Where do your candidates
stand on the issues?

Christine King, 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: "Teachers' pay is absolutely critical. Anyone who works 10 to 12 hours with children needs to be compensated with fair increases, evaluated and mentored."


Q: The district has a $3.2 million deficit. How would you address the budget challenges?
A: "I think the budget is one of the things that the people who are elected are going to have to work closely with previous members to really get a good history of what has truly happened over the last two years. I honestly don't think that a lot of people on the outside understand the budget."


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: "The new high school plan was made under a different board, and I am not going to say was it a good or bad idea. But we need to manage the idea now and see to it the new school is built."


Q: How would you improve communication with the board?
A: "It is important for the board to listen to staff, but more importantly, our communications out to the schools must be timely and allow for staff to provide opinions. For example, we can't ask for their opinion on a Monday and expect the information to be back to us on Wednesday."

 

"Teachers are our biggest voices out there, and they want what's best for the kids and what's best for them."

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