As with most years, this years school vote is in three parts. There will be a budget for next year, purchase of school buses, and three positions on the school board. The vote itself will be happening Tuesday May 15, 2018 in the High School Lobby.
Quick election recommendations:
Yes to Candidates (Pick 3 of 4)
Yes to Buses
No to Budget
There are four candidates for the three School Board seats, so one of them won’t be joining the group. Three of them are incumbents (Joseph Alati, Carol Bellavia, and Michael Shannon), while David Ghidiu is running for his first term. From how well I know all four of these people, and what I have heard about them, I have every reason to believe they can all do the job that is being asked of them. Which means I can say it mostly doesn’t matter who gets elected, which is a nice thing to be able to say (especially in comparison to some other elections). Having said that, I am glad to see there is competition for the seats. Doesn’t happen every year, good to see it this year.
You should do your own research on who to pick, and how to pick them. I generally look for ‘red flags’ and weigh various categories in making my decisions. For example: As I think incumbency is one of the flaws of our electoral system, I will most likely vote for David Ghidiu for the simple reason that he isn’t an incumbent. I will also likely vote for Michael Shannon, as having known him and his family for a number of years, I know we agree on some of the foundational issues. As I believe public unions (ie teacher unions) create a conflict of interest scenario, I will likely not vote for Joseph Alati. Which, by process of elimination, means I will also likely vote for Carol Bellavia. Of course, there is still time for pondering, and as said above, I think all of the available candidates are ‘good enough’.
School bus purchase is pretty straightforward. The verbiage of the proposal mentions taking out debt, but that wording is a legal requirement. If I thought debt would actually be needed, I would be against the proposal. But the school has a history or paying for buses directly (ie with cash). As they are a needed tool, this is part of a regular replacement schedule, and it won’t be paid for with debt, I approve of this and will be voting in favor.
As with last year, the budget is where things get complicated. I stand by what I said on this topic last year. Namely, that for practical reasons, this is the best budget we can have for next year. While at the same time, it doesn’t do ‘enough’.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t address the underlying structural issues. Manages to make it through another year, which is commendable. As that is the focus of the budget process, mission accomplished. But there are ongoing trends that need to be addressed (impact of tax cap, enrollment changes, increasing expenses, etc). Every once in a while I hear noises around these issues, but nothing seems to get done. Meanwhile, the percent of the population being home schooled appears to be gradually increasing.
At the risk of mangling an analogy: The boat is sinking, and planes exist. If we don’t want the rest of the world to switch to flight, we have to do something. Rocking the boat may sink it, or it may get the water out. It’s going down as is, might be worth the risk. Or maybe we should encourage the movement to planes.
Bottom line of all that is I have to recommend a ‘No’ vote on the budget. Not particularly happy about it, but that is how I will be voting. At for least this year, there is always hope for next year.