Huron Board of Education candidates say how they will vote on the levy in November

HURON – The Huron Board of Education candidates told Huron Insider about how they will be voting on the Huron City Schools tax levy in November.

This was one of seven questions on a questionnaire that all of the candidates responded to. Huron Insider will be posting one of the questions along with the responses each night this week (August 15-August 21). These articles can be found here.

The Huron Board of Education candidates are John C. Adams, Sherry Catri, Stacey Hartley, Ryan Hathaway, Stacy Hinners, Kimberly King, Andra Kurtz, and Elizabeth Laffay.

The candidates answers to the question “How will you be voting on the levy this November?” are below.

Adams:

I’ve not decided how to vote for the levy in November yet. Two main issues exist. 1. The residents of Huron loudly and overwhelmingly expressed their desire to not pass the levy during the last election. That cannot be ignored. 2. From talking to residents, it is obvious to me that there is currently much animosity and distrust toward the Board and lack of information regarding the need for a new levy. Real or perceived, that is simply what I’m hearing. In all practicality, there should not be a Huron resident who does not know the real needs of the District. It is the District’s responsibility to clearly express those needs so residents clearly understand that it is not simply the District “stiff arming” residents to hand over more of their hard-earned income and especially those on fixed incomes. That is education and the residents deserve that transparency and free-flow of information. It is the BOE’s responsibility to get the information TO the community and not the community’s responsibility to try to get the information FROM the BOE.

Catri:

At this time, I am not sure. In May, I voted no and it was the first time I voted against a levy. I do not question the need for new money and believe the board, treasurer(s), and previous superintendent have made some significant budget cuts without impacting programming and student learning. I am not sure how much wiggle room we have for creative ways to cut the budget without feeling the impact. My concerns in May were student safety, adult accountability, and transparency. Sometimes money, or in this case the lack of, is the best tool to get someone’s attention. With a change in leadership, I am feeling hopeful.

Hartley:

This is tough but I will be completely honest. At this point, I cannot support placing this 21% school tax hike burden on our entire community, many of whom cannot afford this. This ask is too much on the backs of people who already pay a lot for school taxes.

The district also needs to understand that the way it conducted its political activity for the levy on the May ballot was inappropriate and unacceptable. The district has failed to acknowledge the damage to public trust it created through its actions. To simply put the same ask before the voters again, with zero acknowledgement of the trust and credibility issues, feels like a slap in the face.

Hathaway:

I’ve not yet decided how to vote for the levy being re-introduced in November. That being said, it was quite clear that the residents of Huron overwhelmingly were not in support and that cannot be overlooked. The overwhelming message from the community is that there was little to no transparency in regard to details and the financial needs of the School District which lead to the new levy. This issue goes back to the topic of trust that the community has with the BOE and school leaders. We have to do a better job of equipping families with the information they need to make informed decisions. Otherwise, we will continue to see pushback when residents feel they have no voice.

Hinners:

No. I will consider supporting a levy in the future when I have confidence that the millage sought is no more than the District needs and that the District has implemented a long-term strategy to stabilize its finances.

King:

In regards to how I will vote on the levy in November I will always support the schools. I think by choosing to live in a community whether you have kids in the school system or not, all should support the schools. It’s unfortunate that the schools have to rely on the residents for the money they need, but that’s the fact of the situation.

Kurtz:

The levy in November is a big ask to the citizens of Huron, especially after a difficult year due to the pandemic. A levy of this magnitude should not be taken lightly, and the tax payers need a very detailed explanation of where this money is going, and how we got to the point that we need a levy of this size. I want to see the school become financially stable, as this is in the best interest of our children as well as our community.

Laffay:

Laffay did not provide an answer to this question in her response to the questionnaire. She later told Huron Insider, “I am still researching information to formulate my vote.”