April 07, 2008 11:49 am
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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. Richard Sawyer
• AGE: 43
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: Graduate from Charlestown High School
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Richard Sawyer is the owner of the J. Sawyer Wholesale Bait Store. The store has been owned by the Sawyer family since 1957 and is located on Market Street in Charlestown.
• FAMILY NOTES: Richard is a life long resident of Charlestown. He is the son of Jim and Carolyn Sawyer. He is married to Jo Ann (Knoebel) Sawyer, also a lifelong resident of Charlestown. He has two daughters, Jessica 7 and Jenna 3, a son Josh 23and his fiancé, Alicia Brewer, and is the proud grandfather of 2 year old Ashlyn Sawyer.
1) Why are you running for this position?
“I am running for Greater Clark County School Board because I have the personal integrity and financial know-how to improve the educational environment and fiscal management of our school district.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“I am greatly concerned about the financial situation facing Greater Clark County Schools. Our current board has spent over 19 million dollars in recent years. This kind of flagrant financial irresponsibility has now put our corporation in a financial crisis. The plan of the current board to deal with this crisis is to lay off teachers. Fewer teachers mean larger class sizes. Larger class sizes means less personal attention and a decline in academic achievement for our children in a school district already struggling to meet the state requirements. This is not acceptable to me. I will search every avenue to find other budget cuts and leave teacher lay offs as a very last resort.”
3) What unique contribution will you make to this board?
“I bring the personal experience of being a part of and running a successful business for over 25 years. I am personally dedicated to making Greater Clark County Schools the best it can be for my children, my grandchild, and for all of the children of the Greater Clark County School district.”
4) Have you ever been convicted of a non-traffic court crime in the United States? If so, please explain all relevant instances.
“As a 12 year veteran of the Charlestown Police Reserve Department, I have never been accused nor convicted of any non-traffic crimes nor have I been accused of ever using my position of authority in an abusive or threatening manner. I stand for integrity and can be a representative of which our community can be proud.”
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?
“By dropping the property tax and raising the sales tax by 1%, the state is hoping these two changes will offset each other. I agree with allowing visitors to our area to share in the tax burden and give our property owners some relief. I don't foresee a big decline in state support because of these measures; however, if we are forced to make budget cuts, my top priority will be to maintain the educational integrity of our district. With that in mind, I will do all I can do to keep teachers employed and our class sizes from increasing.”
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?
“School boards were designed so that the community interests were represented and so the administration had a collective body to advise accordingly. I believe these two entities can work together respectively and make responsible decisions for our district. There are issues I think the board should have strong input on such as the remodeling and rebuilding of our new schools. The community representatives should have input on what classes and departments should be included or eliminated from our schools. These decisions directly affect the future of our children and the opinions of “We the people” should be heard and directly affect these decisions.”
What do you plan to do to increase your school corporation's overall high school graduation rate?
“I believe that success in high school begins at the elementary and middle school levels. We need to provide intervention programs and adequate remediation for children as soon as they show signs of struggle. We as parents need to be actively involved in our children's education. Every child deserves the ability to read and write. If we focus on the young student and make sure they have the tools they need for high school, then graduation will be a reality rather than the impossible dream.
“At the high school level, incentive programs to encourage teens to stay in school, work-study programs, programs to help students learn a trade, and reasonable common-since attendance policies may help improve graduation rates.” James H. (Jim) Wesp
• AGE: 55
• EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS: Masters in Public Health, Masters in Business Administration - University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
• CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: 30 years as a healthcare administrator, 18 years as a hospital CEO
• FAMILY NOTES: Married 18 years (Jill); Daughter, Sarah (16), Junior at Charlestown High School; Daughter, Emma (13), 8th grader at Charlestown Middle School; Son, Tanner (10), 4th grader at Jonathan Jennings Elementary
1) Why are you running for this position?
“Our children are our most valuable resource. They are the future of our county and our nation. A child's path to success is paved by their individual desire to learn and achieve. It is our responsibility to see that they have a better chance at achieving academic success than we did. Our children are not only competing against their classmates for future professional opportunities, they are competing against students from all over the world. Academic achievement in the US has remained stagnant or declined over the last generation when compared to the achievement scores for students in other countries. ISTEP scores for Greater Clark students (in the aggregate) are lower than the median scores for the State. This can not continue if we expect our children to have a chance at successful careers. Greater Clark must focus on academic achievement as the fundamental bedrock of a Strategic Education Plan. Confidence, inquisitiveness, and self-worth flourish with a stimulating blend of academics, the arts, and athletics.”
2) What is the most important issue facing this position and what is your plan to resolve it?
“As I became involved in the recent issues surrounding the capital construction program for Greater Clark, I realized that the School Corporation had no strategic plan; either at the curricula or facilities level. A strategic plan is the fundamental operating and communications tool for any organization. It creates the basis for measuring programmatic achievement (goals attained), environmental assessment (internal/external factors in success), and revisions and modifications for the future. The physical facilities for the majority of the corporation are in decline or outdated (there is no plan). Many schools are overcrowded and the county is poised for exponential growth in the next five to ten years (there is no plan). The schools are the economic engines of our community and they must be ready to meet the challenge of growth; physically and in academic standards. A comprehensive strategic plan will set a course for the future and improve communications at all levels.”
3) What unique contribution will you make to this board?
“Hard work and a single-minded vision to create an environment of excellence for our children.”
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 QUESTION
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?
“Property taxes account for less than 50% of the total operating budget for our school system. A majority of our funding comes from a mix of State and Federal funds. There are pluses and minuses to every system of taxation. However, with the recent troubles we have had getting property tax bills calculated and distributed and, the uproar that the new rates have created in the county, a sales tax may be an easier and more comprehensive way to distribute the burden across the State based upon consumption versus a debate over property value. Without any prior knowledge of GCS corporation budgets, it would be difficult to specify cuts at this point. However, my priority would be to preserve/strengthen academics, first.”
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 School Board has no business inserting itself into daily operations; that is the reason you hire and place your confidence in a qualified Superintendent. There is a fundamental responsibiility of Board members to visit school campuses and talk with principals, teachers, and students on a regular basis. However, this should be for information-gathering purposes, only. A Board member has no authority to direct the business of any school in the corporation on an operational level.”
What do you plan to do to increase your school corporation's overall high school graduation rate?
“Unfortunately, we can not force a child to stay in school beyond the federally required minimum based upon age. While I believe this minimum is archaic and based upon a largely farm-based economy of our parent's generation, it is, nevertheless, the law. We need to further understand the reasons that students "drop out". We need to get parents more involved by extending the learning environment into the home. We need to create a learning environment that inspires and stimulates at all levels. And, we need to show our kids, through role models and actual examples, what the value of a high school diploma can be. My experience on the Board of KentuckianaWorks gave me great insight into this dilemma and how working with kids as early as elementary school significantly impacts graduation rates.”
Candidates(s) listed on the ballot that did not submit questionnaires by deadline include: Ernie Gilbert of Charlestown.
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