MATT KIERNANStaff Writer
KENNEBUNK — Regional School Unit 21 held its candidates’ night Monday at Kennebunk Town Hall, allowing prospective school board members to answer questions on key topics affecting the district and build platforms for their candidacies.
Eight candidates are vying for the 14-member board’s five open spots: Arundel’s Leia Lowery and Diane Robbins; Kennebunk’s Robert Higgins, Brad Huot, Ed Karytko, and Arthur Leblanc; and Kennebunkport’s Alicia Kellett and Maureen King. The positions will be filled in voting on June 14 at polling stations, the same day as the district’s scheduled budget referendum.
Of the five spots open on the board, one is for Arundel, three for Kennebunk and one is for Kennebunkport.
York County Coast Star managing editor Laura Dolce hosted the event, asking four main questions that focused on whether it is possible to give a world-class education for students without burdening the taxpayers, if the Thornton Academy Middle School contract buyout should be pursued, if consolidation has worked for the district, and how they would handle the district’s multi-million dollar construction projects.
Whether for or against the buyout, the majority of the candidates said the district should move on from the topic.Karytko, who has four children who have graduated from Kennebunk High School, added that he feels the TAMS issue has divided the community and that the money could be used toward supporting arts and sciences in schools.
On what the board could improve upon, communication was the prominent answer given.
If the board explains better to the public what they would like to approve for the district, said Robbins, they will have a better chance of having it passed. Robbins has lived in Arundel for 30 years and is a former Budget Board Committee in Arundel member.
Many of the candidates said they were unsure if the consolidation of the three towns’ schools was the best choice to make, but realized that the formation is most likely here to stay, barring a complicated withdrawal process.
“Consolidation is absolutely working,” said Lowery, who has been on the school board for more than two years.
King, who has been on the board since 1999, was equally optimistic about the consolidation.
“They (students) don’t really seem to be suffering,” she said, adding, “Adults seem to be getting in the way of consolidation more than children.”
A concern for some of the candidates was how community members could vote on issues if they couldn’t understand the proposals because of not knowing the meaning of abbreviations and full effects of budgets.
“The budget needs to be a lot more transparent than it is,” said Higgins, a member of the board of selectmen and resident of Kennebunk since 1960.
Kellett said she was also unsatisfied with the forming of budgets.
“Once you’ve sat down and explained it (a proposal) to them, they will support it,” she said.
Commenting on the passing of renovation funds for the Middle School of the Kennebunks and KHS, Leblanc voiced his support for their constructions.
“We’ve long ignored our high school,” he said.
During his closing remarks, Huot recommended the board become more visible and listen more carefully to residents.
During the forum, questions were submitted by community members to RSU 21, to be read by Dolce. Entering a term of three years, the school board hopefuls who are voted in will take office July 1.
— Staff Writer Matt Kiernan can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 326, or at mkiernan@journaltribune.com.
Eight candidates are vying for the 14-member board’s five open spots: Arundel’s Leia Lowery and Diane Robbins; Kennebunk’s Robert Higgins, Brad Huot, Ed Karytko, and Arthur Leblanc; and Kennebunkport’s Alicia Kellett and Maureen King. The positions will be filled in voting on June 14 at polling stations, the same day as the district’s scheduled budget referendum.
Of the five spots open on the board, one is for Arundel, three for Kennebunk and one is for Kennebunkport.
York County Coast Star managing editor Laura Dolce hosted the event, asking four main questions that focused on whether it is possible to give a world-class education for students without burdening the taxpayers, if the Thornton Academy Middle School contract buyout should be pursued, if consolidation has worked for the district, and how they would handle the district’s multi-million dollar construction projects.
Whether for or against the buyout, the majority of the candidates said the district should move on from the topic.Karytko, who has four children who have graduated from Kennebunk High School, added that he feels the TAMS issue has divided the community and that the money could be used toward supporting arts and sciences in schools.
“I think it was something that could have been avoided,” said Karytko.
On what the board could improve upon, communication was the prominent answer given.
If the board explains better to the public what they would like to approve for the district, said Robbins, they will have a better chance of having it passed. Robbins has lived in Arundel for 30 years and is a former Budget Board Committee in Arundel member.
Many of the candidates said they were unsure if the consolidation of the three towns’ schools was the best choice to make, but realized that the formation is most likely here to stay, barring a complicated withdrawal process.
“Consolidation is absolutely working,” said Lowery, who has been on the school board for more than two years.
King, who has been on the board since 1999, was equally optimistic about the consolidation.
“They (students) don’t really seem to be suffering,” she said, adding, “Adults seem to be getting in the way of consolidation more than children.”
A concern for some of the candidates was how community members could vote on issues if they couldn’t understand the proposals because of not knowing the meaning of abbreviations and full effects of budgets.
“The budget needs to be a lot more transparent than it is,” said Higgins, a member of the board of selectmen and resident of Kennebunk since 1960.
Kellett said she was also unsatisfied with the forming of budgets.
“Once you’ve sat down and explained it (a proposal) to them, they will support it,” she said.
Commenting on the passing of renovation funds for the Middle School of the Kennebunks and KHS, Leblanc voiced his support for their constructions.
“We’ve long ignored our high school,” he said.
During his closing remarks, Huot recommended the board become more visible and listen more carefully to residents.
During the forum, questions were submitted by community members to RSU 21, to be read by Dolce. Entering a term of three years, the school board hopefuls who are voted in will take office July 1.
— Staff Writer Matt Kiernan can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 326, or at mkiernan@journaltribune.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment