Citizens who attended last week’s Stevensville school board candidate forum might be hard-pressed to choose among the five candidates who are running, based on their responses to the questions that were posed to them. American Legion Post 94 sponsored the event which drew about 25 people. Ed Sperry, retired Justice of the Peace and a member of Post 94, served as moderator. All five candidates, who are vying for three open seats on the board, were in attendance: Billy Donaldson, Stephanie Esch, Tony Hudson, Kris McKoy and Frannie Schmitz. The mail-in ballots are due back by May 3rd.
The candidates were asked about their vision of education.
Stephanie Esch, who currently serves on the board, said, “Stevensville has a very unique place in this valley.” She said there was tremendous community support in passing the recent bonds. “Challenges are not unique to Stevensville,” she said. “We need to take advantage of our resources – our staff, facility, and students. We need to support them. I would like us to be the heart of our community.”
Kris McKoy, also currently serving on the board, mentioned some pluses – passing the bonds, improving the building, the great staff and community. He said he wants more career and technology education.
“I see us providing the basics to all and then providing career opportunities,” said McKoy. “We can partner with the community to get the kids out into the workforce.”
Tony Hudson said, “I’d like to see a school where children are proud to bring their parents to school and you don’t have to wonder which kid is passing out Adderall. I think we need to step back a little and create a work ethic and self-esteem.” He said there should be less money for administration and more money for teachers.
Frannie Schmitz said that students need to see a continuum of education, from elementary, to middle school to high school. As an example, she said that currently no coding classes are offered in the high school but coding classes are offered in younger grades. She sees that as a disconnect between the curriculum levels. She said kids need to be well-prepared for three possible outcomes: college, trade school, or the workforce.
Billy Donaldson said, “I’d just like to see us continue to grow in excellence. I’d like to see us strategize on how to keep kids from going to other districts. We need to foster excellence and stir up some passion for the school and community.”
Candidates were also asked if they were running because of a particular issue.
Kris McKoy said for him it was “finding a way to pay our teachers and staff.” He said money is an issue because “teachers can’t afford to live here. It’s the most important thing – to give our kids a good education, we need to pay the ones who do it.”
Hudson said for him it was “watching youth in our community be in trouble, not go to work, only go to college because they don’t know what else to do. I have nothing to lose by doing everything I can to save one kid. This is one hundred percent about saving kids. It’s absolutely the future…”
Schmitz said that she was concerned about teacher pay. “We have a teacher shortage, “ said Schmitz, “and if there’s not good pay they won’t stay here. I have five children that have graduated from Stevensville, and a freshman. This is my community. I come to almost every school board meeting. We have to be active if we want our school to change.”
Donaldson agreed that “the finances are huge. For me, it’s just been serving my community. To be part of a team to figure these things out. I’m really excited about the vo-tech center. Not every kid is shaped to go to a four-year college. I’m excited to give them a different route.”
Esch said she has spent lots of time volunteering at the school. “I think there’s a disconnect between what people think happens at school and what really happens here. I guess I thought our kids were droning through the day. Our staff works really hard – they need their cup replenished. They know how to do their jobs really well.”
Asked about the board’s role and responsibility, Hudson said board members need to go to the voters, “your constituents. You have to involve parents in a much greater way.There’s incredible support to be gained by reaching out to the community in a sincere way.”
Schmitz said the board should help balance the budget, not just not going in the red, but balanced in the fund allocations. She also said the board should set policy.
“Those policies are important,” she said. “It’s important to make good policy. The laws are changing constantly. We have to adhere to the federal guidelines in order to get the dollars.”
“Finances and policies,” agreed Donaldson. “When covid happened, I was on the board. It’s important to understand the times, because there’s so much going on. Listening to the voices of the students, the teachers, the parents and the community. Listen to those voices and bring them together.”
Esch said the baseline job of the board was to “provide a safe place for kids to develop their potential.”
“We need to build a team, to build trust,” said Esch. “We need to do our job efficiently. We need to make sure the district is in legal compliance and fiscally responsible. We need to foster community involvement and public feedback.”
McKoy said that the board needs to consider what’s best for the students, staff and community. He said the board should “set the direction and goals that reflect our community. “We should make the dollars stretch to meet those goals.”
Asked about the different roles of board members and the superintendent,Schmitz said, “The superintendent deals with daily issues. The board gets to analyze the information for a longer time and be out in the community. We all should be working towards what’s best for our students.”
Donaldson said that the superintendent, staff and administration are the “boots on the ground.” He said the board’s job is “to be there to support them and give them the tools they need through policies and finances.
Esch said the school board is a governing body. “Our primary jobs are financial planning and developing policy. The school board only handles larger decisions, and also handles appeals.” She said the board hires the superintendent and business manager and the superintendent handles the rest of the staff. “We need to trust him,” said Esch.
McKoy said the board sets policy and direction and supports the staff in implementation. He said it was important to “get involved and verify. Are we representing our community and its values?”
Hudson said the board sets policy. He pointed out that the superintendent position is a paid position. “The superintendent follows the policy,” said Hudson. “One is paid, one is public service.”
Another question dealt with the issue of quality education in relation to the tax burden.
“It’s a very fine balancing act,” said Donaldson. “You have to weigh them both. While we want to do everything we can to pay our staff and improve our facilities, sometimes the money just isn’t there. We need to figure it out. Communication really, really needs to be open. Each side has to give a little.”
“I like to imagine the money we spend is coming directly from a community member,” said Esch. “It’s really important to listen to the community.” She said finding funding sources was “tricky” and there was no one thing that was going to fund everything. “We can partner with the community in business and industry,” she said.
McKoy said it was important to solicit input from educators and the community. “Providing a topnotch education and that mean’s funding. We have to get creative. How do we use our community?”
“As I look at our country, we’re going to face a lot of challenges,” said Hudson. “Almost anyone can do more with more money, but we need to be able to do more with less. Just like at home, we have to cut back to basic items. You need really steady, sharp people to figure out how each dollar is going to be spent.”
“I had a grand vision before I started attending school board meetings about how money was being spent,” said Schmitz. “I was way off base. It’s hard, it’s really hard, to figure out how the money should be spent. When we work together as a board and a community, we do the best we can.”
Esch said the community involvement piece is “so important. It’s been a rough couple of years. We’re ready to move forward with innovation. I would like to continue to serve.”
McKoy said that he was appointed to the board two years ago. He said it was fun to be part of the construction project. He said he’s been “listening to the needs and challenges, and would appreciate the opportunity to continue on.”
Hudson said that a huge amount of the challenges will be financial. “They need to know that when you put dollars to work, they come home tired. I could name you people who are just about to be taxed out of their homes. It takes smart people to do more with less. I don’t have all the answers but there’s something here to be built on.”
“If you want someone perfect, don’t vote for me,” said Schmitz. “But I’ve taken four years to learn about the school. I volunteer at the school, I attend school board meetings.I love Stevensville. I will always ask myself, what is best for our student body? I will act on that.”
Doanldson said he served on the board in the past, and he always learns something. “If we can get people to come together with experience and ideas, we can make this a place of excellence. I’m just here to serve and do what I can to make this the best school district in the valley.”
Sperry closed out the forum by asking the audience to join him in a moment of silent prayer for the school.
