Politics & Government

Meet the Candidate: Marie Haupt for Francis Howell School Board

Retired educator Marie Haupt is running for one of two open spots on the Francis Howell Board of Education board.

Four candidates are running for two open seats on the Francis Howell Board of Education.

Two incumbents, Marty Hodits and Steven Johnson, are joined by challengers Marie Haupt and Eric Seider in the race.

The election is April 3. Check back with St. Charles Patch for interviews with each candidate.

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Marie Haupt: Candidate for Francis Howell Board of Education

Where do you live?  I live in the The Lakes subdivision.

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What is your current job and/or position?  I am a retired Francis Howell teacher.

Why are you running for School Board?  I am running for the school board because I believe I can provide a different perspective on the board since I was a teacher in the district for 34 years, a parent of three who graduated from Francis Howell, and a graduate of Francis Howell.  

I know Francis Howell is facing some difficult financial times, and I think it is important that we don’t lose sight of good academic programs we have and that we do what we can to maintain them.

What do you think you can bring to this position? As I mentioned earlier, I was a teacher in the district for 34 years and I am a graduate of Francis Howell High School. I have served on several committees throughout my years as a teacher including curriculum, calendar, technology, budget, tax and bond issue planning, shared decision making, and more.

I know how the decisions of the board effect the students and staff. I have the experience of “living” in the school system. I also have the knowledge of how everything works.

Please tell us about one goal you have for this position. My main goal is to maintain and restore our high level of academic programs for our students—the students come first, that is what we are all about. We must continue to offer our students the highest level of academic programs, continuing to prepare our students for their lives after high school. Not all students go on to college and we have to help prepare all of our students for successful careers in what ever they plan to do.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the District? The biggest challenge facing the district is financial stability in light of the stresses on our economy. It is going to be difficult to continue to operate with the possibilities of less income.

Budget projections have Francis Howell faced with deficit spending in the not-so-distant future. What do you think the district should do to address the situation? This is a difficult question since there is so much uncertainty in the economy right now. If it comes to that, there are solutions that no one likes such as raising taxes, or cutting positions. Of course, I wouldn’t like to do either of those choices. I would definitely like to hear of other solutions from other people or other school districts. I know some CFOs from other districts have come up with some solutions for the state to fairly address the states funding formula.

Howell Central and Howell North currently don't have a synthetic grass playing surface on their football fields. Should the district make it a priority to replace grass fields with field turf?  I think the district’s priority is to provide safe facilities for our students and this includes our buildings and our fields and playgrounds. My understanding is that the synthetic fields make playing safer for our athletes, so they fall under that category just like we have buildings that need repair.

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A request for information was sent out to each of the candidates and this is the response. 

Note: Candidates and supporters should feel free to comment, but please keep things professional. No attacks, no name calling, no profanity. Thanks.


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