Meet the Candidates: Steve Johnson Seeks Second Term on Francis Howell School Board

Steve Johnson has served on the Francis Howell Board of Education for three years. He's looking for three more. 

The current Vice President of the Board is seeking a re-election this year. Four candidates are running for two open spots, including , and Eric Seider. Check back Friday for an interview with Seider.

Steve Johnson: Candidate for Francis Howell Board of Education

Where do you live? I am a resident of St. Charles County living in the Harvester area.

What is your current job and/or position? I am a retiree, currently serving as Vice President of the Francis Howell Board of Education. I am also a parent of a Francis Howell High School student.

Why are you running for School Board? I am running for re-election because I have been told by peers, parents, teachers,and staff that I have made a difference in the last three years. It is my way of giving back to the Francis Howell community. The want to insure that the District maintains financial stability and the academic progress gained over the past few years.

What do you think you can bring to this position? Having served the last three years, I believe I have a grasp of how the District works, the budget process, curriculum development and the challenges Francis Howell faces the next several years. Having this enhanced knowledge will allow me to continue to make sound decisions as a Board member.

Please tell us about one goal you have for this position. The main goal would be to keep the District financially sound while keeping academic performance high.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the District? The District faces an uncertain financial future due to declining revenue and uncertainty in State funding.

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? The District needs to engage the patrons for direction to determine what level of funding they will support to maintain current academic excellence. The first opportunity would be to ask the patrons to extend or make permanent the $.20 special purpose levy expiring in 2014.

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 support the Francis Howell District’s Facilities Strategic Planning Committee recommendation listing of the top twelve large scope capital projects the District should fund. Artificial fields are number six on the list and determination of funding sources for all of them will be discussed at an upcoming April Board meeting.  

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Previous Francis Howell Candidate Profiles: ,

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.