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Meet SAU61 School Board Candidates Linda McElhenney & Penny Morin
11:08 AM
Linda McElhinney
Running for School Board position for 3 years.
Why do you want to hold the office you seek?
I
feel it is important for someone to join a board, any board really, not
because they have all the answers, but because they are willing to put
forth the time and effort to ask the questions and share their views and
suggestions. I, for one, have many questions in regards to the School
Board and how the budget process works as well as how the board,
administration, faculty and public work as a whole. I feel that as a
School Board member, I would be able to more fully grasp the issues at
hand, and I am willing to put in the time and effort it will take to
work through the challenges facing our school district. Also, a fresh
perspective would bring about some positive change!
If you are a challenger, describe one challenge you see with the present Board.
One
challenge I see is a lack of a unified vision. The goal of being a top
ten school in ten years is a great one, but I don’t see a clear
actionable plan in place to attain this. I feel that Superintendent
Vaughn is heading the schools in the right direction and the student
centered approach that the board has adopted has gone far to increase
trust and encouragement from both faculty and students. I think the
momentum is there, we just need to keep it moving in the right
direction.
What is your vision for the Farmington School District?
My
vision for the Farmington School District is to raise the perception,
image and reputation of our schools and promote a more positive
educational experience for our students. This can be accomplished in
many ways. One means to this end is to increase parental and community
involvement. We want to attract families to buy homes and put their
children in our schools. The schools are a cornerstone of our community
and how we prioritize our funding and involvement within our schools and
our community says a lot about how we view our town. If we place
education first in regards to budgeting and involvement, it reflects how
important we feel, as taxpayers, about our future generation’s
education.
Do you support accreditation for Farmington Schools? Why or why not?
First
off I just want to say that I have found that accreditation, or lack
thereof, has had little effect on a student’s ability to enter a good
college. A student graduating from High School and moving on to
College will succeed only if they put in the effort to do so. Now, that
being said, I have to say that I can see some benefits of accreditation
for Farmington schools. This has to do with how our town is seen as a
whole. Prospective home buyers that have children will look at schools
and how they rank in comparison to surrounding communities. Having
accredited schools is a benefit to our community and ultimately our
growth, in this regard. However, since I don’t have any numbers to go
by, I am not sure if the benefits outweigh the cost. I want to research
this further to fully understand this issue before I can speak with any
confidence on it.
What improvements would you make to the education of the children of Farmington?
As
I mentioned above, I want to create a more positive educational
experience for our students. I do feel that there is room for
improvement in regards to those students that are excelling in school.
An effort should be placed on keeping these students engaged. There are
many opportunities (e.g. STEM) that are under utilized. I want to focus
not only on the students that want extra help, but those that want more
challenges.
What are the first five actions you would take, or encourage the Board to take, if you were elected?
First
of all, I would review the budget. As the school is potentially
looking at a decrease of over $200,000.00 from their original budget
(not default), there will be many decisions to be made. I am on the
Board of Trustees and treasurer for the Goodwin Library. I have worked
on the Goodwin Library budget and presentation to the town and have
experience with budgets and dealing with limited funding.
Secondly,
I encourage transparency. It is great that the meetings and minutes
are available online, however there should be clearer organization and
management of the website. The parents, public and staff should be made
aware of decisions as they are being made, and given a chance to voice
their opinions.
Next, I would
work to receive more first hand information from parents and staff. One
way I could accomplish this is by taking the time to meet with both
groups through attending PAWS meetings, staff meetings and being
available either in person or via email to parents and taxpayers
questions and concerns. I also have three daughters in middle school so
that helps too.
I want to also
further my understanding of the accreditation process. Is there a
benefit to having this for all three schools? I want to weigh the cost
against the benefit.
And
finally, as I have mentioned, I want to increase parent and community
involvement as well as creating a better relationship between the school
board and the other town boards. We must increase support and
awareness of our schools as they have the ability to attract young
families to move here. And we must change the view that some officials
hold; that our schools are a burden on our town. As my Dad always said,
any decision comes down to priorities. You will always have the time or
funding for those things you put first.
Penny Morin
Running for School Board position for 3 years.
Why am I running for school board…
My goal along with the rest of the current board is
that Farmington schools will be one of the top 10 schools in NH within
the next 10 years. One way we will get there through NEASC
accreditation. I am proud to be part of the team that began the process
with NEASC and would very much like to see the process through fruition.
Another way is keeping academics and services top rate, all students
deserve a challenging education no matter where they are. Having more
opportunities within our district, we will be able to reach many more
students. We need to provide a fair and equitable education serving the
many and not just the few.
I believe that through NEASC accreditation we will be
able to improve not only our schools but our town as well. We need
economic development in order to help alleviate some tax burdens on our
citizens. Our current economic development is lackluster at best, we
need to be proactive and reach out to all businesses.
Knowing that on a board I am one voice I would (1)
encourage members to look at the big picture, we are responsible first
to the students who count on us to provide them with the best education
we can. I would (2) encourage members to give our staff the
opportunities to improve their craft, so that it would best benefit the
students and taxpayers of Farmington. I would (3) encourage
administration to be diligent in their duties to perform evaluations and
encourage staff members. I would (4) encourage students to be proactive
in their education, own it. I would (5) encourage community members to
take an active role in the education of our youth, they are our future.
I want to continue to move the school district forward
while holding taxes at a rate that taxpayers can afford. The current
board reflects diverse points of view, varied experiences, and works in
the best interest of the children, staff and taxpayers.
