School Board Candidates Meet The Public -- District 5, Monica Boyer, Tammy Dalton, Jennifer Tandy
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Daniel Riordan-driordan@timesuniononline.com
Monica Boyer, incumbent Tammy Dalton and Jennifer Tandy made their cases for election to the Warsaw School Board in district 5 Thursday night at Lakeview Middle School.
During opening remarks, Dalton, who is completing her ninth year on the school board in two separate terms, said she's had three sons go through the Warsaw school system.
She said it's always been important for her to be involved and volunteering while her children were in school.
She said during her time on the board she was proud of the way the school buildings project went despite some setbacks.
Boyer spoke during her introduction and during questions later about how she was first and foremost a fiscal conservative.
Boyer, a mother of four, said because of her former job as a childcare provider she has a unique perspective on how the state legislature affects school corporations.
Tandy, who lives in Winona Lake with her husband Brad, has two children in the school system.
Tandy has served on the Parent-Teacher Organization at the elementary, middle and high school level.
Tandy said it was important to introduce foreign language classes to students as early as fifth grade. She also said it was important to build partnerships with OrthoWorx and Ivy Tech.
After the opening statements, district candidates broke off into different classrooms.
Boyer, Dalton and Tandy were in a room where about 45 members of the public were on hand. Edgewood Middle School science teacher Ben Barkey served as the moderator.
All three candidates were asked the same four questions and then took questions from the public.
The first question was, "What do you consider Warsaw Community School's greatest strength and greatest challenge and what should the priorities be for the future of the school district?"
An order was determined before where Tandy went first, Dalton second and Boyer third.
Tandy noted the high school's career center as well as Project Lead The Way, a biomedical sciences program and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program at the middle school.
Tandy again said it was important to introduce foreign languages earlier and the need for more technology.
Dalton lauded the administration and Superintendent Dr. Craig Hintz.
Dalton said the biggest challenge was raising the graduation rate, which currently at 78 percent she called "jarring".
Boyer noted the dedication of the teaching staff as Warsaw's greatest strength.
Boyer said the biggest challenge, which Boyer called "the big pink elephant in the room," was the economy. She said it was important to keep the children in mind while making budget cuts.
When asked what she would prioritize during budget cuts, Tandy said she'd focus on innovative programs like Project Lead The Way and STEM that give students a competitive advantage.
Dalton said after already going through a round of budget cuts, she would not want to see any more teachers lose their jobs.
Boyer compared it to a household budget, saying you must first take care of the budget and "cut the things that are considered wants versus needs."
The third question was how Warsaw schools impact area employers ability to recruit.
Tandy said that on several occasions through her husband's job she's arranged tours of schools for potential new hires.
Tandy said the outstanding teachers and administration put Warsaw's best foot forward.
Dalton noted the recent Forbes magazine article listing Warsaw as the 11th best small city to raise a family in.
She also noted the attractiveness of the new schools in the district.
Boyer said it was important to build relationships with Ivy Tech, Grace College and local businesses to find out what needs they have that would attract professionals to the area.
The final question was concerning the candidates' overall impression of the building projects.
Tandy said that not only are the new schools attractive but they took care of an overcrowding situation at some of the schools. She also noted how advanced the schools were in a technological sense.
Dalton said the building project was a success but that it was important to keep in mind that other schools should be updated so all students are attending the same type of school.
During public questions, the candidates were all asked about school vouchers with all saying they'd have to research the topic more.
One woman directed a question at Boyer asking why she is running for school board when her children attend private school instead of Warsaw Community Schools.
Boyer said the decision was because she believed in public education being separate from Christian education, and giving her children a Christian education was important to her.
Tandy and Dalton were allowed to respond with Tandy noting the importance of public education while Dalton declined to comment.
One person asked what each candidate would do if given the option of making cuts or bringing a tax referendum to the public.
Tandy said she would be inclined to support a referendum to allow the public's input on the matter.
Dalton also said community response would be important and that a referendum might be the way to go.
Boyer said she would like to make sure everything was cut that could be, citing things like cutting down on electrical bills and going paperless before turning to a referendum.
When asked if they were in support of teacher performance appraisals, Tandy said state law dictates that teachers in Indiana have tenure and that a school board can't change that, but that she would work to ensure the right people were in the classrooms.
Dalton said she believed in the current system that was in place where teachers are evaluated yearly and are mentored if they are lacking in some areas.
Boyer said it was important to listen to both sides and keep the lines of communication open for both the teachers and parents.
