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Goals common among school board candidates

JANESVILLE — Balance the budget.

That's the top priority, most of the candidates for Janesville School Board seemed to agree in a forum Monday night.

On the other hand, you've got to provide a top-notch education. No one disagreed with that.

And, of course, you can't ignore the needs of taxpayers in this difficult economy, the candidates said.

So how do they differ? What would they do to balance the budget while considering the needs of Janesville's children and taxpayers?

Very little was said about that at the forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters and Janesville Area Council PTA.

Four incumbents and four challengers are running for five seats on the school board.

The forum, held at the Educational Services Center, was broadcast live on Janesville cable TV. Viewers were invited to call in their questions. No one did.

Divining differences between the eight candidates was nearly impossible most of the night. Here's how the candidates tried to stand out:

Tom Lemmer, challenger: Everyone else on the panel agreed that financial problems are the district's top issue right now, but Lemmer spun his answer differently.

The No. 1 issue facing students is the district's growing poverty, Lemmer said.

"That's one issue I really take personally … We've got to pull our resources together because they are our future," Lemmer said of the students.

"I don't want to see anyone left behind because they can't afford taxes," Lemmer added

Diedre Richard, challenger: She came out strongly for a zero-increase budget in 2009-10. She said that's what people are asking for.

Richard also seemed to lean toward hiring an internal candidate to be the next superintendent. Richard said superintendents tend to stay for three to five years, and if an outsider takes a year to settle in, "I think that argues very much against going outside."

Richard might not get a chance to make that choice, however. The board plans to name a superintendent before the new board takes over in late April.

Greg Ardrey, incumbent: He stood out as being tough on taxes: "We can't lay an additional burden on families."

Ardrey was adamant that core academics are his priority. He said he grew up in a school district where extracurricular activities were cut, but he managed to get a great education, anyway.

No candidate hinted at cutting sports.

When Ardrey was asked about extracurriculars, he said he would never vote to erode "basic academics" and that sports teams should be given more flexibility to raise money.

Peter D. Severson, incumbent: "We can't allow ourselves to provide a second-rate education here just because the economy is bad."

And yet, the board has to walk a fine line as it considers the needs of taxpayers.

Peter Severson said that after last year's acrimonious teacher contract negotiations, the most important thing in upcoming negotiations is to find a way to work in harmony.

Karl Dommershausen, challenger: He seemed to criticize the current board, which he said "economized" on "necessary teaching items" in recent years.

Dommershausen said afterward that he was referring to books the board has delayed buying and broken desks that need replacing.

Dommershausen said the board's job is to find ways to make do with scarce dollars and to provide a high quality education despite budget problems.

Jim Farrell, challenger: He said his strong suit is dealing with precisely the financial problems the district is facing.

Farrell is controller for Orchid International in Monroe.

"I know what it is to deal with scarce resources. I know what it is to deal with people whose jobs may be at risk," Farrell said.

Farrell, the husband of a Whitewater High School teacher, suggested that money is not the most important thing when it comes to motivating teachers, and he said he doesn't anticipate the teachers union will ask for too much when it comes to the bargaining table this spring.

Lori Stottler, incumbent: She said the next superintendent should be a strong communicator who makes student achievement the top priority.

Stottler also said that as the daughter of a union organizer, she is sympathetic to unions, but she said the teachers union should be thinking about ways to change its "cafeteria" health plan.

DuWayne Severson, incumbent: He is no relation to Peter and is the current school board president. He came down heavily in favor of a new charter school to teach a foreign language to elementary students. He said such services could help attract new people to Janesville.

The other candidates seemed to agree, at least partially, although some were more cautious in endorsing it, citing the cost amidst the current budget difficulties.

DuWayne Severson also called for "corporate sponsorships" to help the district pay for athletics.