Board of Education

The Board of Education is five-member panel elected to four-year terms by the voters in the Perkins Local School District. The Board of Education meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. The Board meets in the Administrative Service Center, Room 301, on the south end of Perkins High School.

The Board of Education sets educational goals and establishes policy for the school system based upon state laws and community values. The Board has the responsibility of employing a superintendent and treasurer, and hold them responsible for managing the schools in accordance with the school board’s policies.

Board members make decisions on a wide range of issues, such as hiring and evaluating a superintendent and treasurer; setting district policy; planning student services; goal-setting and long-range planning; adopting curriculum; establishing budgets; engaging parents; being good fiscal stewards; acting in the best interest of the school district and within the scope of their legal authority; and creating community relations programs. Decisions are only made by the board as a whole during a public meeting.

School board members serve as a vital link between families and the district's administration. The board is a policymaking body and members are the chief advisers to the superintendent on community attitudes. Board members do not manage the day-to-day operations of a school district; they see to it that the system is managed well by professionals.

(From the Ohio School Board Association)

Public Participation During Meetings

In order for the Board to fulfill its obligation to complete the planned agenda in an effective and efficient fashion, a maximum of 30 minutes of public participation may be permitted at each meeting. Business of the Board is discussed and decisions are made at public meetings of the Board, except such matters required to be discussed in private executive sessions.

Each person addressing the Board shall give his/her name and address. If several people wish to speak, each person is allotted three minutes until the total time of 30 minutes is used. During that period, no person may speak twice until all who desire to speak have had the opportunity to do so.

Persons desiring more time should follow the procedure of the Board to be placed on the regular agenda.

The period of public participation may be extended by the Board President. Please sign the list with the Treasurer before you leave.

Email The Board of Education (messages will be sent to all five Board members)

Board Members

Eric Lapata

Title: President

Eric Lapata is the newest member of the Perkins Local School District Board of Education. He was appointed to the board to fill a vacant seat in May 2020. He was re-elected in 2021.
Mr. Lapata, who attended Perkins Schools as a youth, is a 2004 graduate of Perkins High School and is co-lead pastor at The Chapel in Perkins Township.“It’s a huge humbling honor to come back and serve the schools that made such a difference in my life,” Mr. Lapata said.
He also is a graduate of Cedarville University near Xenia, Ohio, and holds a master's degree from Grand Rapids Theological University in Michigan. Mr. Lapata is married to Paula Lapata, and they have four children in Perkins Schools: Hudson, a 5th grader at Meadowlawn, Micah, a 3rd grader at Meadowlawn, Eden, a 1st grader at Furry, and Remi, a kindergartner at Furry.

Ted Kastor

Title: Vice President

Mr. Kastor retired from Janotta & Herner, Design-Build Contractors and founded Kastor Construction LLC, a construction consulting firm in 2021. He was appointed to the Perkins Board of Education in 2017. He was then elected in 2019 and re-elected in November 2021.
Mr. Kastor also serves as a board member for Firelands Health, Erie County Economic Development Corporation, Perkins Township Board of Zoning Appeals, Family Initiatives of Huron County, Firelands Forward and Plum Brook Country Club. Mr. Kastor and his wife Denise, a Perkins graduate, have two children and three grandchildren residing in Columbus.

Jason Dulaney

Title: Member

Jason Dulaney was a regular at Perkins Board of Education meetings long before he was first elected to the board in November 2015 – and re-elected to the Board in November 2023.
“I felt strongly that stakeholders were not being heard,” Mr. Dulaney said. “I believed that I could represent those people in our community that had important feedback.”
From 2010 until the district’s operating levy passed in May 2017, Mr. Dulaney actively participated in the campaigns, including knocking on doors and talking face-to-face with voters to build support for the schools.
He’s been at Parent-Teacher Organization meetings and has helped coach athletic teams in the district.
Mr. Dulaney and his wife, Caroline, have two children, Wyatt is a 2022 graduate of Perkins High School and Keegan is an 11th-grader at PHS.
“The greatest gift we can give in this lifetime is to make a memory with a child,” Mr. Dulaney said. “I’m proud to serve our Perkins community.”
He is an operator at the city of Lorain water purification plant. He graduated from Waynesburg Central High School in Waynesburg, Pa. Mr. Dulaney attended West Virginia University before transferring to California University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Scott Hart

Title: Member

As an engineer, Scott Hart focuses on processes and practices that can be implemented to ensure the company has successful products. He brings the same methodical approach to the Perkins Local School District Board of Education.
“I want to ensure that our students can develop to their full potential,” said Mr. Hart, who was appointed to the school board in January 2018 and re-elected in November 2023.
He is a senior engineer at Tenneco Research and Development in Milan, and leads project development from generating tooling, part creation, validation testing, and production product launch.
“I do my part as a school board member to gather as much information as possible to ensure that the processes developed to aid our students in academics and athletics can be sustained to ensure future success and growth,” Mr. Hart said.
He and his wife, Candice, have a son, Whitten, who is in 6th grade at Meadowlawn Intermediate School, and a daughter, Ireland, who is in the 9th grade at Briar Middle School. The Harts’ children are active in sports, and he is involved as a coach with their athletic endeavors.
“My children are the one thing that inspired me to become a board member,” Mr. Hart said. “I wanted to be involved in the process to ensure that Perkins Schools remains a sought-after educational institution for my children’s future.”
Mr. Hart, a Sandusky native, is a graduate of Sandusky High School and has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Toledo.

Dr. Bradley Mitchel

Title: Member

Bradley Mitchel has a front-row seat to see the success of Perkins Local School District students. As a board member – and parent – he gets to witness Perkins youth grow from preschool age all the way to graduation – and beyond.
“I love hearing about the accomplishments of our students,” Dr. Mitchel said. “I love witnessing the enthusiasm and dedication of the teachers, staff and administration overcoming obstacles.”
Dr. Mitchel has been a member of the Perkins Local School District Board of Education since July 2011. He was re-elected to the board in November 2023.
He and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters, Emily, who graduated from Perkins High School in 2023, and Natalie, who is a 10th-grader at PHS.
Dr. Mitchel is an anesthesiologist at Premier Anesthesia of Sandusky, and practices at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky and Magruder Hospital in Port Clinton. He also serves on the board of directors for Firelands Regional Medical Center.
He received his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine in 2001 and his bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University College of Pharmacy in 1997. He is a native of Bucyrus and graduated from Bucyrus High School in 1992.