New Greencastle School Board member ready to serve

With a mix of education and service in the Indiana Army National Guard, Jimmy Beasley Jr. knows what it means to be a servant leader.

He looks forward to bringing that understanding to the Greencastle School Board, having been selected last week to replace Mike White and represent Greencastle Township. 

The school board selected Beasley over a field that included Carrier Ball, Scott Bieniek, John Mark Day, James Sprinkle, Anthony Tillman and Kevin Verhoff. Beasley will serve until June 30, 2027 and joins fellow newcomer Kathryn Dory. 

Beasley said he feels "truly blessed" to have been selected and is ready to give back to a district where he once taught English at Greencastle Middle School and served as junior varsity basketball coach, as well as an assistant basketball and football coach at the high school.

"Greencastle has changed in so many ways, for the better, since I taught here. I look forward to continuing those efforts and start concentrating on some other changes within the district," Beasley told The Putnam County Post.

In addition to his time at Greencastle schools, Beasley has served as an athletic director and assistant lead educator at Patriot Academy, was an assistant middle school principal at White River Valley, was promoted to Director of Learning at White River Valley and serves in the Indiana Army National Guard. 

He admits all those roles have helped prepare him for school board.

"I think having served in those roles provides me with unique insight into what our current teachers, coaches and administrators go through on a daily basis and where support from the school board may better help them be successful in the classroom," Beasley said. 

He said, ultimately, he wants kids inside the Greencastle district to graduate from Greencastle High School and be prepared to be productive members of society in whatever they choose. 

"Greencastle School Corporation is supported by a great community, with incredible facilities and educators. Everyone can see the physical changes being made at GCSC, as the upgraded facilities come to an end of their construction, and these things have been wonderful to bring our classrooms up to date and create modern learning spaces for students," he said. 

However, Beasley said there is more to do. 

"I want to be a part of the changes that support our teachers receiving the necessary resources to be able to reach every student and feel appreciated for their efforts. I want to be able to help our administrators concentrate on curriculum design and recruiting, retaining and training the best teachers out there. I want to be able to make our halls safer by looking into school resource officers permanently in the district. These are all part of the plans being talked about with the District Strategic Plan, and I want to be a part of that. And that is why I threw my hat in the ring for consideration for this school board position," Beasley said. 

When it comes to goals, Beasley said he has a few, starting with getting a full time school resource officer. 

"We have been fortunate enough that the city provides a roving cop, but I would like to see us invest in one full time," he said. 

In addition, he wants to see a focus on the elementary schools and upgrading the facilities there, as well.

"I would love to get feedback from teachers, administrators, counselors and other stakeholders on what the biggest areas of concern are from their perspective and really hone in on how we can tackle them and get them the support they need so they can focus fully on their job. I want the best teachers, counselors and administrators to want to come to GCSC," Beasley said.