Challenging candidate answers three questions on serving Wellsville Central School District
By Andrew Harris,
We’ve asked four candidates on the Tuesday May 20 ballot some big picture questions to give voters more insight into each potential future school board members. Voting will take place at the Wellsville Secondary School from noon until 9pm, Riverside Lobby entrance
SUN: WCSD spending on athletics, athletic facilities, and athletic administration has been a hot-button issue for several years. Based on recent state academic assessments, student performance is a serious concern. Is the district allocating too many resources to athletics at the expense of academics?
HART: To answer your question, I believe we need to continue to monitor our spending in a responsible manor, but how do you put a price on the benefits to our student athletes? Athletics teaches skills that are not necessarily the focus of the classroom such as: teamwork, cooperation, leadership and life skills as in how to deal with challenges and failure in a healthy way. There definitely needs to be a balance, but I don’t have an issue modernizing our athletic fields with a focus on safety and energy efficiency. I recently read an article that a high percentage of our student athletes are performing in the classroom too. But that is not the only place our students thrive, have you been to one of the award-winning Theater Productions lately? The Odyssey of the Mind, LEGO and Robotics Teams are very successful in competition, but more importantly they allow more students to expand their minds. The Music program is top notch providing the community wonderful concerts. All of these are important to a healthy school district and are what parents are looking for when making decisions on their children’s education, potentially bringing more families to Wellsville. I will work with the BOE to make sure all school programs are properly funded.
Should I be elected, I will ensure academics are the most important mission of our district. I am interested to learn more about what the state assessments results were and see what the school districts plan is to address these results.
SUN: Financial viability is a concern for all Allegany County public schools. Is it time to consolidate our schools into a county school system? Should Wellsville CSD lead that transformation?
HART: Mergers are voted on by the taxpayers and Wellsville doesn’t have a great track record in such votes in the past. Mergers, by their very nature, have had a disrupting effect for years on the combined school districts, I’m not sure we are at that point where a merger makes sense. I would like to see a study conducted by qualified professionals to evaluate the pros and cons of a merger. We need to continue to evaluate this going forward. As the population of Wellsville shrinks there may be a time when it becomes more difficult to operate without merging schools. I’m just not sure we are there yet. I have sat on a budget review committee and capital improvement planning committee in the recent past. I was very impressed with the financial responsibility to the taxpayers of Wellsville by the business officials of our district. Are there challenges ahead, absolutely, but I believe we are well positioned to identify and address them. Fiscal responsibility will be one of my priorities.
SUN: What is your biggest concern for Wellsville CSD and how do you plan to be part of solving that problem if elected?
HART: This is the question that keeps me up at night and made me decide to run for the school board. My biggest concern is preparing our children, at every level, to be successful in an ever-changing world. Making sure no child is left behind is a priority. I recognize that not every student has the same support system, and their school environment is sometimes the most positive part of their day. Students need to learn in a safe, respectful environment where their needs are prioritized by the administration. The faculty and staff need to be appreciated and encouraged to go above and beyond the call of duty and given the resources to do so.
If elected, I will prepare to meet the challenges of the BOE by working hard on the committees I am assigned as a member and support the other board members in their commitments. I will work hard to educate myself in the facts and engage in respectful discussions on topics of concern. I will leave my personal opinions aside and base my decisions on what I believe, through honest and respectful discourse with others, will serve the greater good of our school district and community as a whole. I will work with our faculty and staff to get their input on issues as they are our front-line leaders and have the best view of the issues. I will trust our professionals in their decisions but verify for myself before voting on important issues. I don’t have a personal agenda I’m trying to promote, nor do I have an ax to grind to atone for a real or imagined slight to me or my family. I simply want to do what I can to promote the future of education in Wellsville.
In conclusion, Wellsville is very lucky to have a strong BOE, many communities can’t find anyone willing to run for an open seat. We have a very strong slate of candidates and the future of the BOE looks bright. I hope to see many parents, faculty, staff and taxpayers at the Wellsville Brewing Company this Friday, May 16th from 6-8 for a meet and greet.
