Remember to vote for three candidates on Tuesday May 21
By Andrew Harris
SUN: Would you be agreeable to merging with smaller school districts like Scio, Whitesville, and Andover ? Why or why not?
WIXSON: At this point I am unsure how I would feel about a merger. I would have to request that a merger study be done before making a decision. Depending on results of a study, if the findings showed that it would be beneficial to all the students involved, I would be for it.
SUN: Wellsville has low test scores compared to the rest of the region according to the latest state reports. There are infrastructure improvements needed in the schools and buildings and grounds (including athletics) and we have a lot of teaching openings. There is also a budget to be done. What are your priorities as a board member?
WIXSON: One of my top priorities is to find out why test scores are low and teachers are leaving the district, and why no one is wanting to come into the district. I believe supporting the teachers and listening to their concerns will uncover the the reason behind the low test scores. I talked to former faculty members and they feel they were not supported or trusted by administration to do the job for which they were hired. I think encouraging teachers to foster healthy relationships with their students will also show the students they care about their education. I believe that making sure the faculty and students feel supported by administration and the board will ultimately solve the low testing scores. Infrastructure improvements are always needed to keep the students, faculty and visitors safe. One example is the replacement of the concession building at the football field. Until I attended the board meeting on March 26th, I had no idea the reason they wanted to replace it was due to safety issues. With better communication between the board and the public, I believe that would have gotten passed last year, rather than pushed to this year.
SUN: How do you explain the historic number of candidates for a volunteer school board spot ? What is the number one reason you gathered signatures and filed a petition?
WIXSON: I believe the reason for the number of people who have gotten involved in this election has everything to do with how the firing of the softball coach was handled, and the appearance that a majority of the board did not listen to the community who spoke at that board meeting. I started thinking about running last year because I was concerned over the amount of money they were asking for to rebuild the concession building at the football field, but I was too late to get in it last year. I wanted to run this year because I feel my experience with serving on two different boards, dealing with budgeting, and communication with voters can be an asset to the community. On March 13th, I found out that petitions were available, I got my petition on March 14th, and turned it in on March 22nd.
