Thank You, Ted Kastor

After eight years serving the students and families of Perkins Local School, Board of Education member Ted Kastor attended his last official meeting on Wednesday.

“Now is the time to make a transition,” Mr. Kastor said at the conclusion of the meeting last night. “Let others with youth and energy take over, as my wife (Denise) and I enjoy our golden years together with family and friends.”

At the end of December, his current term expires. His seat will be taken by Perkins School District resident Alison Judy, who is a mother of three students, one at Perkins High School and two at Briar Middle School. She will be sworn into office in January.

Mr. Kastor was appointed to the Board in 2017, and elected in 2019 and 2021. Mutual respect among the five Board members enabled the body to function in a productive manner, he said.

“All decisions were based on the best interest of our students,’ Mr. Kastor said. 

During his tenure, there were many accomplishments to celebrate and a few challenges to overcome, he said. The pandemic, he noted, was the most challenging time.

After going fully remote in the spring of 2020, Perkins Schools broke from other schools in the area and reopened for in-person classes in the fall of 2020. 

“Parents were looking at us to decide if we would have in-person classes or remote,” Mr. Kastor said. “We let the parents decide if they wanted to send their students or not. We felt strongly that we had to give parents that option.”

Mr. Kastor noted among the celebrations were the Academy Experience mentorship program at Perkins High School and the success of the athletic teams.

“I received much satisfaction over the past years as our athletic teams became extremely competitive due to an emphasis on organized strength and conditioning,” Mr. Kastor said. “Dedicated coaches, along with the hard work of our student athletes, have led to great success.”

Mr. Kastor retired from Janotta & Herner, Design-Build Contractors and founded Kastor Construction LLC, a construction consulting firm in 2021. In addition to sitting on the Perkins School Board, 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 1971 Perkins High School graduate, have two children and three grandchildren residing in Columbus.