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MDL has sent out questionnaires to the school board candidates and, I assume, the city council candidates. I've just posted the questions from MDL's Chuck Clement for school board candidates as an update on my Madison Central School Board election conversation post. Clement asks about trimesters, the gym, preschool, foreign language classes, discipline, and AIM High. Did he miss anything? Post your thoughts here.
And how about the city candidates? Monica, Scott, Kelli, Dick -- care to give us a preview of your questions... and your answers?
I'm working on my responses -- you'll see them here next week and in the Leader the week of the 24th. And don't forget: you can come grill me in person next week on Tuesday, March 18, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Madison Public Library.
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Questions for School Board Candidates:
ReplyDeleteWould you support another four year opt out when the current opt out expires?
Our fleet of buses are high mileage. How would you replace them?
The curbs and sidewalks around the high school are old and in tough shape. How would you pay for replacing?
Would you support investing in a geothermal heating/cooling system in the high school and middle school and the new grade school if it had a reasonable payback period?
How will you maintain competitive salaries for teachers and support staff?
Thank you.
Good questions, Anon!
ReplyDeletesupport another opt-out? That depends entirely on the financial situation. I don't like opt-outs because I don't like our tax system, period. Property tax is a bad way to tax. But that's an issue for Pierre; school boards have to play with the tax-system cards they're dealt. If we need the money to maintain educational programs and pay teachers competitive wages, sure, I'll support it. But I need to see the numbers and hear the case made for it first.
replacing the buses? My wife and I follow the "drive it 'til it dies" philosophy. But with the school, we're talking about vehicles that need to be reliable. I don't have a quick answer, but to get an answer, the first people I want input from are the bus barn chief and the drivers: How are the buses holding up? Which ones can you keep running, and which ones absolutely don't have another year of service in them?
replacing curbs and sidewalks? Are curbs the city's responsibility? Maybe not in the parking lots. Sidewalks are a greater concern, though if we have to make a choice, I'll patch up the high school building first and let the sidewalk get a couple more cracks. How do we pay for it? Sounds like capital outlay -- just have to see when we have enough money saved up to do the job.
geothermal? Heck, show me a reasonable break-even point, and I'd like to put up a windmill like they have in Pipestone (and like Rutland hopes to). Get that, geothermal, solar panels, corn burners... we could create a whole renewable energy curriculum in our science department! Now there are some real-world skills for our kids to take to the job market.
competitive teacher salaries? Madison's doing o.k. compared to the rest of the state -- the webpage that I used to consult on that has disappeared, but I recall seeing Madison ranked in the top 20 or better in the state for teacher pay. Of course, we're still behind our competitors in MN, ND, IA.... How do we compete? That's just a matter of public will: how much are you willing to pay for quality teachers? It's also a matter of promoting economic development and higher wages throughout the city of Madison. The school board can't do this alone (although education is the first step to economic development), but if the City of Madison can attract and keep more high-paying employers, we'll have more tax base to draw from.
Thank you for the questions! Jay, Paul, Tammy, if you're reading, feel free to post your own responses. (Or start your own blogs... and post a link here!)