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Published: April 02, 2008 08:33 am
CANDIDATE Q&A: West Clark School Board - At-Large
(Vote for 2 only)
Editor’s Note: Submissions appear as the candidates submitted them without editing.Candidates are listed in alphabetical order. Except where noted, questionnaires are only being published for contested races.
Sandy Furnish Banet• AGE: NA
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: St. Paul’s (8 years), Sellersburg; Henryville High School (4 years) 1961 graduate; 1966 - B.S. Elementary Education - St. Mary of the Woods College; 1969 - M.S. in Education - Indiana University; Certified Driver’s Ed Instructor, Indiana University; 1990 - Administrative License - Curriculum/Supervision - Indiana University; Additional workshops for professional developement - 36 hrs. above a Masters; Indiana School Board Seminars/Workshops/Regional Meetings. I have earned “Master” Board member recognition from the Indiana School Board Association.
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Every day that I teach my first grade students at Vienna-Finley Elementary, Scottsburg, is my career highlight. As the current president of the West Clark School Board, I am very proud of the following accomplishments:
1. All educational facilities at all three sites have been renovated or newly constructed.
2. The West Clark Education Center (Alternative School) at the old Sellersburg Elementary is now helping students make up credits in order to graduate.
3. Our curriculum has been updated, staff development has been ongoing, additional AP classes have been added at all three high schools, and we are now in the process of mapping.
4. All day kindergarten will begin in the Fall (2008-09).
5. Construction will begin this summer on a Early Childhood Learning Center, additional construction at Silver Creek, Borden, and Henryville, and the Learning Center (alternative ed) renovation.
• FAMILY NOTES: Married 32 years to Edmund “Joe” Banet, owner of Joe Banet Appraisals. Son, Jon, age 31, married to Michelle Murphy Banet, four grandchildren, Abby, Andrew, Aaron, Allison. commercial electrician. Son, Steven, age 27, commerical plumber with Sellersburg company.
1) Why are you running for this position?
“I am running for re-election to the board to continue the work and vision that began in 1992. Our new and renovated schools are attractive and functional learning centers for all students in West Clark. The construction and renovation of our school facilities has encouraged new development of homes and new families moving into West Clark. I enjoy serving on the West Clark School Board because my education and my entire career has been to serve students. My father taught at Borden, Henryville, and Silver Creek, and my mother graduated from Silver Creek. So, I have a genuine interest in West Clark and a deep commitment to continual improvement and growth of our schools.
“I have the time and energy to represent all three communities of West Clark, and attend numerous activities at all sites, whether it is a play, math/spell bowl, prom, baseball/basketball, open house, fundraisers, and attending a band show watching all three high school performers wearing new band uniforms.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“There are many important issues facing the West Clark School Board:
a. The economy in Clark County.
b. The housing market (will our corporation enrollment continue to grow?) Our current enrollment is 3768 students.
c. Construction of a new Early Childhood Learning Center at Sellersburg, and completion of additional work at Silver Creek, Borden, and Henryville, as well as renovation of the Alternative School in Sellersburg (40 students have attended).
d. All day kindergarten at all three sites 2008-09 school year.
e. AYP, NCLB
f. Safety in our schools - we have a resource officer at each of our three sites.
g. Energy - we have saved over one million dollars in the past five years with our Energy Program.”
3) What unique contribution will you make to this board?
“I feel I have made a considerable contribution to West Clark and that is why I am asking the voters to support me again. I am fair and listen to all who come to me with their concerns. Our current Board works together very well and is willing to address needs in all three of our sites. Finally, I would like to be involved in the completion of our new building projects, growth in the programs we had already initiated, as well as new programs, and the implementation of football at Borden and Henryville.”
4) Have you ever been convicted of a non-traffic court crime in the United States? If so, please explain all relevant instances.
“No!”
READER-SUBMITTED QUESTIONS
Gov. Daniels' plan would eliminate property tax by increasing sales tax as a source of revenue for the general fund of schools. Since school corporations would therefore rely predominantly on state support, what effect might this have on school finance and what will be your priorities when forced to make any cuts?
“West Clark’s finances are solid. our 2007-08 General Fund Budget is over $20 million. No timetable is available at this time, but the General Fund will eventually be eliminated, probably by 2010. Based on the levy, the state will make up any shortfall or difference. Our finances are solid - one of the lowest funded school systems in the state. One dollar per student expenditure is approximately $6,400.
“If any cuts become necessary due to the State Funding Formula, there would not be any cuts which directly affect children.”
It seems that some local school boards have become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operation of schools. Do you feel that is an appropriate direction for a board to be moving in, or should it function more as an advisory body?
“Our West Clark School Board functions as a policy-maker and advisory body. The day-to-day operations of West Clark are conducted by our very competent Superintendent and Assistant Superintendents, and our building administrators. We have a mutual understanding of roles and responsibilities.
“We have been on a journey toward excellence addressing West Clark’s overall high school graduation rate for many years. We have a remediation program in place to help students pass the GQE. Also, this is West Clark’s first year for our new Education Center which serves as a second opportunity for students to graduate.
“We welcome community input and abide by the open-door policy. West Clark’s records are open for scrutiny with the exception of student and personnel information, which is protected by the privacy act.”
What do you plan to do to increase your school corporation's overall high school graduation rate?
“- Increase AP courses at all three high schools.
- AYP (Annual Yearly Progress)
- NCLB and High Ability Grouping - we are trying to close the achievement gap
- Ability Grouping
- Full Day Kindergarten
- Early Childhood Learning Center
- Special Education
- Energy Education Program
- Graduation/Completion Rates
- West Clark Learning Center (Alternative)
- Teachers’ Contracts settled
- Open Door Policy and Access to Records
- Summer School for credit:
- Jump Start Grades 1-8
- Severe Special Ed K-8
Joe W. Basham• AGE: 54
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: High School Diploma & Vocational Schooling
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Silver Creek Middle School Cross Country Coach - 16 years; Silver Creek High School Assistant Track Coach - 1980's; Henryville High School Assistant Track Coach - 1980's; IHAA (Indiana High School Athletic Association) Basketball Referee - 20 years; Indiana Freemason
• FAMILY NOTES: “I have been married to Beverly Basham for 34 years and have three children (Mariann Kruer, Joe Basham, Jr., and Michelle Kent).”
1) Why are you running for this position?
“I am running for the West Clark School Board to support the interest of all students and taxpayers.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“The most important issue facing the West Clark School Board is the cost of public education. The cost continues to rise each year and affects all communities. To begin resolving this issue, the school board needs to review all costs and evaluate where we can be more efficient with every tax dollar we spend.”
3) What unique contribution will you make to this board?
“I will be able to contribute an objective viewpoint and utilize a “common sense” approach to solving school board issues.”
4) Have you ever been convicted of a non-traffic court crime in the United States? If so, please explain all relevant instances.
“No.”
READER-SUBMITTED QUESTIONS
Gov. Daniels' plan would eliminate property tax by increasing sales tax as a source of revenue for the general fund of schools. Since school corporations would therefore rely predominantly on state support, what effect might this have on school finance and what will be your priorities when forced to make any cuts?
“School corporations relying predominantly on state support would give the state more authority over school finances. I think all communities should be more involved in how the school board decides to spend tax dollars. If the school board was faced with the decision to make financial cuts, I would evaluate all spending and try to spread any cuts across all areas as much as possible.”
It seems that some local school boards have become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operation of schools. Do you feel that is an appropriate direction for a board to be moving in, or should it function more as an advisory body?
“The job of the school board should be to establish direction for a school corporation. The school board should also make sure that all schools run efficiently and effectively, but it should be the job of the school administrators to oversee the day-to-day operations.”
What do you plan to do to increase your school corporation's overall high school graduation rate?
“To increase high school graduation rates, it is important to evaluate school courses to make sure that all students are prepared for colleges, vocational schools, and the workforce, which will produce successful adults.”
Brian McEwen• AGE: 41
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: 1985 graduate of New Washington High School, Attended Hanover College (1985-1987) and IUS (1988-1989). I am currently attending IUS.
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “I worked on the Hopi Indian Reservation for 5 years. I developed and ran a computer lab. I also developed and ran summer camps centered on educational and cultural enrichment. I coached basketball and track for many years at New Washington Middle/High School. I recently accepted a buyout from Ford Motor Company and have returned to IUS to finish my degree in education.”
• FAMILY NOTES: “Angi and I have been married for 15 years. We have been blessed with three sons. Aidan is a seventh grade student at SCMS, Calvin is a sixth grade student at SCMS, and Murphy is a second grade student at SMES.”
1) Why are you running for this position?
“I have been interested in being a member of our board for some time now. I have been less than pleased with some of the decisions made in the past years by our board. I am a firm believer that if you see a problem then you have two choices: be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. I plan on being a part of the solution.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“In recent years, the rapid expansion in our student population and how to best provide a quality education to all were pressing needs. We have had one building project and have recently entered a second. I feel that adequate planning was not done to ensure that we will not need a third building plan in the future. In the most recent building plan, I feel that many parts of the project are not centered on the reason for some of the decisions in the first plan. A main part of the building plan last time was to move Silver Creek Students to one central campus. Now the plan is to move the youngest students off site. This appears to contradict the original plan. Borden is receiving a new gym (anyone who knows me knows I love gyms) while Henryville did not. This will cause animosity between communities. None of our outdoor facilities have restrooms. This would have been a great time to change this. We pay to rent swimming pools for our teams to practice. This would have been a great time to address this problem for our three school communities. Instead, our plan includes purchasing homes adjacent to SCHS to have them torn down to become open space. I see no educational value in this. I don't feel that the communities were allowed enough input into the needs of the building project. I just don't see enough educational bangs for the buck. Resolving this problem would be difficult. I would work to ensure that better planning is done when looking at building projects. I would like to see and encourage more community input when formulating building plans. To ensure the communities' needs and desires are met.
3) What unique contribution will you make to this board?
“I would bring the voice of a parent of students being educated within our corporation. This allows me to see on a daily basis the good things that are happening in our classrooms. I have been and will continue to be an advocate for our students and also the teachers, administrators, and staff within the buildings. Too often the faculty and staff in the schools are left to fend for themselves. Class sizes are too large making it difficult to engage students in learning. When my youngest son was in Kindergarten, I was alerted to the fact that class sizes were extremely large on opening day. I immediately met with former superintendent Smith to voice my concerns. Within the next week, an additional teacher was being hired. Too often the successes in the classroom are being credited to the wrong groups. The teachers are on the front line in the battle to prepare our students and they need the support of all. I hope to be able to support them not only as a parent, but also as a school board member.”
4) Have you ever been convicted of a non-traffic court crime in the United States? If so, please explain all relevant instances.
“No.”
READER-SUBMITTED QUESTIONS
Gov. Daniels' plan would eliminate property tax by increasing sales tax as a source of revenue for the general fund of schools. Since school corporations would therefore rely predominantly on state support, what effect might this have on school finance and what will be your priorities when forced to make any cuts?
“The first phase of this plan will be in effect before this response is published (increase in sales tax). For our school system, I hope that it will provide a more equal distribution of funds per student. Currently, West Clark receives a lower dollar amount per student that other local schools. I have been informed that it would take legislative action in order to change this. I could not find in the Governor's plan whether this is addressed. I hope that this plan will increase our funding amount. I am a little skeptical as to whether this plan will work, but will reserve judgment until it is implemented. I just want to ensure that local school boards retain the ability to set their budgets and make decisions in the best interests of their students. The issue of making cuts to services due to budget constraints is a testy area. I feel that it is vital to ensure that the core student services are protected. I would endorse planned cuts that do not increase class sizes. I would not be in favor of any plan that hinders the ability of our schools to educate our students.”
It seems that some local school boards have become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operation of schools. Do you feel that is an appropriate direction for a board to be moving in, or should it function more as an advisory body?
“I feel that our school board is out of touch with our communities. It is a fine line that must be walked between interfering and leading. I do not feel that the board should be involved in day to day operations. I am a believer in that administrators are hired to do a job and it is the board's job to give them the necessary resources to do so. The board should function in a role of setting policy and ensuring that they are followed. With this in mind, the board should be accessible to the communities and be willing to listen to comments and questions. I am a firm believer in the chain of command and problems being handled at the appropriate level. The boards should act as the final level. I would like to see our board members have corporation email addresses (like other boards in our area). This would allow community members better access to their board representatives.”
What do you plan to do to increase your school corporation's overall high school graduation rate?
“Our corporation graduated 86.5% of its students according to the latest statistics. This is up by 4.6% and is above the state average of 76.5%. At first glance, this appears that we are doing a good job. Upon closer inspection, Henryville High School had a drop of 4.1% to 75.9 which is below the state average. Borden increased by 4.4% to 83.6%. Silver Creek increased by 10.2% to 93.6%. Some might find these numbers to be alright. I do not. I don't understand how there can be such a large gap among schools in the same corporation and so close together economically and geographically. My plan would be to research what is the difference for the disparity in these numbers. Obviously, our students in Henryville are not having their educational needs met. It is vital in today's world to have a high school diploma and above in order to be able to compete. I would look at what is working at SCHS and BHS and try to incorporate their success with the ones at Henryville. I would like to interview students who chose not to continue on their path to a diploma to see what obstacles prevent them from succeeding. By doing this, I would be able to have a better handle on how to better provide for those students.”
Leonard “Gene” Stinson• AGE: 64
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: B.A. in Math and Physical Education from Atlantic Christian College
M.S. in Education from Indiana University
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: I taught Math for 33 years at Borden, Henryville and Silver Creek high schools. For 25 years, I have been the managing partner of The Cabinet Barn, a distributor of kitchen cabinets.
• FAMILY NOTES: I have been married to my wife, Karen Sue, for 47 years. We have two daughters, Kim Flora and Denise Hendershot, and four grandchildren.
1) Why are you running for this position?
“I have been a resident in the West Clark Community School district for many years. As a former teacher, I have been very interested in what our schools do for kids. The major challenge that we face is how can the resources we have be best used to maximize student achievement. Serving on the W.C.C.S. Board will give me the opportunity to contribute something to these kids and my community.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“The current board has spent in excess of 80 million dollars on capital projects during their tenure. There has been considerable debate about the necessity of some of these projects. Secondly, there is a lot of frustration regarding the attendance boundaries for the three schools, and there are some athletic issues that need to be addressed at Henryville High School and Sellersburg Elementary.”
3) What unique contribution will you make to this board?
“The experience I have had teaching in all three high schools in West Clark gives me an unique insight into the needs of these communities, and my business experience will be helpful in dealing with that side of education. Also, I would like to solicit input from each community about their present and future needs.”
4) Have you ever been convicted of a non-traffic court crime in the United States? If so, please explain all relevant instances.
“No.”
READER-SUBMITTED QUESTIONS
Gov. Daniels' plan would eliminate property tax by increasing sales tax as a source of revenue for the general fund of schools. Since school corporations would therefore rely predominantly on state support, what effect might this have on school finance and what will be your priorities when forced to make any cuts?
“A school corporation has two sources for funds - state and local. From these resources a budget would be developed and we will have to live with that budget. If we have a reduction in the revenue across the board cuts would be made.”
It seems that some local school boards have become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operation of schools. Do you feel that is an appropriate direction for a board to be moving in, or should it function more as an advisory body?
“The local board has a lot of input and control over how education is delivered in its district. The board hires the superintendent. It approves the curriculum and all staff hiring. It negotiates and approves salary contracts and makes major decisions about building programs. The day-to-day operations of our schools should be left to the professionals hired for those jobs.”
What do you plan to do to increase your school corporation's overall high school graduation rate?
“The students must be made aware that in today’s world, one must be educated or trained to have any hope of success. Graduating from high school is the first step toward that success.”
Celia Adams Winters• AGE: 70
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: Graduated from Silver Creek High School, attended Indiana University and Ivy Tech.
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Worked for Clarksville School Corporation for 39 years retiring as Corporation Treasurer. Elected 2004 to West Clark School Board.
• FAMILY NOTES: Mother of four, all graduates of Silver Creek High School. Now have three grandchildren attending West Clark Schools. Total grandchildren: nine.
1) Why are you running for this position?
“I am not a single-issue candidate. My genuine interest is in the welfare and education of our children. I want to use my skills to clarify, create and administer effective policies. I plan to do everything I can to see that our school district meets and exceeds educational standards that lead to student success.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“Finances are always a major issue, as well as test scores, attendance rates and graduation. As a board member, I plan to work diligently with my fellow board members and administrators to confront these issues as they arise.”
3) What unique contribution will you make to this board?
“My many years in school administration with the Clarksville School System has, I believe, helped me recognize the critical importance our public schools play in influencing the character, behavior and opportunities for our students. Additonally, I have now served this position for four years, attending many seminars and workshops that has enabled me to have an even more in-depth knowledge.”
4) Have you ever been convicted of a non-traffic court crime in the United States? If so, please explain all relevant instances.
“No.”
READER-SUBMITTED QUESTIONS
Gov. Daniels' plan would eliminate property tax by increasing sales tax as a source of revenue for the general fund of schools. Since school corporations would therefore rely predominantly on state support, what effect might this have on school finance and what will be your priorities when forced to make any cuts?
“If our corporation would be relying predominantly on Governor Daniels tax plan for General fund revenue, some spending cut priorities would be to continue striving for lower operational and maintenance costs, looking carefully at re-hiring when retirements occur, thus keeping our cost per pupil down.”
It seems that some local school boards have become increasingly involved in the day-to-day operation of schools. Do you feel that is an appropriate direction for a board to be moving in, or should it function more as an advisory body?
“Although I strongly believe our school board must serve as an advisory board to set and administer fair policys for all, I feel we must also be well informed of major daily operations.”
What do you plan to do to increase your school corporation's overall high school graduation rate?
“Our corporation High School graduation rate now averages 85 percent. The Indiana state average is 76 percent (2006-07 data). I plan to help implement ways to create new methods and courses to motivate students to desire graduation and thus furthering their career choices.”
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