{"id":12611,"date":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/joe-kellner\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T19:07:52","slug":"joe-kellner","status":"publish","type":"candidate","link":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/candidates\/joe-kellner\/","title":{"rendered":"Joe Kellner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Previous Offices Held<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Elected to RSU 14 School Board in November of 2023; no other campaigns or elected offices held.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Top Three Priorities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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My top priority is student success, which I define as ensuring our schools are safe, welcoming, supportive and appropriately resourced so every student can reach their potential and be prepared for whatever comes after graduation. My second priority is continued financial responsibility and transparency with our community. Third, I will continue learning, asking difficult questions, and advocating for the best possible education for every student.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Why are you running?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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I\u2019m running for reelection because I believe deeply in our public schools and want to continue contributing to their success. I bring experience in finance, leadership, policy, and governance, including the perspective of both serving on boards and reporting to one. With a new school opening, expanded pre-K, and continued focus on student achievement, this is an exciting time for RSU 14, and I want to help build on that momentum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What is the biggest challenge facing your area\u2019s schools? The biggest opportunity?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Our biggest challenge is managing substantially rising costs while providing an excellent education and being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. Our biggest opportunity is academic achievement. Expanded Pre-K and programs such as BARR and academic coaching are producing measurable results. Our building transitions create opportunities to expand what is working, strengthen alternative learning pathways, and broaden educational opportunities for our students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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A top issue for many parents is the age of Maine\u2019s school infrastructure. How would you address this issue locally from your position on the school board?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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We are fortunate to have well maintained schools and will open a new middle school next fall, largely funded through Maine\u2019s school construction program. Consolidating two aging middle schools will reduce operating costs and put us in an unusually strong facilities position. Our priority must be protecting these investments through long-term planning and proactive maintenance, extending the life of our schools and avoiding costly deferred maintenance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Do you think the state government is too involved in local schooling? Not involved enough? The right amount of involved? Explain your answer.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In my time on the board, I have not found state government to be overly involved in local schooling. There are natural tensions around issues such as standardized testing, funding formulas, and state requirements. Overall, though, Maine communities retain substantial local control and the ability to shape an educational experience that reflects local needs and priorities, while adhering to the state and federal laws and rules governing public education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"voter_guide_candidate_first_name":"Joseph","voter_guide_candidate_middle_name":"Clark","voter_guide_candidate_last_name":"Kellner","voter_guide_candidate_suffix":"","voter_guide_candidate_race_id":12584,"voter_guide_candidate_age":41,"voter_guide_candidate_hometown":"","voter_guide_candidate_occupation":"CEO - LifeFlight of Maine","voter_guide_candidate_bio":"I live in Windham with my wife and two sons. I have served on the RSU 14 board for three years and currently chair its Finance Committee.","voter_guide_candidate_education":"Bachelor's (2008) and master's (2012) from UMaine Orono","voter_guide_candidate_years_in_municipality":"","voter_guide_candidate_headshot_url":"","voter_guide_candidate_date_filed":"","footnotes":""},"vg_party":[1186],"vg_residence_municipality":[],"class_list":["post-12611","candidate","type-candidate","status-publish","hentry","vg_party-non-partisan"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/candidate"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12612,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/candidates\/12611\/revisions\/12612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"vg_party","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_party?post=12611"},{"taxonomy":"vg_residence_municipality","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stage.pressherald.com\/voter-guide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vg_residence_municipality?post=12611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}