Voters in the Greene County school district will not only consider a proposed $19.4 million bond issue for construction and renovation, but they will also elect a school board member.
Mike Dennhardt of Rippey, who was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Susan Burkett last winter, is challenged by Jonathan “J.B” Hinote of Jefferson. The person elected will serve until Bukett’s term expires in 2017.
GreeneCountyNewsOnline asked both candidates questions to help voters determine the best candidate. Their answers follow verbatim
What qualifications or experience would you bring to the board of education?
Dennhardt: I am very involved in our schools and community activities and also volunteer in many youth programs. I am a lifelong resident and graduate of Greene County. Having served on the school board for several months it has given me an opportunity to learn what is required of a school board member. Being a business owner helps to understand the budget and how things work.
Hinote: That is the beauty of representative government. There are no specified traits or trainings that qualify a person for those positions. That being said there are some things that I bring to the table that I believe will be beneficial to the district. First I am in information technology. I have been working in local businesses for six years in their IT departments. As more and more things come on line, and society uses technology more and more, I believe that a board member that understands the “lingo” spoken by the school’s technology staff and also any consultants that may come in will help make informed decisions. Also I have had to, in these jobs, work to find balance between two differing opinions to do what is best for the company. I often times have to resolve the security concerns of my upper management, while making sure that operations staff have the tools necessary to do their jobs. These skills will be beneficial in helping balance what parents and community members expect from the board and what is best for the school district.
What is your familiarity with our current curricula and staff? How often are you in any of our school buildings?
Dennhardt: Having three very active kids in our school district I feel I have a basic understanding of our curriculum and am very involved in following our school functions.
Hinote: I have four children in this school district. I have two children in the elementary school, one in the intermediate school, and one in the middle school. I also have four nephews and three nieces that go to school here. My sister-in-law is a second grade teacher and my brother coached basketball here for several years. Between parent teacher conferences, basketball games, football games, concerts, and a host of other events, I am in the school buildings on a somewhat regular basis. I see the work my kids bring home from school, and have fairly regular conversations with their teachers.
The school is often called upon to deal with home/social issues (for example, neglect, bullying financial need) that impact a student’s ability to learn and behave appropriately at school. What do you think is the school’s role in dealing with such issues?
Dennhardt: I think the school’s role is very important to all children within the school’s legal parameters.
Hinote: As a conservative I generally believe that state controlled entities should have a very limited role in the personal lives of students and parents lives. I am reluctant to make blanket statements about all social issues. I think each one should be considered individually. I will address some of the things mentioned specifically in the question. As far as neglect is concerned, we should not sit by and do nothing if we see a child’s safety in question. But I think there needs to be a process developed on how to handle these situations. I am not a fan of giving the school administration complete authority to decide what is neglect and not. I think there needs to be accountability in every aspect of the process. As far as bullying is concerned, that is a big buzzword right now. I think we need to have a policy of preventing bullying. I also think that we need to carefully define what bullying is. You are talking to the guy who got chased home from school by bigger kids. I also was hit and punched, on more than one occasion because I sang, and was involved in school plays and not sports. I understand what bullying is. I don’t want any kid being bullied. I also don’t want to punish a kid when they are falsely accused either. We need to define bullying, establish a process for proving bullying, and then come up with appropriate consequences for the actions committed. As far as financial need, my family believes in helping those in need. It is integral in everything we teach our kids. I do not believe that we should use people’s tax dollars for this purpose. I would like to see the school establish partnerships with local churches, businesses, and nonprofits where if the school sees a need they have an open avenue of communication to request help from those entities. This is by far my biggest dream for our school – that we could create such a partnership between the community and the school that no child would ever lack weather-appropriate clothing and access to basic needs. This can help create an attitude of generosity in the kids of the school, and create ties to the community that they will never forget. I guess what I am trying to say with this question is that we need to carefully look at each issue and craft a policy that protects all students. We should adopt an attitude of cooperation first before we become the adversary.
Typically members of the community interact with the school board only on “hot” issues. Would you encourage interaction between the community and the school board? How would you do that?
Dennhardt: We, as a school board,, have added the special session meeting where people from the community are welcome to come in and voice concerns or compliment issues they would like to discuss. I think this has been a nice addition for the community to have the chance to talk about these types of situations.
Hinote: First of all, yes I encourage interaction between community and the school board. The school board is composed of elected officials. Elected officials are accountable to the people that elect them. How can I be accountable if I never hear from them? This can be accomplished through a variety of ways. Probably the easiest way to do this is through an email address that all board members have access to. That way members of the community send one message and all board members see it. I am open to discussing other ways as well.
When working with the school budget, how should the board balance the need for rigorous academic instruction with the need to provide programs that engage students in school (such as music, art, athletics)?
Dennhardt: Academic education should be the first priority! I feel that music, art and athletics are also very important to balance students and their all-around education.
Hinote: This is not an easy question. I believe any and all efforts should be made to allow for extra-curricular activities. Most colleges that have to choose between students, will do so based on those activities. After all efforts are made and we still have to choose between one or the other I think we have to choose academics first. I went back to college in 2008. One of the classes they made me take was business math. In this class the first thing that they went through was reading and writing numbers. I was so angry that I paid money for a college level class that was teaching things they should have learned in the second grade. I asked the professor about it and his response was that most students need it. This has got to change. If our students don’t have the basic knowledge to function in college, then we have failed them. We have to put academics first.
In fewer than 50 words, why would you be a great board of education member?
Dennhardt: In my experience with being a member of the board I look at the facts before making decisions. I am not afraid to voice my beliefs when making decisions and always base them on what is best for our kids and the district. I am always open to hearing input from the community. I want to see our school system excel in all areas. Please feel free to contact me with any questions at 515-370-0226 or email me at dennhardtfam5@earthlink.net
Hinote: I don’t know if I will make a great school board member. But I do know that I care deeply about the kids of this community. All of them. And I will gladly stand, by myself if I have to, for what I feel is best for them.
