education and supporting inclusion.

Hudson said her experience as a teacher, doula, childcare provider, special educator and bilingual community member informs her belief that public schools should serve every child.

AnneMarie Slater

AnneMarie Slater is seeking a full four-year term. She is the parent of two Cedar Springs students and one future Red Hawk. Slater is a Licensed Professional Counselor with specialized training in child development and the mental health of children and adolescents. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Central Michigan University.

Slater said she is running because she believes strongly in public schools and wants Cedar Springs schools to be both academically strong and well balanced for students.

She listed new district leadership, declining enrollment and teacher and staff retention among the top issues facing the district.

If elected, Slater said she would prioritize a smooth transition with the new superintendent and board members, clear communication among district leaders and the community, restoring fully functioning libraries in every school with qualified librarians, protecting vocational programs including agricultural classes, and helping Cedar Springs attract and retain students and staff.

Slater said her background in mental health would bring skills in communication, mediation and problem-solving to the board.

“As a CSPS parent, I see firsthand how big decisions trickle down to impact small people,” Slater said. “I will work hard to ensure that impact is positive.”

Brent Willett

Brent Willett is seeking the partial-term trustee seat, which ends in 2028. Willett has lived in Cedar Springs since 2001 and is a Cedar Springs High School graduate. He earned a master’s degree in agricultural education, taught for six years at Cedar Springs High School and now teaches agriscience at Kent Career Tech Center. His three children attend Cedar Springs Public Schools.

Willett said he is running to help build a stronger voice and better connection among students, staff and the community.

Willett said Cedar Springs does many things well, but he sees room for improvement in literacy and in expanding career and technical education programming within the district. He also said the district should better market its strengths to help increase enrollment.

If elected, Willett said his main priority would be building trust.

“Our teachers and students have already built that, but establishing trust between teachers and the district office is a main priority,” Willett said.

He said focusing more on the process of education can lead to better results and data. Willett also said literacy should be a focus, but cautioned against over-managing classrooms.

“Give them the simple tools needed to accomplish the task,” Willett said.

Willett said he would bring perspective and common sense to the board, along with an educator’s understanding of how decisions made without communication can affect others.

“I will always put students and staff first and am willing to have hard conversations that aren’t always fun, but are always necessary,” Willett said. You can find Willett on his Brent Willett - CSPS Board of Education Facebook page.

The election will determine who helps guide Cedar Springs Public Schools through a period of leadership transition, budget decisions and planning for the district’s future.

For Armock, Hudson, and Slater, you can find their official shared School Board Facebook page here.

You can find Brent Willett's official School Board Facebook page here. Jenna Hess's official School Board Facebook page can be found here.

This article was originally published in The Bugle print - Volume 42, Issue #8 August, 2026.