This years school vote is in four parts. There will be a budget for next year, purchase of school buses, capitol reserves, and three positions on the school board. The vote itself will be happening Tuesday May 17, 2022 in the Board of Education room (room 129), which is across the hall from the B-Gym. Nearest doors are off Church Street. Same location as last year.
Quick election recommendations:
Yes to Candidates (Pick 3 of 5)
Yes to Buses
Yes to Capitol Reserve
No to Budget
Board of Education
Having talked to all the candidates at various points, both about school and other topics, I suspect any of them would be able to fulfill the role.
That being said, I think Jessica Kelly and Mariann Hughes are the best of the available options. That they are parents of students in the district mean they have clear ‘skin in the game’, and can be counted on to act in the children’s best interests. They also seem to have a bit higher then average amount of common sense. That they’re not incumbents also counts as a plus, at least to me. While they are far from perfect, I was sufficiently impressed with them.
The other three candidates are good, but I have a hard time picking one of them as being ‘better’ then the other two. They each have their advantages, and flaws, but nothing really stands out to me. Stephanie Templeton and David Francis have both served on the Board a number of years, and I don’t like voting for incumbents, but they have also done the job reasonably well. Joel Robinson brings new blood to the table, which is always good, but nothing else really stood out to me as to why he would be a significant bonus to this Board. If only I had a three sided coin to flip.
You are welcome to watch the ‘Meet the Candidate‘ portion of the meeting and form your own opinions.
Buses
As usual, buses are an easy choice. Avoids debt, regular replacement schedule, needed logistical tool for the current model. Until/unless something major changes how education is provided, this approach continues to seem reasonable.
Capitol Reserve
In essence, this is creating a savings account. It doesn’t fill it, that will occur as the BoE allocates funds in the future. Just as a savings account is prudent in personal life, as it creates a buffer and grants flexibility, a saving account is prudent for the school. Yes, this one is limited to being spent on ‘Capitol Projects’. But we can safely assume that category will have enough expenses over time to justify creating a savings account (or reserve) here.
Budget
I think my opinion on the budget is essentially the same as last year, just more so. The budget dollars don’t matter, although I’ve had conversations with a number of people who are unhappy with the increase (which seems like sign of other economic issues). What matters is how you think the District prioritize educating students, with the side issue of what they educate them in (because all education is religious education).
While I see cause for hope, considering the past year, I don’t think the District ranks education as high as I would like. They seem all too willing to allow other issues, that should be secondary (if not completely irrelevant) take over the educating of students. While it doesn’t appear to be as bad here as some other places in the nation, there sure is alot of smoke out there. I’d like to think the fire hasn’t spread this far, but I see too little evidence of that (and enough hints it has). Still, there is always hope.
Ironically, this is the first year in a good many where I did not notice any talk of ‘cuts’ during the budget process. Likely because of the increase in foundation aid, it felt like all requests were granted. Which makes for quiet the contrast to the above.
In any case, you (and I) have a week to ponder more before the actual election is upon us.
And as said at the top, polling location is the Board of Education room (room 129), which is across the hall from the B-Gym. Nearest doors are off Church Street. Election time is 6AM and 9PM.
(and a thank you to the district for producing this image reminder)