Thursday, March 06, 2008

Please Join Us Thursday Evening

New posts are below

The press release

The election on April 1st will include three open seats on the Evansville District School Board, each for a three year term. A forum, showcasing the School Board candidates will be held on Thursday, March 6, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Commons area of the J.C. McKenna Middle School, 307 South First Street. The 90-minute event is planned to allow each candidate time to present their vision for the district to the public.

“Jim Brooks and I organized a similar event last year when we realized we had 6 great candidates vying to fill 2 seats,” said Karen Aikman, one of the event organizers. “Since we had such positive feedback, and we again find we have more candidates than seats available, we felt it appropriate to organize another forum. Like last year, the candidates will each be provided with the list of the questions to be asked so that their responses will be well thought out and exactly what they want them to be. It is our feeling that these issues are important enough to warrant a considered response.”

Each candidate will be given three minutes to respond to each of five questions. The questions are:

1) You have each chosen to take on the difficult and rewarding task of running for the Evansville School Board. Please introduce yourself and tell us why you are seeking a seat on the School Board.

2) The position of School District Administrator often acts as lightning rod for the district. Please describe the perfect relationship between a School Board and its Administrator.

3) Sex, drugs, and rock and roll, or equivalent issues, have concerned parents for generations. What role or responsibility, if any, do you believe the School Board can play in shaping student culture?

4) In times of tight budgets athletic and other extra-curricular programs often compete against academic programs for support. Please share your thoughts on maintaining balance when making funding decisions.

5) Kindergarten programs of many varieties have drawn much attention in the past few years. What is your vision for the correct mix of half-day, full-day and 4K programs in the Evansville School District?

“We hope that this forum will be a starting point for the district rather than a stand-alone event. The voters seldom get a chance to meet the candidates in a venue like this and the candidates will have a unique opportunity to frame their own platform for the voters,” said Jim Brooks, the event’s other organizer. “Karen and I hope that the public will stay after the forum to meet with the candidates.”

Each of the four candidates has been invited to participate. The candidates are:
Michael Pierick, 126 Grove St., Evansville,
Dennis Hatfield, 14202 Golf Air Drive, Evansville,
Joyce Parizo, 492 Badger Drive, Evansville, and
Kathi Swanson, 4322 N. Cornfield Drive, Evansville,

No comments: