Candidates Sound Off on School Issues

Photos by Michael Spangler

    At Monday evening’s School Board Candidate Forum challengers in the three races promised to address two major areas of concern, the lack of Teacher Raises and the $20 million liability facing the school system for unfunded pension benefits.  Felicia Braud, Nick Carmena, and Phillip Ziegler, each seeking their first elected office, attended the forum put on by the Republican Women of Central.  Incumbents Sharon Browning, Willard Easley and Ruby Foil declined to attend.  Below are the candidates in attendance and a summary of their statements.

    Phillip Ziegler is a marketing agent selling dental and life insurance to state employees and has children in Tanglewood, Central Intermediate and Central Middle Schools.
    Zeigler emphasized the need for the School Board to live within its budget and get “the best education possible for every child in the system every time we spend a dollar.”  He also said he felt School Board members should get out in the public and connect with the voters they represent.
    Zeigler stated his opposition to Common Core and added “I want to protect our teachers by keeping them around and rewarding them and compensating them…that to me can only be a win-win for our teachers and our students.”

    Nick Carmena has a son at Tanglewood Elementary and works in Central at his family business, Carmena Collision Center.
    Carmena pointed out that Central has a great school system but that Central is losing teachers due to lack of raises, having not received a cost of living raise since the creation of the school system.  Carmena said he will work to give school system employees these deserved raises.
    Carmena also pledged to work to address the $20 million in unfunded liability for retirement benefits.  “We are so far behind right now, yet we are spending money on things that could be set aside for a little while longer.”
    Carmena closed by pledging better support for Central’s athletic programs, which involve nearly half of the students at CHS, and stated his opposition to Common Core.

    Felicia Braud, who previously served as a Central Volunteer Firefighter and EMT, raised three Central graduates and has grandchildren in the Central School System.
    Braud emphasized the need for the School Board to have a long term facilities plan.  “Our children deserve great facilities….but our 2009 long term plan has been abandoned.”
    Braud expressed large concern over the $20 million debt facing the school system.  “I want our school system not to be in debt.”  She also shared that she supports giving Central’s teachers their first ever cost of living raises, and pledged to make a difference in the special needs programs.