Candidates Discuss Issues at Francis Howell Event

From budgets to bullying, a wide range of topics were on the agenda at a forum for eight Francis Howell School Board candidates vying for three open slots in the upcoming April 5 election.

The session, attended by a number of parents and students at the district’s administrative office Thursday night, was sponsored by the Francis Howell North High School Journalism Program and featured questions submitted by the audience as well as electronically through social media.

Some of the questions concerned budgets and the need to shed staff. There was general agreement  among the eight candidates that the district was facing tough times. Candidates include Ronnie Johnson, Eric Seider, Eric Ewalt, Burt Biermann, Gary Miller and incumbents Mike Hoehn, Mike Sommer and Mark Lafata. 

“School districts across the nation, including Francis Howell, are experiencing financial stress from states as they slash education spending,” said Hoehn. “Stimulus money is starting to dry up and this makes running the district more financially challenging than ever. It’s the job of the parents, teachers, administration and board to work together cooperatively, working smarter with less and doing more with less.”

He said programs and services are currently under financial review but he did not believe the condition of the economy supported a tax increase at the present time.

Sommer concurred on opposing new taxes. Still, he also foresaw little help coming from the state.

“One of the things we’ve done this past school year is to take a look at our schedule and our calendar trying to make modifications and adjustments there to reduce the expenditures we have for transportation,” he said. “I can tell you that many school districts are looking at many different things and as a board of education, we have to start thinking outside the box.”

Ronnie Johnson said it was a hard time for everyone.

“We have to come up with creative ways to start reducing expenses,” he said. “We have to exhaust all possible efforts in order to streamline resources to save money and at the same time have a long-term plan to look ahead and save where we can without having to reduce heads.”

Eric Seider said the district should look to everyone for new ideas in the face of a challenging year ahead.

“I’ve struggled greatly with this question because I value the success we’ve had in the school district currently,” he said. “If you look at Francis Howell versus neighboring school districts we do more for less already.”

Eric Ewalt felt a shrinking tax base was part of the problem.

“I think the board needs to do everything in its power to make Francis Howell an attractive district for people want to move here, to build houses and build that tax base,” he said. “Yes, we are in a situation where we are going to have less income coming in because our property values are in decline so make it up by getting more people who want to move in.”

Burt Biermann complimented the board for its leadership of the district during a difficult time and said innovative ideas were key including possible schedule alterations in human resources.

“Ideas like that are things that we need to do,” he said, “instead of trying to reduce the number of teachers.”

Gary Miller said he wanted to make sure the quality of the district’s education was preserved.

“I would plan to sit down with the administrative team, the employee groups, the taxpayers and the other board members in order to come up with some other ideas that are lawful and reasonable but still meet the needs of student learning,” he said. “We need to keep the student learning first.”

Lafata said he felt the board could do a better job of wisely spending the funding it has been allotted by the state which might prompt more money from legislators.

“I was down at the statehouse yesterday talking to a couple of the senators and some of the representatives,” he said. “The one thing that doesn’t change is our local money. State funding seems to be a moving target.”

One question concerned how choices are made on which teachers to let go when layoffs are announced.

Sommer mentioned a recent board meeting in which it was decided to cut dozens of positions. He said some of those jobs are currently unfilled or can be freed up through early retirements. The individuals affected are dictated by seniority and the needs and wants of individual schools.

 “It’s never easy because come our next board meeting we’re going to actually put faces and names with those positions that have been eliminated,” he said.

Seider said hopefully layoffs can be minimized as much as possible.

“The decision on who to cut and how you cut people is always tough and I feel sorry for the principals and school administration who have to make that decision but there are policies in place as far as the needs of the school and the students,” he said. “We always need to keep the students first and foremost and complete the mission of our district to educate our students.”

Ewalt said specific decisions on who to cut fell to administrators rather than the board.

“As a board member, I would try to give some guidance in the sense of what I said earlier about wanting to make our district an attractive place for people who want to come by looking at what services we can maintain and which we cannot depending on the decisions on who would be let go,” he said.

One query asked whether extracurricular activities might be on the chopping block.

“Extra curriculars are less than one percent of our budget,” Lafata said. “If it came down to that, we’ve got bigger problems. Realistically, it probably wouldn’t even be mentioned as a cut simply because it’s a very tiny part of our budget.”

The particulars of teacher tenure were touched upon by another questioner. Hoehn said that teachers are evaluated regularly regardless of status and are expected to perform their duties well.

“Some people believe that once a teacher gains tenure, they are employees of the district forever, that it’s the ‘golden ticket’ per se,” he said. “We do hold our teachers accountable whether they are tenured or untenured.”

Bullying also emerged as a topic. Johnson suggested a strict policy to address the issue in which administrators are held accountable in enforcement. He said it should be judged case-by-case but it should be clear it will not be tolerated.

“I believe the school should be an environment for education and a place for learning,” he said. “Bullying is not a process that should be part of the learning experience.”

Biermann said that instances of aggressive behavior should be dealt with.

“I think the expectation of the board would be that the administration would enforce the policies that they have,” he said. “Any parents that have any problems with their children being bullied could express those to the board and we would take immediate action.”

Miller said bullying was unacceptable and should be addressed and that parents needed to play a key role in the effort.

“I think it has to be between the parent, the teacher and the administrator before it actually comes to the board,” he said.