Candidates debate schools’ future

Some differences but no sharp disagreements emerged from an informal debate between the two candidates for the only contested seat on the Sisters School Board in the May 17 election.

The most dramatic difference appeared after the hour-long debate ended, in a conversation involving the candidates and some members of the audience (see related story, page 35).

Both Rob Corrigan and Jeff Haken agreed that local schools are underfunded despite exceptional efforts by local residents to supplement state funding through the local option levy, the Starry Nights benefit concerts and other forms of aid.

Corrigan said that over the last three years enrollment has increased 16 percent while district spending, corrected for inflation, has grown only 1 percent. Nonetheless, he said the school board should “treat every penny like it’s the last drop of water in the canteen as you cross the desert.”

Haken argued that the board ought to create “a long term-vision, and plan 20 to 40 years down the road.” He also advocated bringing business people and others into the schools, perhaps to teach volunteer classes in their fields of expertise.

Moderator Lisa Smith read from a list of questions gathered by the Sisters Education Association, chief sponsor of the forum. One asked where the candidates would cut the budget if the school board had to cut $250,000.

Corrigan turned to Superintendent Ted Thonstad, seated in the audience, and asked, “Ted?” That drew a round of laughter, but he explained seriously that he would rely on the advice of the district’s top administrators in such a situation.

Haken said that basically the budget can’t be cut by that much.

“We’d have to rally the community” to make the cuts unnecessary, he said. At another point, both also agreed that cutting days from the school calendar, which effectively cuts the salaries of school employees, should be avoided if at all possible.

The two took somewhat different slants on the idea of “running schools like a business,” which Haken has stressed in his campaign. Corrigan said business offers a useful analogy for schools in some ways, but not all. For one thing, he said, “students are customers, not employees.” Schools have no control over their revenue, unlike a business. And schools “can’t no-bid a contract” by refusing to undertake expensive projects such as teaching special needs students.

For his part, Haken said, “I feel children are actually the product we’re producing. And we market to the world.” And he said a school’s customers are the taxpayers.

Both candidates supported the current board’s plan to move fifth grade students to the middle school beginning in the fall of 2006. And they agreed that eventually the district is going to need another elementary school.

When asked about the controversial past program in which the district paid parts of the salaries of some teachers at Sonrise Christian School, both agreed that it was admirably innovative.

But Corrigan supported the program’s suspension and the state investigation to make sure it’s legal, while Haken said the main problem with the program was probably inadequate supervision.

In his closing statement, Haken said, “Most of my friends send their kids to Sonrise, but I love the public school system.” He noted that he grew up in Banks, a small town like Sisters.

Corrigan emphasized his corporate experience with the kind of “financial oversight” that would be helpful on the school board.

But he acknowledged that, “I’m really here because I have two kids in Sisters schools.”

Before the debate began, the two candidates who are running unopposed for other positions on the board — Board Chairman Glen Lasken and Mike Gould — made brief remarks.