The News Tribune asked the following question of the six Jefferson City Public Schools Board of Education candidates campaigning for three available seats in the April 4 election:
Do you believe the district and school board's operations have been transparent enough in the past? How, specifically, would you envision a transparent school board?
Lori Massman: "'A lack of transparency' implies things aren't above board, and I don't believe that that is the case. There are a number of rules governing the transparency of public offices and our board has more than complied with them. When a community feels connected to its school board, they trust it to freely handle the management of the district. As a member of the board, I would be personally engaged with the community, seeking input, not just relying on open forums that are oftentimes poorly attended. We can say live streaming would improve transparency, but when was the last time you watched a City Council meeting? A board has to function without going to the community on every issue, but if you want the community to trust you, you need effective ways of reaching out."
Victoria Sterling: "Voters have experienced a climate of secrecy in the school district. They were not transparent about what the academy model was going to cost. They were not transparent about purchasing residential property in the neighborhood close to the school. They are not transparent with closed session votes without a public records request. There's a lot of healing that needs to take place between the school district and the public. One way that can be accomplished is by live-streaming the school board meetings."
Scott Hovis: "No one is perfect, we all make our mistakes. I am sure that the former boards and administrations would love to go back and change the way in which some things were handled, but we can't. Yes, I do believe the district and the school board's operations have not been transparent at times. The reason why we are in the situation that we are in today, with a lack of trust from the community, is because of the lack of transparency on certain decisions. People are asking for the school board meetings to be live streamed. As long as that is a feasible option, with little costs involved, I am good with that. I think at this point, we need to do whatever we can to earn back the trust from the citizens of this community. The board needs to work together as a team and make smart decisions for our district, and we do this by letting people know what it going on at all times. A successful board is one that works as a team and supports the decisions the team makes!"
Don Salcedo: "No, I do not. School board meetings need to be live streamed so the public, especially senior citizens, can watch from home. Allow the citizens to speak at board meetings without being forced to a time limit and the board's predetermined agenda items. Lastly, I want a new position created on the board called the faculty/staff liaison, so that teachers can speak openly about ongoing issues with discipline, curriculum and administrative support. I would be honored, after decades of teacher/student advocacy, to hold this position in order to solve once and for all the issues of teacher empowerment."
Paul Graham: "Transparency is a concern. Board meetings should be live streamed, and the head office needs an audit. Taxpayers spending $90,000,000 every year and asked now for another $130,000,000 for two high schools need to know: how many administrators are in the head office, and what is the ratio of administrators and principals to teachers and students; why an 'in-house' lawyer - paid in the six figures? Which other school district has one? Why the lawsuits? Are 100 teachers and several principals leaving a year? Is the average teacher age only 28? Where does this leave teacher morale and student discipline?"
Editor's note: The school board race began with seven candidates. School board candidate Joshua Dale Harmon, 44, died Feb. 25 in a motor vehicle accident in Jefferson City.
Public forums scheduled for school board, Council candidates
The News Tribune will host two public forums at City Hall, 320 E. McCarty St., prior to the April 4 election.
Tuesday (March 7), the forum will be devoted to school board races and the bond and levy issues facing voters in the Jefferson City School District. The first hour of the forum will be devoted to the school board races; the bond and levy issues will be discussed in the second hour of the forum.
On March 21, the forum will focus on City Council races on the April 4 ballot.
Both forums begin at 6 p.m. in the Council chambers. Reader questions will be incorporated into the forum, and the event will be live streamed on newstribune.com and aired on JCTV.
You can add your voice to the News Tribune election coverage by submitting questions via email to [email protected] or on Twitter with #MoVotes, and we'll follow up by publishing the candidates' responses.