2023-12-13 07:30:00
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Longtime Bridgeport Exempted Village School Board member Jerry Moore will wind down 34 years of service at the end of this month, but he looks back fondly on the milestones the district has achieved.
BRIDGEPORT — Jerry Moore spent more than three decades serving the Bridgeport Exempted Village School District, and as he winds down his tenure he is looking back on the many milestones it has included.
He began with the board in 1989 and will conclude his term at the end of December. Both Bridgeport and service have deep meanings for Moore, who said it all began with a simple discussion.
“A board member from Bellaire by the name of Dan Frizzi and I had a conversation. I asked him why he was on the board and he said, ‘Because it’s serving my community.’ He told me that I ought to consider running for the board at Bridgeport,” Moore recalled. “I took his advice and ultimately ran and was elected. It is to Dan Frizzi that I owe a huge thank you.”
His family also holds significant ties to the school district, with his brother John being the first minority teacher hired in 1971 and his sister, LaDonna, being the second in 1975-76. His father, also named John, was a longtime bus driver and his family has been involved in the district for many generations. As for Moore himself, he is a 1970 Bridgeport High School graduate who went on to attend then-Belmont Technical College. He later worked in grocery sales for Keebler and spent another five years as a district sales manager, then he entered the pharmaceutical industry where he has spent the past 27 years. He has been married to his wife, Salina, for 50 years; they have a daughter, Rarica, and son, Jerry II.
Meanwhile, he has participated in other facets of service including the Belmont County NAACP, the Belmont County Democratic Party and Wayman A.M.E. Church in Wheeling.
Moore said he has seen growth and change at Bridgeport through boards past and present and hopes it will continue.
“One highlight was standing with former superintendent Mark Matz and former board member Jeff Grandstaff as we were before the Ohio Senate Committee asking for forgiveness for the million-dollar-plus state loan. Ultimately, the state forgave the district the money owed. The last was the “Save Our Sports” campaign program where Frank Roskovich, a grandfather of one of the students, went door-to-door to save our sports programs. Frank was able to collect donations in excess of $50,000 to keep our athletic programs going,” he said. “(The future is) going to be tough because there is a big push for ‘schools for profit,’ otherwise known as charter and private schools. I want to encourage all voters to ask candidates for their stance on supporting public schools.”
Despite the ups and downs, he has reveled in being a part of it all.
“I have enjoyed being involved with the kids. I have been ‘for the kids’ even before my 34 years as a board member,” Moore noted, saying his proudest moment was passing the school bond issue that created the current grade K-12 building.
He said Bridgeport can only evolve when everyone works together, and as he completes his time on the board he is thankful and optimistic.
“The best advice I was given before I was a board member was, ‘When you have to make a decision and you can go home and lay your head on your pillow and wake up feeling good, you know you have done the right thing,’” he concluded. “I have been a board member for six different superintendents during my time. All of them were different and had great ideas, and I’ve enjoyed my time working with them. We had good times and some not-so-good times, but ultimately we got the job done and moved this district forward.”
Moore is leaving the board after finishing third in a three-way race for two open seats on the board in the Nov. 7 general election. Kori Rosnick captured the most votes at 857, Ryan A. Kreiter came in second with 776 votes while Moore received 610.
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