ISSUES FACING OUR BOARD

POLICY

This could be the most critical area in which our school board must come together.  Policy put in place by the school board determines our path forward in how we will educate the youth of our community.  Extremely strong cultural and social forces are pushing to dramatically change how school systems operate.  Our school system must be focused on teaching kids how to think not what to think.  Our teachers must be empowered and supported, everyday, to make sure they are completely focused on the subject matter of the class they teach.  There are some, including sitting members of our school board, who wish to adopt radical ideologies such as CRT (critical race theory), gender fluidity, or forced equity of outcomes.  These ideologies are extremely divisive and are meant to turn our students against each other, and often times against their own families, based on immutable characteristics over which the student has no control.  Our school system should be squarely focused on educating every student with the goal of that student reaching their highest potential.  No one should be teaching our kids that different groups, or races of students, should be judged or treated in any certain way.  Neither should school personnel be involved in very personal, private matters that a student should be discussing with their parents.  Essentially, our school system should be focused on a strong, fundamental education for every student and not participating in social engineering.

PEOPLE

Our district has suffered severe losses of key personnel over the past several years.  Our board must be focused on identifying and attracting the best teachers, coaches, administrators, superintendents, maintenance personnel, and others.  The board must be analyzing what the school system can do in areas such as compensation, working conditions, support provided, opportunity for advancement, and other areas so we can provide the best and brightest people a great opportunity to work within an outstanding school system.

FACILITIES

Our school district currently has school buildings and other physical assets that are in extreme disrepair.  While the members of the board argue with each other over why these deficiencies exist, no one will take ownership or responsibility and fix the problems.  Some of these maintenance issues are hazards to our kids.  These issues cannot continue to persist.  The board must create a detailed list of maintenance issues district wide and come up with a plan not only to fix existing issues, but to also have a budget for proper maintenance and care for all facilities and equipment on an ongoing basis.

COMMUNITY TRUST

Our community has lost faith in the integrity and wisdom of our school board.  Over the past two years too many of our school board members have acted extremely unprofessionally towards each other and towards members of our community.  We see this type of behavior continuing today.  These divisive, unnecessary actions must stop.  School Board members are elected officials and are expected to remain professional and treat other people, even those with differing opinions, with respect and courtesy.