Bethalto School Board Race: Sharon Rothe Points to the Positive in Bethalto Schools

BETHALTO - Sharon Rothe is proud of the school district she has helped build.

Rothe, 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 joined the school board 40 years ago and hopes for another four years to continue her work in the district.

“I think we have an amazing school district for our children,” Rothe said. “I’m always here. I’ve always been here. I have never left. I have never left the school district in a lurch.”

After losing her first child in infancy, Rothe was widowed at 35 with four children in the school district. When her youngest daughter was in eighth grade, she opened a bridal shop in Alton Square Mall, then eventually opened another shop in Bethalto.

These days, Rothe still works as a seamstress in Bethalto. She logs about 65 hours every week and “love[s] every minute.”

She served as the president of the Mother’s Club at one of the elementary schools, then decided to run for the school board in 1985. Rothe originally planned to retire after 40 years, but she decided to run again because she wants the board to have “stability” with a few members who have background knowledge on how the district operates.

“I am very involved still,” she said. “Forty years later, I attend most events in all of the schools and try to stay involved with the parents and teachers and support staff. I get phone calls weekly, and I answer all of them and make sure that I stay involved. That’s just been the way I’ve done it for 40 years. I try to keep on track of what’s going on in the district and just have people’s trust.”

Looking forward, Rothe is concerned about the teacher shortage. But she is proud of how Bethalto has managed its finances despite having little industry, and she pointed out that the district is “right in the middle of the tax base for all the school districts around us.”

She is also pleased with the construction at Parkside Elementary School, which, when completed, will signify that all Bethalto schools are up to date and in compliance with the state. She loves Bethalto’s “absolutely amazing” special education program, and she believes the individual schools are doing great and building a stronger district together.

As the consolidated election on April 1, 2025, approaches, Rothe encourages people to avoid the “negative publicity” out there and to instead “work together and not work against each other.” She suggests attending board meetings and asking questions, and she urges the community to focus on the positive things happening within the schools.

“I’m available. I am visible. I love, love, love this community. I’ve always been there,” she added. “There is so much positivity going on. That high school is rocking it. Our junior high, if you talk to our kids, they love it. But you know how life is. We always have some that they’re just not happy. But I just think if they would just get involved, they would see all the absolutely amazing things that are happening.”

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

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