Candidate for
Board Member; Southwest Local School District

Dealing With the Budget Crisis

The district's money troubles did not come on overnight, and they won't be solved overnight either. Even though the state legislature's actions are important, we can't wait for help from Columbus, and trying to influence the state budget has to take place alongside an examination of our own expenditures. We need a mix of short-term and long-term actions that will help the district save money as well as make operations more efficient. And there are a number of areas where the district can spend money better. Having looked at key parts of Southwest's line-item budget, I have many ideas about where we can find these savings, especially when it comes to energy usage and transportation.

While streamlining our operations, we have to be able to improve our schools and help our faculty get the professional development they need. What I propose to do is increase our efforts to seek money from grants and other programs so that we can move forward on important initiatives without having to ask for more money from our residents. Every year, schools around the country compete for millions of free dollars from corporations and community organizations to fund all kinds of activities; not only do I want us to get more involved in this, but I also want to give our teachers and staff members the tools to be successful in pursuing this money. I would also like to restructure the way professional development money is spent in Southwest Local. Along with annual district-wide in-service and the newly-instituted late-start days, I want to give teachers a chance to get money to participate in professional activities that are specific to their grade level or content area, or to work on an aspect of teaching that is personally relevant.

One way I do NOT want to save money is by cutting jobs. Reducing staff, whether certified or classified, should always be an option of last resort, and I will not vote for any such reductions in force unless every other option has been explored and ruled out.

Integrating Curriculum from the Oaks

In the 2009-2010 school year, Harrison Junior School and High School are introducing a number of courses through Diamond Oaks in the areas of business, technology, and family and consumer sciences. The Oaks is very interested in adding more courses, and this can be a great benefit to our students. While not every student wishes to attend vocational school, many would like the opportunity to take a course or two from the vocational curriculum. Also, residents of Southwest Local send a portion of our tax dollars to the Great Oaks Vocational District, and by allowing more students to take classes from the Oaks, this gives us further return on those dollars.

However, integrating courses from the Oaks should not come at the cost of existing teaching positions. If teachers are going to be transferred to the Oaks, I will see to it that there is extensive discussion with those affected, and it should not come as an "either/or" proposition. Likewise, I want to make sure that current course offerings are not eliminated to make room for Oaks courses. With a stated desire for more elective offerings, it would be counter-intuitive to get rid of classes to replace them with other classes. Our students should have as many options as feasible for building and staff size, and their choices should dictate what classes are available, not administrative mandate.

State Building Fund

Soon, Southwest Local will be up to receive money from the state building fund. Beginning steps are already underway; Superintendent Chris Brown has started surveying district residents to get their opinions on the building process, and state officials have already come to buildings to take measurements and make initial observations. This is an amazing opportunity for us to update our district's infrastructure and the resources in the classrooms that will be used to educate our students for years to come, and we should look on this chance with great anticipation.

There are two areas in this process where the school board will be instrumental. The first is in coming up with and presenting a funding plan for any recommended renovations or new construction. If we want to get funds from the state of Ohio, the district has to come up with matching money. This is a difficult time to be asking for new money from our residents, and if we need to do this, as a board member I want to make sure that any plan is fully articulated to our constituents. I do not want anyone to have doubts about how our tax dollars are going to be raised or spent nor what the cost to you will be.

The other area where the board will play a key role is in the planning for the construction. As an educator, I want nothing more than to provide our teachers and students with the physical environment most conducive to learning. I will make sure that the board incorporates feedback from teachers in any design decisions so that we can provide the kind of place necessary for a 21st Century student body.

Contract Negotiations

In three years, the district contract with teachers is due to be re-negotiated, and anyone elected this year will be involved in that process. I worked on the research team for this past year's negotiation, so I am very aware of what the concerns of our faculty are district-wide, and I also know what's involved in planning for the process and what can and cannot be communicated with outside parties. Part of the process is creating tone, and I want all parties concerned to feel that they can work together to come up with the best outcome. If the sides don't feel like they can trust each other, whether it's concerning immediate decisions or ramifications down the road, it creates an excessively adversarial atmosphere that doesn't help anyone. I also will make sure that the board upholds its responsibility to the taxpayers and does not agree to anything that will harm the district's financial position in later years. Finally, it is my goal that in any contract negotiation our employees get the best situation that we can provide. Whether it is the teacher in the classroom, the secretary in the office, or the driver on the bus, each is charged with the greatest task in the world: helping our children. We can't afford to have them worrying about how they're going to take care of their own families when we need them to be taking care of some of the most important members of ours.