Seven of the eleven candidates vying for a spot on the Riley County USD 378 Board of Education made statements on a variety of issues the district will face in the coming year at the candidates forum on Sunday, March 29.
The League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County sponsored the forum and The Riley Countian was the co-sponsor.
One of the immediate tasks the new school board will be faced with is appointing a new superintendent, and candidates were asked to describe what characteristics they were looking for in a potential hire for the spot. Glen Hawkins said he believes the new hire should be someone looking to create synergy with the board.
“We need to make sure that whoever is chosen for superintendent has basic philosophical agreements with the school board at that time because they’re going to have to work together,” said Hawkins. “If the superintendent has one vision and the school board has another vision, we’re going to have clashes and problems.”
When asked the same question, candidate Jared Larson said he believes the new superintendent should possess a combination of know-how and innovation.
“The board has often talked of all the challenges we’re facing,” said Larson. “All of those things combined make it a very daunting job, and I think we will want someone who has experience and who has definite ideas of how they’re going to approach the job.”
Another topic of discussion at the forum was the failed bond issue. Candidates were asked whether or not they’d support another bond issue and if so, how they planned to garner public support on the proposal. Candidate Kyle Bohnenblust said he would back another bond issue, provided the board has first prioritized the budget, and then looked at opposing views on the measure.
“I think that the way to get a bond to pass is you really have to hear both sides of it,” Bohnenblust said. “You can’t look at somebody as opposition. You have to look at them as a different mindset, not somebody that you’re against. And you’ve got to be open to the communication of everybody.”
Randy O’Boyle said he believes a new bond issue will be necessary soon as a way to address the growing community, adding that he feels the process should begin now to ensure the public will support the proposal.
“We’re going to be run over by a train, and it’s called ‘growth,'” said O’Boyle. “We’re going to build a temporary facility for our middle school [students]here at the high school because we don’t have a plan yet for the future. Where are we going to put all of these kids? It’s a great thing to have, but we’ve got to take care of that, and we’ve got to start planning now.”
The Block Grant legislation was one other area addressed by the school board hopefuls as it threatens to cut funding to public schools in Kansas. Candidates were asked to detail which programs they’d cut if it were financially necessary, and Michael Lindell said he believes it’s an issue that will be better addressed once it’s evident how the block grant will affect the district.
“It’s fear that we’re letting drive us on this issue,” Lindell said. “I don’t think we really need to be concerned. We need to plan for the future, but I don’t think it’s something that’s going to be detrimental to us.”
Candidate Dennis Tegtmeier responded to the same inquiry by detailing programs he would protect, rather than ones he’d get rid of.
“What I would not cut is anything that benefits our kids,” said Tegtmeier. “I know very little about the school budget and things like that, but the last thing I would vote for is anything that gives our kids less quality education.”
Michael McCoy added that he feels one way to be more cost-effective is to have better communication with faculty and staff to ensure all personnel is properly contributing.
“I really think one of the things we can do is get some good, distinct job descriptions for our teachers and administrators and make sure everyone is doing the job that we want them to be doing,” McCoy said. “That way, we can make sure we have the right number of people and the right people doing those jobs.”
Registered voters are encouraged to vote for USD 378 Board of Education members with advanced voting either in person or via mail-in ballot before Monday, April 6. More information can be found on the Riley County City and School Election website.
