By JASON MICHAEL WHITE



ANDERSON — The success of Frankton-Lapel Community Schools speaks to the leadership ability of current school officials, board member John Henderson said.

Henderson is running for re-election against Tami Bailey-Davis for the school board’s District 4 seat, which represents Pipe Creek Township. Bailey-Davis has been an outspoken critic of Superintendent Ned Speicher, who is leaving the school district in July and taking a new job as superintendent in Rensselaer.

Bailey-Davis has criticized the superintendent’s spending practices, which she said have wasted taxpayer dollars. The school district needs to do a better job of limiting its spending, she said.

“Kids’ education would not be hurt if the superintendent avoided spending $500 a month on gas,” she said.

The board supports Speicher and cites recent successes, such as the completion of several building projects and the fact that all Frankton-Lapel schools have met annual yearly progress according to national standards. The district has also improved its test scores.

“We’ve been doing some positive things I think should continue,” Henderson said.

Also, the school district is in good financial shape, even with the difficulty of losing state dollars because of property tax reform.

“The corporation is sound,” Henderson said.

The school board’s District 3 seat is also contested. Salesman Joseph Kelich and business owner Joni Kendall are running for the Lafayette Township seat, currently held by 12-year school board member John Mitchell, who is not seeking re-election.



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Candidates for the Frankton-Lapel Community School Corp. board of trustees are not scheduled to have a public debate. Candidates answered the following six questions in one-on-one interviews:



If faced with the need to make budget cuts, what would you cut and how would you decide what to cut?

• John Henderson, incumbent, Pipe Creek Township: Would first tighten the district’s belt in terms of spending. Extracurriculars would be next. But the school district is in good financial shape and cuts are not necessary. Would want to avoid cutting programs. Would want input from parents and teachers before making a decision.

• Tami Bailey-Davis, Pipe Creek Township candidate: Would differentiate needs from wants after getting input from teachers. Would cut administrative spending before cutting teacher spending or programs. A superintendent who spends less money on gas a month would not hurt students. Little costs add up.

• Joseph Kelich, Lafayette Township candidate: Does not know since he is not a current board member. Would have to look at overall financial picture and see the whole budget. Would brainstorm for ideas.

• Joni Kendall, Lafayette Township candidate: Not sure. Would need everything laid out in front of her. Would need to see everything the school district spends money on. If teachers were cut, they would need replaced with volunteers.



Would you make decisions based on what you thought was best for the community, or based on what the community thought was best?

• Henderson: Would decide based on what he thought was best for the community and children, but only after hearing the opinions of the public.

• Bailey-Davis: Would decide based on what the public thought was best for the kids and community. Would want input from parents and the professionals, such as teachers and administrators.

• Kelich: Would listen to all sides of an issue and come up with his own conclusions. Public opinion means a lot.

• Kendall: Would decide based on what the community thought was best.



Is there a feeling of division between the Frankton and Lapel communities? If so, what, if anything, should the board do about it?

• Henderson: Athletically, Frankton and Lapel are competitive, but that is not a bad thing. As a board member, he does not view the two communities as separate. Makes decisions based on the district as a whole. Does not want to offend Lapel by making a decision that benefits Frankton, or vice versa.

• Bailey-Davis: Community members do not feel divided. Sometimes individuals might make statements to drive a wedge between the two communities, which should not happen. Would like to see joint projects and field trips involving students from both communities. School district should be one big happy family moving toward the same goal of providing the best education for every student.

• Kelich: The two communities have a friendly rivalry. Does not know if that will ever change. Board members have to think of the schools as part of one school system.

• Kendall: No. The communities do have a friendly rivalry, but that is a healthy thing. Competition leads people to try to improve.



What is your understanding of the state Open Door Law? Would you follow that law?

• Henderson: Would follow the law. If the board has an executive session to discuss personnel, board members cannot discuss other issues during that meeting. Board members should not bring up issues not on the executive session agenda, which can include personnel issues, collective bargaining or pending litigation.

• Bailey-Davis: Would follow the law. Has a book of Open Door Law guidelines. The board is limited to what it can discuss behind closed doors. A personnel discussion takes place behind closed doors to protect the individual. The board needs lots of public discussion to keep the public informed.

• Kelich: Would follow the law. Anyone has access to the school board, administration, superintendent and principals. Contact information for school officials is available to the public.

• Kendall: Is not familiar with the law. Everything in the school system should be open.



How would you interact with the community beyond attending monthly board meetings?

• Henderson: Anyone who has a complaint, opinion or concern can approach him. Will not seek out people’s complaints. The board has to avoid micro-managing, and individual board members have no authority.

• Bailey-Davis: Wants to start a Web site to post information and gather feedback from the public. Would be visible in the community and attend school events. A board member should be approachable.

• Kelich: Would be approachable to members of the public. Attends sporting and social events.

• Kendall: Would visit schools and speak with kids and teachers. Has already visited Frankton schools.



What do you believe is the role of a school board member?

• Henderson: The board should not micro-manage the school district. Individual board members have no power. The board sets policies, procedures and approves expenditures. Board members are responsible for hiring the school district’s top administrator.

• Bailey-Davis: The board does not run the school district; administrators do. A board member is a public servant. Individual board members should make themselves available and visible in the community to feel the pulse of the community.

• Kelich: Works with other board members to make financial decisions. Serves as a mediator between the school corporation and faculty.

• Kendall: A board member is supposed to be a negotiator. A board member looks to what the community wants, brings that to everyone’s attention and helps figure out how to implement changes that people want.