Our community and district have been tried and tested repeatedly over the years, continuously propelling Francis Howell School District into the media for all the wrong reasons. Among these, some of the most significant include: the Dominguez scandal that promoted a great amount of distrust toward the fiscal security of the district, the many threats to race and sex security throughout the schools, and a severe disconnect between community interest and Board decision, complemented by a lack of transparency. The trust that is expected to be kept and protected by these officials has been broken time and time again, leading to a fractured community, divided over a number of issues.
In light of all this misfortune, the most recent Board election has given me, as well as other students and staff, real hope for the change promised by the newly sworn-in candidates. The apolitical ballot of Jason Adams, Kevin McGuire, and Sara Dillard prevailing over the conservative-run politicians demonstrates that we as a community want to keep politics out of our schools’ inner workings; that the students and teachers come first, and their needs be met to provide a new golden standard for everyone that protects their safety and freedoms inside the school.
To put teachers and students first, our voices must be heard and considered at these Board meetings. As part of Adams’ campaign, he consistently made an effort to go out into the community and listen to what bothered them about the current environment of the FHSD. For this reason, his approach to winning the election struck me as unique, different, and exactly what we need to make a difference in the issues that plague the district and persistently keep our name in the news.
“Only the voters can truly say what I did or said that convinced them I was one of the people they should vote for, but throughout the campaign, I made sure to stay on message, be authentic, and take the high road so even if I lost, I knew I lost the right way,” said Adams. “I was also mindful when I spoke or made Facebook posts, to just be myself. I directly addressed topics and answered questions in the same way that I would talk or write about any other subject, so the community could see the real ‘me’.”
Inauthenticity is a problem that is well-rooted within the Board, where any member could say something to the public and do the exact opposite in their private actions. Evidence of this resides in the privatization of the Dominguez situation; the public deserved to know why hundreds of thousands of dollars disappeared overnight and ended up in someone’s account that never worked a day in the district. I understand that Dominguez and the Board reached a decision that included a clause that prevented either party from speaking out about the other; however, the hiring should never have occurred. When considering that the time the Board took to search, interview, and hire a superintendent was only a fraction of the standard procedure, the distrustful nature of the event is further enhanced. It was a moment of learning, and with the new members’ oversight, such an issue should be avoided in the future.
“I believe trust must be earned. So, this is what I’ve done that I believe has earned your trust. I have supported the district since my kids started kindergarten. I am an involved parent [who] attends every school activity I can. I volunteered for years, with hundreds of hours helping students. I have helped raise significant donations for the schools. I’ve spoken up at Board meetings over the years on important issues,” said McGuire. “In my campaign, I have focused on student success as one of my key priorities. I have been consistent in my values, my words, and my actions. Through all this, I feel I have started to earn trust. However, I also think leaders should always be accountable to those they serve. If a leader ever says that can’t be questioned, you probably shouldn’t trust them.”
By their election, politics were staved away from the Board, which is ultimately for the best. Their opposing candidates ran on a conservative ballot, while they remained apolitical. Introducing partisan politics into matters of education, especially at the local level, is generally a bad idea, leading only to further division when what we truly need is unity.
Supporting this idea of togetherness, Adams, Dillard, and McGuire’s apolitical slate ran as a solely positive campaign, seeking to win the right way and keep personal matters away from the message they provided to the community. Rather than pushing away any member of the community, no matter their beliefs, they sought to value every opinion presented to them. In doing so, voters were able to feel more connected with their choices, and the community as a whole was brought together in a fashion that has been lost for years.
“I’m very proud that as a non-partisan slate, Jason, Kevin, and I all ran positive campaigns. We agreed there would be no mudslinging, no personal attacks, and our families would be kept out of discussions – regardless of how the other three candidates ran their campaigns,” said Dillard. “I think the voters noticed we kept our campaigns positive, and it must have been a welcome change, because we’re being sworn in.”
In the future, when another potential Dominguez situation arises, I have hope that McGuire’s focus on fiscal responsibility will prevent a dangerous disconnect from the goodwill of the constituency. I have hope that Adams’ expressed interest in pursuing the best future for students and teachers alike will prevent hatred from slipping through our doors and risking the safety of our diverse community. I have hope that our Board may have a mature, civil discussion and talk through issues rather than fight through them, thanks to the collective works of all three of these officials.
