Priorities
I believe the role of the school board is to concern itself with issues within the local community. The board should not be distracted by partisan political debates or be used to advance any member’s political agenda. Instead, members must look out for the needs of the students, while being good stewards of the tax dollars provided by the community.
TIFs and EDIP
As our community grows, our school board must prepare for the challenges of educating more students while striving for the smaller class sizes that serve students best. The board must coordinate efforts with local officials to make sure new developments pay their own way with tax revenues.
During my time on the school board, the board negotiated with city leaders to stop the creation of new TIFs (tax increment financing agreements) with developers through 2025. The board also voted unanimously to withdraw from the Union County EDIP (Economic Development Incentive Policy). The school board passed a resolution to automatically vote down any tax incentive packages for developers if the school district is not directly involved in negotiations. Going forward, I hope to see school district officials work together with city leaders on agreements that are fair and beneficial to everyone involved.
Thoughtful leadership
As an elected body, the school board has a duty to listen to and consider the views of everyone within the community. I have done my best to be accessible to listen to all. When opinions within the community vary, it is the responsibility of board members to gather the facts and use their best judgement in weighing issues and making the difficult decisions.
Our recent contentious levy campaign was one of those difficult decisions. As a property owner, I fully understand the concerns of voters who oppose property tax increases. I agree that Ohio’s school funding system is broken and should be revised by the state legislature to reduce the burden on local taxpayers. I have repeatedly discussed this issue with our state legislators, urging them to make changes at the state level. In the meantime, I believe the levy was necessary to maintain the quality of our schools.
Serving students
As a school board member, I’ve studied the finances of the district to find ways to cut costs and to create contingency plans to meet budgets. We owe it to taxpayers to use school funding efficiently, but for the future of our community we must not shortchange our students. I strongly believe that good public schools are vital to the long-term health and prosperity of our community and nation.
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I have joked that our graduates should be handed a tape measure and be expected to accurately measure their diplomas. My point is that our curriculum should provide students the life skills to succeed as adults. If students are aiming for careers that require college degrees, we should set them on that path, but we should also provide all students with the practical skills to hold jobs and manage finances.