Greenon schools need to end personal divisions

11:21 PM Saturday, October 24, 2009

Greenon Local School District is a good school system that could get better.

That much, everyone running for the school board seems to agree on.

But an incident involving the dismissal of high school football coaches over treatment of players is probably playing a bigger role in this election than it should.

The real problem the district faces is financial. The tiff over the coaches is a red herring.

Here are the eight candidates running for three seats:

• David Ball, a lawyer for Speedway.

• Anna Bucy, an incumbent, is a college instructor.

• Cynthia Boone, an incumbent.

• Keith Culp, a splicer for AT&T.

• Alan Donaldson, manager of Spring Run Trout Club.

• Becky Hale, a benefits analyst for Speedway.

• Nelson Henning, the incumbent board president, chairs the social work department at Cedarville University.

• Heidi Steinbrink, a high school science teacher for Oakwood schools.

The News-Sun interviewed all the candidates except Boone.

All of the candidates would bring some expertise to the board.

None of the candidates admit to a personal agenda and the ones accused of that actually put forth some ideas that might help the district.

Unfortunately, the first thing this school district needs to do is clear away the tension in the community that is causing the division.

That split will make it much harder to come together to face the district’s real problem — funding. The district will need an operating levy to pass or face some deep cuts in its program over the next few years. Moreover, the district needs to decide if it wants to participate in the state building program which would also mean going to voters for a building levy.

The excellent rating that all the candidates say they want to strive to get will remain only an aspiration if the budget faces deep cuts. Good ideas candidates have suggested such as advance placement courses will simply remain ideas.

The system in the past has simply failed to put it’s best case before the voters on why it needs a new operating levy.

It needs a plan to communicate a unified vision to voters in a depressed economy if it hopes to move from an effective to an excellent school ranking.

The News-Sun editorial board believes incumbents Bucy and Henning bring experience and present a solid knowledge of the school system and have earned the paper’s endorsement. (The News-Sun editorial board has not been able to contact Boone despite repeated attempts.)

The News-Sun does not endorse any of the non-incumbent candidates. Each could bring valid ideas and strengths to the board, assuming they bring no baggage to the office.

Greenon Local School District needs to concentrate on the serious problems it faces and not dwell on the past.

Share this article