Westerhof, Dick Vie For Warsaw School Board Seat
October 23, 2022 at 8:04 p.m.
By Jackie [email protected]
Today’s answers are from Matt Dick and Tom?Westerhof, who are running for Warsaw School Board District 1. The other school board races will be featured during this week.
Question 1: What qualifications do you possess make you the best candidate for the school board position?
Dick: I am a conservative candidate with a passion to see conservative values represented at the local level. I previously served as the District 1 representative from 2010-18, where I was selected to serve as vice president of the board for seven of eight years.
I feel my time away from the board the last four years allows me to bring a unique mix of experience and fresh ideas.
My wife, Nicole Ryman, has been a teacher at Washington for the past 29 years. This gives me a special appreciation for the challenges and triumphs our teachers and students experience on a daily basis.
I believe that my past experience of serving on the board coupled with my knowledge of culture and climate inside of our buildings add immense value to the team. I have a proven track record of standing up for my beliefs and for allowing the voices of my constituents in District 1 to be heard.
Westerhof: I'm a parent of two students currently in the Warsaw school system. My wife and I will have children in Warsaw schools for the next 12 years so we have a vested interest in seeing them succeed.
Our schools exist to serve and educate the students. Every decision we make must have their interests in mind. I believe parents of current students are in the best position to do that.
I've also worked for an educational institution for almost 20 years. I understand the struggles our schools face, from budgets and funding to parental rights, curriculum adoption and the ever-expanding role of schools in our daily lives. I live it through my kids and I live it through my job every day.
Question 2: How much experience do you have with budgets and how would you approach your school corporation’s budget if you’re elected to the board?
Dick: I have two terms previously served on the board. There is a steep learning curve when it comes to school budgets and finances. An honest answer from any board member should be that they are constantly learning about the budgeting process.
WCS Chief Financial Officer April Fitterling was just starting in her role when my term ended in 2018. The approach I would take would be to trust but ask questions. April is in her role for a reason. She is extremely good at her job.
I was a business education major in college and have run my own business for the past 20 years at Silveus Insurance. The budgets I see daily and my success in my own business are completely different from running close to a $100 million annual operating budget.
Trust, transparency and open lines of communication sum up my approach. When I go on a hunting trip out west I don’t “guide the guide” but I ask questions and eventually we may start making decisions together.
Westerhof: I have worked with budgets during my nearly 19 years in procurement in the educational field, from large purchases in the millions of dollars to enterprise-wide projects and multi-year contracts in the tens of millions of dollars. I also have budget experience on the non-profit boards I serve on.
I would approach our school corporation's budget from a fiscally conservative point of view. My career has been spent making sure every dollar is stretched as far as it can go. With the rising costs of inflation, that has never been more important.
Question 3: How much input should the public, especially parents, have in the school district, especially at school board meetings and why?
Dick: The public’s voice should always be allowed to be heard. I believe that currently in every board meeting there are two scheduled times, at the beginning and at the end, for public input.
Dr. Hoffert also has a proven track record of meeting individually with parents or individuals from the community who have questions or concerns. The time limit at board meetings is 2 minutes per speaker. In my previous eight years, we did not have many instances of controversial topics which may require more time.
A public school system serves the parents and tax paying citizens of its community. Their voices must and should be allowed to be heard. In instances where a controversial topic may draw more attendance and multiple speakers, allowances should be made on the time limit per speaker. The School Board is in place to serve and listen to its constituents.
Westerhof: I'm a parent of students so parental rights is a subject that is very important to me. Parents have to know that their opinions matter and that their voices are heard.
The issue with school board meetings is that the school staff and board members aren't required to respond to public comments. I understand that there’s nothing more frustrating as a parent than to voice your concern at a meeting and then to receive no response. I want to make sure parents and the community feel heard before those meetings.
Conversations should occur on a personal level, not standing at a podium for a few minutes. That's why I plan to host monthly meet-ups where parents and community members can talk with me on a one-to-one basis - no mics, no podiums, no time limits. I want to make sure the parents of our students know they will always have an open line of communication with me. I'm here to serve them and their children. Our schools can only succeed if they reflect the community they serve.
Today’s answers are from Matt Dick and Tom?Westerhof, who are running for Warsaw School Board District 1. The other school board races will be featured during this week.
Question 1: What qualifications do you possess make you the best candidate for the school board position?
Dick: I am a conservative candidate with a passion to see conservative values represented at the local level. I previously served as the District 1 representative from 2010-18, where I was selected to serve as vice president of the board for seven of eight years.
I feel my time away from the board the last four years allows me to bring a unique mix of experience and fresh ideas.
My wife, Nicole Ryman, has been a teacher at Washington for the past 29 years. This gives me a special appreciation for the challenges and triumphs our teachers and students experience on a daily basis.
I believe that my past experience of serving on the board coupled with my knowledge of culture and climate inside of our buildings add immense value to the team. I have a proven track record of standing up for my beliefs and for allowing the voices of my constituents in District 1 to be heard.
Westerhof: I'm a parent of two students currently in the Warsaw school system. My wife and I will have children in Warsaw schools for the next 12 years so we have a vested interest in seeing them succeed.
Our schools exist to serve and educate the students. Every decision we make must have their interests in mind. I believe parents of current students are in the best position to do that.
I've also worked for an educational institution for almost 20 years. I understand the struggles our schools face, from budgets and funding to parental rights, curriculum adoption and the ever-expanding role of schools in our daily lives. I live it through my kids and I live it through my job every day.
Question 2: How much experience do you have with budgets and how would you approach your school corporation’s budget if you’re elected to the board?
Dick: I have two terms previously served on the board. There is a steep learning curve when it comes to school budgets and finances. An honest answer from any board member should be that they are constantly learning about the budgeting process.
WCS Chief Financial Officer April Fitterling was just starting in her role when my term ended in 2018. The approach I would take would be to trust but ask questions. April is in her role for a reason. She is extremely good at her job.
I was a business education major in college and have run my own business for the past 20 years at Silveus Insurance. The budgets I see daily and my success in my own business are completely different from running close to a $100 million annual operating budget.
Trust, transparency and open lines of communication sum up my approach. When I go on a hunting trip out west I don’t “guide the guide” but I ask questions and eventually we may start making decisions together.
Westerhof: I have worked with budgets during my nearly 19 years in procurement in the educational field, from large purchases in the millions of dollars to enterprise-wide projects and multi-year contracts in the tens of millions of dollars. I also have budget experience on the non-profit boards I serve on.
I would approach our school corporation's budget from a fiscally conservative point of view. My career has been spent making sure every dollar is stretched as far as it can go. With the rising costs of inflation, that has never been more important.
Question 3: How much input should the public, especially parents, have in the school district, especially at school board meetings and why?
Dick: The public’s voice should always be allowed to be heard. I believe that currently in every board meeting there are two scheduled times, at the beginning and at the end, for public input.
Dr. Hoffert also has a proven track record of meeting individually with parents or individuals from the community who have questions or concerns. The time limit at board meetings is 2 minutes per speaker. In my previous eight years, we did not have many instances of controversial topics which may require more time.
A public school system serves the parents and tax paying citizens of its community. Their voices must and should be allowed to be heard. In instances where a controversial topic may draw more attendance and multiple speakers, allowances should be made on the time limit per speaker. The School Board is in place to serve and listen to its constituents.
Westerhof: I'm a parent of students so parental rights is a subject that is very important to me. Parents have to know that their opinions matter and that their voices are heard.
The issue with school board meetings is that the school staff and board members aren't required to respond to public comments. I understand that there’s nothing more frustrating as a parent than to voice your concern at a meeting and then to receive no response. I want to make sure parents and the community feel heard before those meetings.
Conversations should occur on a personal level, not standing at a podium for a few minutes. That's why I plan to host monthly meet-ups where parents and community members can talk with me on a one-to-one basis - no mics, no podiums, no time limits. I want to make sure the parents of our students know they will always have an open line of communication with me. I'm here to serve them and their children. Our schools can only succeed if they reflect the community they serve.
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