Harry Harris
Why do you want to be on the board?
I am running for the Francis Howell School Board, because I’m a firm believer in the benefits and responsibilities of public education. I owe a lot to the public education I received, and I hope this is a way for me to give back.
I’ve been called to serve at this time, because I’ve seen the attacks that our schools, teachers, and staff have been under by those who want to dismantle public education, who don’t believe in equity and inclusion, and who are scaring off our future teachers from even stepping into the field.
What is a current issue in our district that you would address if elected?
I’d like to address the shortages we have in our staff. We have to make sure we are respecting,encouraging,and retaining our teachers and staff. We have to make sure we are competitive in a tight job market. We need to make sure our schools are reflective of our diverse student population. We have to make sure our teachers and staff feel comfortable and safe in working in our district.
How would you like our district to be viewed from an outside perspective?
I’d like our district to be viewed as the incredible educational force that it is. I want the false narratives to stop and for our community to come together and support the district, not try to tear it apart. We are rated highly in so many different ways and we need to promote that. We also need to be a district that is able to look at any shortcomings we have and be open to working on them. Ultimately, I want our district to be viewed as one that is safe and inclusive for all.
What do you plan to do about continued funding issues in our district?
It MUST be a WE question. WE know that we haven’t had a tax increase in 20 years. It’s easy as well as probableto point to that as a huge wall we have. But bring all the voices to the table. Do a roundtable discussion to ask the question “If we don’t do this, but we know we need (x amount increased) give a proposal to do that. And the answers can’t be vague, have to be specific. No fear tactics, no blaming something from decades ago. We have a fresh start to tackle that answer. Then take all those answers along with a tax increase and figure out which is best.
How do you plan to keep top-quality teachers from leaving the district despite several pay freezes over the last 10 years or so?
Pay them what they are worth and make sure they know what that is. The underlying question is “how do you do that?” Two things: 1) Make the district desirable, show them the utmost respect, believe in them, have a well rounded diverse supported teaching experience. That costs little to nothing. 2) Figuring out where the funds come from, which I cover in my answer above.
Do you plan to do something about the accumulating issues with our school’s functionality, including the frequent flooding, leaking and plumbing issues?
It sounds like a broken record, but again, we have to look at the funding we have available. As a community we can again come together and prioritize projects with what we have and look at what is new that we can do.
How do you plan to increase the amount of janitorial staff? Will you offer more benefits, pay or keep the rates the same?
At this point, it’s not even increasing the janitorial staff, but filling the positions that we have. We have to find ways to make sure we are competitive salary-wise, but it’s also making sure they understand they are truly appreciated in our district and are an important piece of our educational puzzle. As a board member, I’d like to hear directly from them. I want to know what it is that we can do from their perspective to fill those spots. Again…we also must figure out what we will do to increase salaries at a time when we haven’t had a tax increase in nearly 2 decades.
A student brought a gun to FHC in early February, how can the district improve on safety that was lacking before?
We must understand what compelled this student to bring a gun to school and address those issues. These are mental health issues that have to be addressed. We can’t effectively do this if we don’t have enough teachers and staff. Our inability to attract and retain staff has the potential to become a safety issue. I think it’s important that we also understand our district continuously reviews safety guidelines throughout the year and has a committee to work on that. We can’t stop every emergency situation from presenting itself, but we can be ready to address them, and I think we do a great job at that.
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