Where do your candidates
stand on the issues?

Marc Bledsoe, school board candidate

Q: This year, the Columbia Public School District did not operate the salary schedule, which pays teachers in accordance with their years in the district and their education. Do you consider operating the salary schedule a top priority?
A: "Yes and no. Yes, we need competitive salaries to attract good teachers. No, in some sense we don’t. I don’t know any teacher that got in there to make a fortune. Teacher satisfaction is dependent on feelings of self-worth — are they being listened to and respected."


Q: The district has a $3.2 million deficit. How would you address the budget challenges?
A: "Why don't we have a six-year plan for budgeting? Is it impossible to plan that far in the future?"


Q: A plan to ask voters for two more $60 million bond issues to fund the new high school and other facilities appears to be defunct. The current board has been asked to consider putting a single $120 million bond issue before voters in 2010. Do you favor this?
A: "Eventually, we are going to need to address the growing city. We cannot have classrooms that are overcrowded, staff that is overworked and administration that is overwhelmed. It isn't a question of good or bad; it is a question of necessity and how are we going to address it."


Q: How would you improve communication with the board?
A: "Communication needs to happen the way the community needs it to happen — either through postings on the CPS site, e-mail or other means."

 

"The way I was raised was that the teacher is always right. "

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