Voters in the
Duneland School District have a choice in this year’s at-large race for
school board between incumbent Mike Trout and challenger Rich Whitlow.
Whitlow, a
commodities trader who resides in Jackson Twp., is running to open up the
lines of communication between the school board and the community. He wants
to see public comment put back on the school board meeting agenda to give
audience members the chance to speak.
Trout, a Chesterton
resident who co-owns Trout Mirror and Glass, seeks another term on the
board, offering experience and leadership for the challenges facing Duneland,
such as pushing state lawmakers to support legislation that improves the
climate for public education.
School board
candidates run without party affiliation. Members on the board receive a
yearly stipend of $2,000 and are paid $112 for each public meeting they
attend and $50 for executive sessions, which are closed to the public.
They are also
eligible to take the same health insurance package that Duneland employees
are offered.
Whitlow said he has
no major gripes with decisions the current school board has made, but he is
concerned about a few matters in the wake of the school referendum which was
passed by a small majority of voters, most specifically what was promised by
school officials on how the funds, generated by a new property-tax, would be
utilized.
The referendum was
promoted as necessary to maintain programming and smaller class sizes, but
Whitlow thinks the public ought to know specifically how that is being
managed. He also feels that it was not an appropriate time for the school
board to approve a raise from $129,000 to $145,000 in salary when they hired
Dave Pruis to take the place of retiring schools superintendent Dirk Baer in
early 2013. That was too soon after the referendum, Whitlow said, and he
says that even though he’s been told that no referendum money was directed
toward Pruis’ pay, there needs to be more accountability.
Trout said he
supported the referendum as a board member and would fight for another
referendum if the situation in the Indiana Legislature has not improved by
the time the current one expires in 2019. He wants to maintain the
opportunities that the school corporation currently gives to students and
keep expectations high.
Trout said the
board “found the right man” in appointing Pruis to the superintendent’s
position. He stands by his decision to boost the salary, saying it was more
competitive with other school districts the same size as Duneland and it was
still less than neighboring schools districts pay.
As for the matter
of public comment, Trout said he would not be opposed to putting open
comments back on the agenda but prefers the current requirement that
requests for comment be made seven days prior to a board meeting. He said
many times the public comments would address personnel or other matters the
board is bound by law not to discuss publicly.
With that, Trout
said board members are “approachable” for the public bringing questions to
them. He also mentioned that the board is primarily responsible for
monitoring the actions of the superintendent and not directly over the
teachers and principals, because the administration oversees them.
Trout did say,
however, that the school board should set an example for the employees by
acting in a cooperative spirit.
Whitlow believes it
would be beneficial for board members and administrators to take time to
watch how teachers are teaching in the classroom.
On another issue,
Whitlow is opposed to Duneland’s open enrollment system. His belief is that
the Duneland Schools are meant to educate local children.
Open enrollment is
something that Trout supports since it allows Duneland to be more
competitive with charter and parochial schools and brings extra income into
the school budgets.
Trout is the
longest serving member on the board, first elected in 1990. He said he is
glad to work with a board which occasionally has its disagreements but still
respect each other’s opinion and can collaborate.
Whitlow has past
experience in public service, having served a term on the Chesterton Town
Council from 2000-2004. Lately, he has been a coach in the Duneland Soccer
Club. He said he believes that the Duneland Schools give the community its
reputable character.