Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Hot Button topics an issue in Trout/Whitlow School Board race

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

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.

 

Posted 10/31/2014

 
 

 

 

 

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