MADISON, Wis. -- For school board candidate Rick Thomas, it's all about community service.

Thomas volunteers up to 20 hours a week doing everything from helping in classrooms to working in the local food pantry. As a member of the Optimists, Thomas also mentors the service club at James Madison Memorial High School, WISC-TV reported.

He said that he'd like to see community service required for all students as a way to connect to the community and learn the value of giving.

"I want to see the schools get better for all of our kids," said Thomas. "I just don't feel we're headed in the right direction."

Thomas said that he wants a chance to change that direction by serving on the school board.

"By not being an insider, I can do that much better than people that are connected to the current administration or to the other groups that are involved with the schools," said Thomas.

Thomas is married and a father to a third-grader at Orchard Ridge Elementary School. He graduated as valedictorian from his high school class in Wausau.

He said that he even in high school, he was tuned in to local policy-making. He ran for mayor when he was 18 years old, trying to shake up a system that he believed was somewhat a "good old boys club," WISC-TV reported.

"If you want to change something, do something about it yourself," said Thomas. "So I ran for mayor and my mom wasn't very happy about it at the time, but I learned a lot."

Since then, Thomas graduated from the University of Wisconsin and became a teacher. He's also been a vocational trainer for the disabled, a small-business owner, Realtor and business consultant, WISC-TV reported.

He said his variety of experience is what the school board needs right now.

"We need to hold the district responsible for the results we're having," said Thomas. "Twenty-three percent of the kids in our schools can't read at grade level. We're in the bottom 30 percent statewide in almost every academic area. That just isn't acceptable to me."

Moss Seeks School Board Seat

Challenger Beth Moss also comes from and education background.

A native of Tennessee, Moss and her husband looked around the world before choosing to move to Madison five years ago. Moss said she chose Madison specifically because of its public schools.

"There's a general level of acceptance of people who are different here," said Moss. "We felt they had an education system that would be good for both of our children."

Moss is married with two teenage children. Her 14-year-old son has autism. Since he was born, Moss has become a teacher, mentor and advocate for autistic kids and their families, WISC-TV reported.

Since moving to Wisconsin, she wasted no time in getting involved in her children's schools as a volunteer and more recently, the co-chairman of CAST, the parent and community group that helped pass the last Madison school referendum.

She said that she's excited at the prospect of being in the schools.

"I want to be the board member who goes to school and people say, 'Oh yeah, she was here two weeks ago. We told her about that,'" said Moss. "So when I'm sitting at a board meeting and we're talking about policy, there can be some real life connections there with what's going on."

Moss said the board is lacking that human connection right now.

"I would like to go out and talk to people," said Moss. "I would like us to have board meetings in different parts of the city because it is difficult for a lot of people to get down to the Doyle building."

Moss said she would like to see the school board have meetings in different school gyms across the district. She feels the atmosphere would be more inviting to the public and less intimidating away from the large auditorium stage at the Doyle building.

"The atmosphere is completely different because everyone is sitting in the bleachers and the board members are sitting around tables," Moss said. "It feels more accessible."

Moss and Thomas are vying for the seat being vacated by long-time board member Shwaw Vang.