Bethalto School Board Race: Amanda Winn Brings Fresh Perspective

BETHALTO - Amanda Winn wants to bring a new voice to the Bethalto school district.

Winn, one of nine candidates running for a seat on the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 Board of Education, shared more about who she is and what she stands for. She believes there needs to be more transparency and structure to the school board, and she hopes to provide a fresh perspective while advocating for the students.

“I’m passionate about this district,” she said. “I love the kids in our community, talking to them and interacting with them. I’ve got four kids of my own that went into this district. It’s a wonderful district. I think I can bring some new ideas and perspectives to the board and get us out of the ‘this is how we’ve always done it.’”

Winn graduated from Civic Memorial High School in 1999. Two of her children are currently enrolled at CM. She shared that she volunteers throughout Bethalto “as much as [she] can,” organizing community cleanups and food drives.

Winn is concerned about the district’s finances. This was a major reason why she decided to run for the school board. She wants to see more transparency, and she believes her work experience can help the district accomplish this.

“I’m an office manager of a multimillion-dollar union commercial construction company, so I understand the importance of budgets, checks and balances, negotiations, bidding, management and unions,” she said. “I’m very concerned about the finances in our district. I know our people have spoken up about the amount of tax dollars that they’re paying. I felt like the school district did a lot of things behind closed doors and didn’t involve all the stakeholders, especially the taxpayers. I feel like they were kind of left out of the conversation. So I’m running because I feel that they need a voice.”

Winn added that student behavior and bullying is “a big issue.” She is also interested in advocating for the district on a state level. She believes in having “strong local voices in our community” to push for what the district needs.

She wants to see the school board create committees and meet more often than once a month. She said she has been asking “for years” for the board to record their meetings, and she would advocate for this as a school board member. She emphasized the importance of transparency in the district and the board.

Looking ahead, Winn is excited for the consolidated election on April 1, 2025, and she encourages people to consider voting for her. She noted that she comes from a “very patriotic” family, and she thanked her husband, kids and fellow community members for their support.

“We have some amazing people running for school board, and I’m really excited,” she added. “I have never seen an election like this where people are standing up, ready for change, ready to make a difference and to get our school district back in a positive light.”

This is the sixth in a series of nine articles about the Bethalto Community Unit School District #8 Board of Education candidates.

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