Dist. 300 candidate forum had its moments

Du Quoin Board of Education candidates and members of the audience left few stones unturned at Thursday night's public forum at city hall.

The event was sponsored by the Du Quoin Evening Call and televised as a public service by New Wave Communications. Craig Smith was the moderator and was complimented by candidates on how it was handled.

Topics of bullying, test scores, the quality of the teachers we hire, tenure vs. merit, Dr. Gary Kelly's new multi-year contract, budget expenses, budget cuts, property taxes and school safety were all on the table.

All six candidates--very high quality men and women--participated in the forum. All were sincere, spoke their convictions and at the end of the day felt either their votes or their beliefs came from the heart.

Those attending were incumbents Joe Day, Mike Ward and Charles "Beaver" Rice and candidates Aaron Wright, Pat Ferrari and Dennis Cole.

The time clock went out the window as the three-minute limit stretched to four and five minutes. Some candidates at the outset wanted to stand and speak to the audience. The sound get better as they moved to the microphone.

The most impassioned questions came from resident Mrs. Aaron Hottes, who questioned candidates about bullying. "My children go to school here. I have one child who was bullied and bloodied, bullied and bloodied. Why are there not cameras in that (DMS) school? It starts from the top. The raise (superintendent) just got could have bought cameras. We need to get quicker."

Candidate Pat Ferrari, both a business teacher and assistant principal during her teaching career, said, "Bullying is tough. You have to have evidence. I would have to walk students to class."

Incumbent Michael Ward, who voted against both Dr. Kelly's recent multi-year contract and tax increases, said the board has been diligent on addressing security. "This isn't a matter of cost. It's a matter of child safety. "I would like to see zero tolerance on bullying."

Day said, "The school is 13 years old and the system is old" as he and board work to update it.

Wright sad his years in education include being a prevention specialist in Jackson County with respect to bullying. "I have the energy and new ideas" to help.

Resident Maurice Reidelberger had questions for candidate Dennis Cole, who said 62 percent of Du Quoin taxpayers' money goes to District 300. "We have to have accountability." He asked incumbent Joe Day about decisions and spending. "I haven't done anything I didn't think was right," said Day, who said he respected Dr. Kelly's leadership skills.

Candidate Ferrari was asked about the budget and teachers, "Inflation affects it. I don't want to cut teachers and the staff. We might want to look at the top (a reference to the administration)."

With respect to a district's ability to provide quality education, candidate Aaron Wright commented, "The state has handcuffed the school district." Cole added, "I know we can trim 10 or 15 percent. We raise the budget 4.9 percent every year. If we stop that and cut another 4.9 percent, that's over 9 percent and we should be able to save over $1 million."

Resident Rick Krone challenged board member Beaver Rice that he had not talked about his accomplishments on the board. "It's not my accomplishments," said Rice, giving credit to the work of the staff, the students and the taxpayers for the progress in the district.

Krone asked candidate Cole about the superintendent's new contract. "I have never heard such an outcry. Mr. Kelly will retire with a $200,000 pension. You need to lead by example."

Rice gave a great deal of credit to Dr. Kelly on one level. He said with respect to state funding and keeping the board informed on state monies and budget numbers, "Dr. Kelly gives us more information than we can comprehend."

Ward said he was one of three "no" votes on the contract. He said there was no reason that the board should have voted for a new superintendent's contract 18 months before the current contract expires. "We are going to have rising insurance and pension costs."

Ferrari said, "You should never offer a five-year contract. You should offer no more than a two-year contract. When resident Tom Hamlin asked Ferrari whether she preferred raises based on a contract or based on merit, she said, "I am really against merit raises because they are subjective. She said whomever assesses the merit must be trustworthy. He asked Day if tenure "enhances or hinders children." He said, "It could go both ways."

Day said the district tries to hire quality teachers all the time.

Cole was asked about priorities. A big sports fan, Cole said however, "Do we want football champions or scholars? Scholars."Rice said academics are very important, "but extracurriculars make a community" because some students cannot be scholars. More next week.