Primary will eliminate one in crowded WP board run-off

By Jan Schultz
The Imperial Republican
    Seven candidates are seeking three seats that will be open the end of the year on the Wauneta-Palisade board of education.
    At Tuesday’s Primary, one of them will be eliminated, with six advancing on to November’s General Election, when the three will be chosen.
    On Tuesday, WP district voters will be able to cast ballots for three of the candidates.
    Seeking the WP positions are incumbents Laurie Maris, Allison Sandman and Marty Wheeler. Challengers include Vanessa Fanning, Shane Gerhartz, Mick Majors and Brock Malcolm.
    All seven answered a series of four questions submitted by The Imperial Republican’s news department.
    1) What’s your position on the WP building improvement plans being discussed? Is it the right direction?
Fanning: I find it fiscally irresponsible to approve any construction projects when the final prices of building supplies are unknown and prices cannot be secured. I believe any exorbitant expense for the school should have been voted upon by the communities, especially at this time of record high inflation. Taxpayers are already facing many other financial constraints. I predict the board will inevitably be short on funding and taxpayers will be asked to endure more.
Gerhartz: These impromptu, seemingly conveniently timed public meetings were simply an ignorant sales pitch, which led to a special meeting in a tiny room where the public STOOD and watched our board pass a motion to spend an estimated $4.5 million. They did so with no comment from public or discussion from themselves. No integrity in the original agreement of 65% public vote, or policies upheld to include future outlooks, concerns or experienced professionals.
Majors: I believe that any entity supported by taxpayer dollars should be operated as a business. Unfortunately, the Palisade site has reached its end as a sustainable building as stated by the architect involved in the community presentations.
The contractor reported the Wauneta facility was a solid structure and could logically be improved upon. A singe site is the right direction, however I do not approve of the process used by the current board and administration.
Malcolm: I think if the buildings had the routine maintenance and legislated improvements in a more timely manner, we would have our facilities in much better condition. The way the school board is presenting the new construction and renovation seems underhanded to me. The board and administration has over $5 million in their general and building funds combined. It seems to me those monies would do a lot to our existing facilities, Instead they are using those funds in combination with BORROWED money to build a new gym and kitchen. My opinion is that a school district should never have more than 60% of their operating costs in their funds and if it must go into debt the voters should decide since they are carrying the burden.
Maris: We have discussed this issue for as long as I have been on the board and finally decided that we can no longer avoid taking action. We hired outside and unbiased help to assess our buildings and explore our options. The conclusion was that having all of our resources available to all students, under one roof, is the best solution educationally and financially.
Sandman: I support the decision of the WP Board to plan for the future of the district with updating/renovating the Wauneta Attendance Center which provides the potential to house all PK-12 students and staff. These updates address the safety and ADA requirements to serve students and staff. The district is financially sound and can support the project without a bond issue. The district is headed in the right direction, doing what’s best for our kids.
Wheeler: After much discussion, and looking into various options over the past few years of being on the school board, I believe the plans being presented are in the best interest of the district and the students. With the proposed plans, we will be able to be ADA compliant and have a more safe, updated and efficient building. I want to see the W/P school here for future generations, and be a safe environment for all kids.
    2) Do you feel the WP School District should be dissolved? Why or why not?
Gerhartz: Yes in education, consolidated in events. It’s evident that the collective Karma is unwavering and at this point the cycle unbreakable. Enthusiastic, loving, joyful people are the new driving force in education, and our local community is lighting the fire to this call. We don’t need a 50 year investment into our past. We need to pivot and redirect our efforts to what lies ahead. True growth and transformation comes from letting go of control.
Majors: If the district dissolved there would not be a school in either town. Splitting our $392,178,837 valuation along old district lines would defeat the purpose of the merger. We have the second lowest tax base and our mill levy of .99 is the second highest compared to our surrounding districts.
I believe a merger with a district valued at $1,269,495,184 would result in tax savings of 40% for W/P taxpayers while maintaining a K-8 at our Wauneta location.
Malcolm: I think that the district should be dissolved for two reasons: 1) Our test scores have declined almost continuously for the last several years and we have been on the state’s CSI list for low testing. Our students can literally go to any other school district and apparently have an improved system. I realize that testing is only one metric but it is what’s available to us to compare district to district. 2) With the current board going into debt to only have plans for improvements in Wauneta I think the stakeholders that live in Palisade should have the opportunity to take their tax dollars and potentially join a different district before paying for a loan. Palisade has roughly 40% of the student body and 40% of the land valuation.
Maris: No, WP should not be dissolved. We have an excellent school with an amazing staff. Each student is given every opportunity to succeed. I would challenge anyone who thinks differently to spend time in any classroom. Regarding enrollment, there are 32 more students now than when I was first elected to the board almost 12 years ago.
Sandman: I do not feel that our district should be dissolved. Our enrollment is steady and we have a great school culture that is nurturing and supportive of each student. I’ve asked parents, patrons and staff of the district if this option should be explored, and their answer is NO! I’m proud of WP and our accomplishments and look forward to our bright future. Dissolving the district is not a good option.
Wheeler: No, I do not think our school district is anywhere near needing to think about dissolving. We still have a good number of students in our high school and elementary, we have great teachers, we have the funds to continue our district and to update our facility for the future of our kids. We have a lot of great things happening at Wauneta/Palisade and I hope to see it continue for years to come.
Fanning: The board must recognize and acknowledge what is best for Wauneta is not necessarily what is best for Palisade. If the board chooses to move all students, K-12, to the Wauneta location, some Palisade parents may choose to withdraw their children and enroll them elsewhere. Both communities should be permitted to vote if dissolution of the district is an option.
    3) Do you support the process the WP board now uses when a patron asks for a review of a certain book in its libraries? Should books be removed at all? Explain.
Majors: It is appalling that the removal of sexually explicit books has ever been a cause of debate in schools. The board and administration needs transparency, which I find they are lacking, in regard to book reviews and parental inquiries. Students should not be expected to view the world through the eyes of adults. Innocence is worth protecting and defending.
Malcolm: The policies on book reviews seems to be comprehensive. The school uses teachers and parents when a book is called into question. The results of the latest books called for review has not been discussed in an open meeting. I believe that books should be read, if content, language or topics that are brought up in books lead to questions being asked. It is a sincere form of growth for all involved.
Maris: I support and voted for the new library policy. We have thousands of books and dozens more are ordered every year. It is an overwhelming task for one librarian to read each one, so a committee was set up to aid in choosing what material will be in our libraries. I am confident that the committee will make excellent choices that are in line with the conservative values of the current board.
Sandman: I support the current process for book review and an added policy was requested by a concerned patron to have a closer look at the book ordering process. I feel this is an added benefit and I have faith in those appointed to thoroughly review those proposed books. I don’t think books should be removed, but rather designate a “protested book” section that allows students to check these books out with parental permission.
Wheeler: I think the process of having a committee to review books is a good plan for this issue. It allows parents of students to bring forth concerns and have books reviewed. If a book is in question, it will be removed from the library until reviewed. If a book is found as inappropriate for the school library, I think it should be removed, as not all books are good for certain ages.
Fanning: The purpose of the book review committee was for multiple people to help in choosing books, vetting the books before purchasing and to review any objections. However, additional books for the Wauneta library have been ordered since and the committee did not review those books prior to purchasing. Many books could have been vetted to some degree online. I do not support any books with pornographic content in a school.
Gerhartz: Words are the duality of truth in experience. For example, Suffering, pain, love, sin, satori, consciousness; these words could bring hate, confusion, tears, joy, transformation or enlightenment. By censoring literature we are trying to protect others from suffering our own scars, but avoidance breeds karma. It creates the need to control, and who gets to draw that line of imprisonment? Literature is the soul pouring out, we should channel that into a bridge for growth.
    4) What are your plans as a board member to work with staff to improve WP test scores that have been a concern to some?
Malcolm: Our board has used excuses for why our test scores are so low, like the state changes the test or standards. The fact is all of the schools take a standardized test and our performance is not good. Firstly we must find the root cause. Are we dealing with apathy, unpreparedness, or distractions for example? I would like to see the school suspend all extracurricular athletics until we obtain at least a 60% proficiency rating in science, math and English language arts, and we see a 24 on our students’ ACT averages.
Maris: As a board, we do not single out standardized tests as our only measure on how WP is performing. If we did, our teachers would spend most of their time “teaching to the test.” Of course, we look at them but we also consider our students’ overall achievements, along with a long list of other accomplishments. Most every WP graduate has excelled in college, trade school, military or the workforce. For me, this is a better measure of our school’s performance.
Sandman: The school board’s job is not to micromanage the staff. Our administration works with staff in utilizing the PLC process to help ensure that the standards are being covered. NSCAS test results are one tool used to measure student success, but the other measurements are the students’ classroom performance, 100% district graduation rate and the successfulness of our graduates in society.
Wheeler: As a current board member, I support our teachers and administration, as I know they’re always looking for new opportunities to improve in this area and provide the tools for students to succeed. Testing is one way to track that, but we need to look at all aspects of learning, not just test results.
Fanning: My role as a school board member would be to work alongside the superintendent and the admin team to pinpoint specifically what is causing the WP proficiency scores to repeatedly fall below our neighboring school districts. I believe we can learn from other districts that are scoring above WP, and bring some of those interventions into our district. Open and transparent communication with parents would be essential.
Gerhartz: To find leadership that will inspire the already exorbitant love our community and teachers have for our kids into an education that creates learners of life’s greatest lessons and joys while preparing them for a world that is completely different than yesterday and empowering them to manifest a better world in the process. You do this and you’ll never think about test scores, they will reflect the effort put in and perpetually grow our community.
Majors: First acknowledge there is a problem. Responsibility starts with the administration to find the root cause of our school’s extremely low state proficiency scores. We need to strive to emulate schools with similar demographics that have consistently performed near the top in their scores.
As a board member, I would help assist in this process. Filing and sharing a transparent plan with parents and patrons is essential.