001Check one, two. Good evening, candidates. Good evening, everybody else. My name is Robert Kim and I am the current RCTA president and I've been a teacher at Red Creek High School for 24 years now. I'd like to thank you all. Thanks Jo. Um, thank you all for coming this evening and thank you to the candidates for expressing an interest in serving our school district for sure. That's important. While I'm giving some thank yous out, I would also like to thank uh Treasurer Mary Lee Witherl and Vice President Joe Banano for helping organize this evening, as well as Mr. Eric Robbins, who's up in the booth. Uh he's the district's computer and AV coordinator, and he's helping with the technology setup and the live stream of this event. We will start with giving each candidate two
002minutes for opening statements to tell us about yourselves and why you are running for the Red Creek School Board. RCTA Vice President Joe Banano seated front and center will hold up a 30 second warning and he'll ring a bell when your time is up. So we will go in the ballot order starting with Mr. Steven Heisel. Hello everybody. Good evening. Happy about years my wife a bunch of kids and I have over grandid here. So it's a passion for me to try and be a part of this in this area. Uh as a candidate, my primary goal is to prioritize student education from kindergarten to 12th grade by focusing on transparent factbased performance metrics. Had a lot of different roles in my life, military, engineering, physics, and pastor of church. In all those cases, I
003find that always having the facts and the truth before you help make the best decisions possible. This is the school board of education and must center efforts on academic excellence, ensuring that administrators and the whole school actually aligns with that mission. I believe in the 8020 rule. You get 80% of your results where you focus 20% of your time or I should say that 20% of your time will yield 80% of good results. And this is how it's important for committees of influencing the board to spend time on this vital topic. Another critical issue is combating drug use particularly vaping which has surged among students. Substance use in schools undermines academic success. create social barriers for students to avoid these influences. While we cannot control drug use everywhere, we must implement stronger prevention measures to
004create a safe focused learning environment. This is essential to support students academic and personal growth. Finally, I believe that school should remain non-political. The democratic process electing board members should mark the end of political influence and education. my decision to be guided by facts, not politics, or remain sensitive to community concerns. I am dedicated to fostering an environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive academically, socially, keeping politics out of the classroom. Thank you for considering me board of education. I'm here to serve advocate for student success. Thank you. Next we'll hear from John D. Frier. All right. Hello. My name is Jamie Frier. My wife is the only person that calls me John, so please J is fine. Uh I am a graduate from North Rose Wit, but Red Creek is way better.
005Um I have three kids. One graduate from Red Creek Stone School System. My wife Jessica is a town clerk and I pastor in the community for almost 20 years now. I pastor the Christian church out on Fay on the outside of Fairaven and I pastor the North Wil Church just around the corner here. Um why am I running? When we walk in the building there, there's a blue ribbon right school 2017 2018. And I want to know what happened to that school, right? And I'm not here to point fingers or blame anyone, but we as a community, as a board of education, as parents, as teachers, as faculty, we all have to work together to try to get our school system back into that place so we can have that plaque for 2025, for 2026.
006This is about our community. If you if you know me, my passion has always been for people. It's always been for community. Uh we we work in this community. We live together. We may not all agree or have the same beliefs, but we do have something in common. We have to live together. And so, um, my kind of idea here with the board of education is to get back to that place, get back to the fundamentals of education, get into community involvement. It's time for those of us that like to sit on the sideline and comment to get some skin in the game to get involved and to help our teachers, to help our faculty, but most importantly to help our children succeed in this thing we call life. So, please consider myself for your
007vote for the school board of education. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we'll hear from Nancy Henner Dman. Thank you. My name is Nancy Hunter Dickman and I've been a lifelong residence resident of Fair Haven, a proud graduate, parent of a middle school student and friend to many people at the record district. I've proudly served as a board member for the past three years and I'm seeking reelection because I believe in integrity driven leadership, not personal agendas. When I first ran, it was clear that the district needed a leadership change. By the end of my first year, Mr. Norman was appointed superintendent. Since then, we've made meaningful progress in rebuilding trust, stability, and pride in our district. But we're not done yet. We must keep moving forward on this positive path. I believe in supporting the
008superintendent while holding them accountable, ensuring our focus remains on what's best for students, faculty, and staff, and the entire community. I understand the role of a board member led with integrity and follow this role this role with fidelity. A consistent collaborative board is essential for lasting success. I'm committed to Right Creek and would be honored to cons to continue serving. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we'll hear from Stephanie Kaiser. Hi, my name is Stephanie Kaiser. I've been living in this district for close to 19 years. When I bought a house 19 years ago, I bought specifically based on district. I knew I wanted my daughter to go to a small school. Um, my husband graduated from here, so he has roots to the community. Um, I am seeking re-election. I've been on the board for
009the past three years and I think that continuing my role. Um I think it would be very supportive to the district as um change can sometimes be a little unnecessary when we're moving in such a good direction. Um in my professional life, I teach fifth grade at the Asiggo City School District. Um and I fully believe that as the role of a board member, um we do what's best for kids. we do what's best for teachers. We don't do what's best for ourselves. Um you take your oath when you um get onto the board and it's important that you follow that. Thank you. Thank you. And finally for opening statements, Amber Gilmore. My name is Amber Gilmore. I'm the mother of four wonderful children who range from 19 to 9 years old. I've been married
010to my husband Chad for the last eight years and we live in Fair Haven. I graduated from record in 2006 myself and have chosen to raise our children here because of our wonderful school district and the teachers that are here um and so dedicated to our students and I love that about this district. But more than being a mother and a wife, I'm also currently driving for every school district. Um I'm in my third school year here after CO our district was very short staffed um in in our transportation department. Um anytime an illness struck in our transportation department, we were left with holes and There were some runs that were left without a driver. One of those runs happened to be the fair giving run very often. So I was missing work to drive
011my kids to school. Um so I noticed that um as a large our district had a need and I wanted to help. So why not just drive everyone's children to school. So I jumped in with both feet, did my training and pass my CDL right away. Um now I'm no longer just the bus driver. I'm the morning joke teller, the afternoon tear dryer, the Friday candy giver, and the big hug before they go home at night. Um, I've loved all three seasons of connecting with the district's children, and I'm hoping to be able to keep serving our district in a different capacity and all of its children in a larger manner um and serve much more value to this this district. Okay, thank you very much. I think it started when you started talking. I
012didn't notice it before. No, that's I think it just sounded like all the mics are a little hot right now. I'm looking up at Mr. All right. So, uh, let's see. So, candidates have been given some questions ahead of time in order to thoughtfully prepare for tonight's forum. I'll be asking these questions so the candidates can openly state their positions and have the opportunity for candidate elaboration. For these questions, candidates will have a minute and a half aotted for each response. And we'll go in the same order for these questions and then we'll switch things up. So the first question, what will you bring to the school board that makes you a good candidate? Mr. Thank you. I have a proven track record throughout many decades. We'll discuss here. Uh just leadership, integrity, quality work.
013I got a passion for teaching when I was in the military and they sent me to be an instructor for electronics and I did that for six years and I really like that enjoyed that and that that skill never left me behind and that passion for seeing people learn grow and that knowledge is something that's very clear to me. I just love that I honed my teaching skills and got a diversity group when when I got into industry when I left the military and got into the industry had a team of ultimately ended up having a team of engineers, we had to stay focused on projects and activities to get the right results. It was always factbased. It was always full of passion, something that we wanted to do. And you have to lead a
014team to get to those shared goals. Um along with that, strategic vision, collaboration, teamwork, always vital. When you're on a team of school board people, you need to really bring that home that we're all a team. We're all here to help improve the education of our youth. I'm very, very passionate about transparency. I have never found that hiding facts and details gets you anywhere but in a hole that you can't dig yourself out of. So, I'm very, very passionate about transparency, decisions, and discussions that help bring those wondering what happened on the outside back into the inside. Just keeping our community not perfectly uncertain about what's going on. Thank you. Thank you. JD Frier, same question. Okay. Well, I have been serving on boards for the past two decades, whether it's in the religious or
015secular sector. I've been on two church boards for almost 20 years, chair, vice, secretary. I'm familiar with been working in that environment. I've been on the village board, the planning board. Um, I'm currently on the Red Creek Community Center Advisory Board. So, I'm used to working with people with like-minded faith, different faith, same ideas, different ideas. Uh, I've pastor two churches of roughly 120 people over the past 20 years. So, I can work with just about anybody from any background, whether they're easy to get along with hard to get along with. So, I'm I'm a team player. Um, I'm familiar with how boards work, and I really have a good um rapport with the community here. I have my finger on the pulse of Red Creek for Haven. I won't get I've been doing outreach
016and food drives and charity work and serving on nonforprofit cancer societies in the area for years and years. So, I think I can bring that level of experience from all my work reports, all the different people and my connection to the community to the Red Creek Board of Education. Thank you, Nancy. Thank you. My entire career has been dedicated to educating youth and advocating for children. I have served as a teacher at both the middle and high school levels and have been a school administrator for over 19 years. Every decision I make is guided by a single question. How is this good for kids? I bring extensive knowledge in school finance, student safety and well-being, contract negotiations, New York State education laws and regulations. I believe effective school board members must be willing to ask
017the hard questions to protect students, staff, and the district's resources. I have shown I have courage to do so, even when standing alone. Over the past three years, I've spoken of when per board of education personal agendas threaten to override the board responsibilities and potentially violate students civil rights and constitutional protections. In addition to my professional expertise, I'm an active community member, an effective communicator, although not tonight, I guess, and thoughtful listener. I'm confident in my ability to handle a large volume of information that comes with the board service and make sound, informed decisions. Our district still has a lot of work to do. Are things better than they were when I started? Absolutely. And I'm committed to ensuring that progress continues. Thank you. Thank you. Next, Stephanie Kaiser. Thank you. I bring many different
018qualities to the board. First and foremost, I'm a teacher. I'm in the trenches, if you will, every day with other teachers and students. Um, it gives me a unique perspective. I see things in a different way and I understand the challenges that students and teachers are facing every single day. Um, second, I'm a taxpayer just like all of you. I understand the concerns um that everybody has when we're talking about where is our tax money going. Um, I want to make sure is being spent the best possible way. I'm also a parent. I have a junior in the high school who comes home and tells me all the drama that's going on. I hear about the fights. I hear about the vaping. I also hear about the good things that are happening. Um so I
019have a handle on that. I'm pretty well verssed in what's actually happening in this building. Um and lastly, I've been on the board for the last three years. Um serving as the vice president for the last two. consistency and knowledge of what's happening in the direction we're heading is key. Thank you. Thank you. And finally, Amber Gil. I think what makes me a good candidate is a fresh set of eyes and new perspective. I'm a great candidate for the school board because I've been serving this district for the last three school years. I spent the last couple years building strong connections with our students of all grade levels, their families, and the educators of our students. Prior to Dragon Ball, I spent five years at Syracuse University as the coordinator of the English undergraduate program.
020So, I've seen firsthand the knowledge and have firsthand knowledge of what our students are going to need to succeed beyond graduation. My overall goal is to make sure that our students are prepared for that, whether it be college, trade school, or just the workforce. Thank you. Thank you. So, for the next question, we will start right in the middle with Nancy Dor first. And the question is, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing Red Creek Central School District now and over the next three years? What are your ideas for addressing these challenges? Our primary mission is to ensure that every student receives a high quality education that not only meets but exceeds standards. This requires sustained investment in curriculum instructional practices and most importantly our educators. We must provide an ongoing and meaningful
021professional development that's relative to relative to today's classroom and support all staff from new teachers to seasoned educators. Next, sustainability and and our enrollment decline. Red Creek, like many small districts, faces a serious challenge with declining enrollment. As student numbers decrease, so does our state funding, and that directly impacts our ability to offer robust programs, staffing, and extracurricular activities. While this issue doesn't originate at the district level, we feel it's its effects. For example, a growing trend of converting homes into short-term rentals like Airbnbs limit the housing opportunities for families who might otherwise move into our community. Addressing this long term requires strong collaboration between the district, local government, and the community. Finally, students well-being is and engagement. Students are the reason we're here and we're seeing more troubling trends. Reports of students making their
022peers feel unsafe, disengaging and learning, increased vaping and misuse of cell phones is a real issue in our schools. These challenges are complex and cannot be solved by the district alone. And while schools play a vital role, it must be understood that these issues often begin and should be addressed at home. Strengthening partnerships between families and schools is critical. Thank you. Next, we'll hear from Stephanie Kaiser. Um, so not just a Red Creek problem, the school problem all over is obviously declining enrollment and academics. Um, while enrollment is not something that we can immediately fix, I think we need to continue to hold our teachers and students to higher standards, which will hopefully help retain our current community members and then attract people to come to our district. Um, academics struggle again all over the
023country as well as New York State. We are currently rolling out a new curriculum and we need to realize that it will probably take a few years to know exactly where we're at data wise. Um, but trusting the process and trusting in our teachers to make sure education is getting delivered appropriately. It's a marathon, not a sprint. We'll get there. It just takes time. And I feel an immediate challenge is the chance that this board could potentially be seated by people who really don't have a whole lot of idea of what a local school board actually does. Regardless of your feelings and opinions on things like DEI or CRT, it's not possible for local school district to get rid of those things in the state of New York at this time. Um, our district does
024not have enough money in this community to fund itself. So unless we adhere to New York state policies and laws, we can't we can't risk losing our funding. Um, and the local school board cannot actually dictate the removal of those things. So while DEI initiatives and CRT gender assigned bathrooms and locker rooms can be a hot topic and they are, the hands of the local school board are tied and unless we're prepared to fund the school as individuals and we all want to write checks um to fund the school, we're not in a position to be able to do that. Thank you. Next, we'll hear from JD. Um, you heard from the prior two candidates that there is the number one problem facing not just right but every school system in rural New York and
025that is uh population decline which leads to enrollment decline. Right? So it comes back to what I said earlier actually Miss Kaiser Mrs. Kaiser said when she moved here she was drawn to this school. Right? you've drawn to this community, specifically the school. And so, we need to go back to that place where we're a draw for people to bring their kids to this community and enroll them in Red Creek. And so, how do we get there, right? Well, I think the key here is teachers. They are the front line. They are the boots in the ground. They're the one taking the shots. They're the one in the trenches. And so, we need to support our teachers. They are overworked. They have to wear too many hats. They are underpaid. And they are under staffed.
026This has been a postcoid problem, not just hospitals and businesses all over, right? So, we have to somehow incentivize working here at Red Creek to other teacher, good teachers to come and work at our school system. We have to free up money within our budget somehow to make Red Creek a place where teachers want to come and teach and be a part of what we do here. That's one piece of the puzzle. Another one quickly, as I said earlier, is community involvement. Teachers cannot do this on their own. parents and grandparents and neighbors and people, pastors, everyone in this community has to get some skin in the game. We need to encourage it. Hey, let's go to the ball game. Hey, let's go to the community center. Hey, let's support what's going on at the
027school system with the PTA and everything else that happens here. Okay, thank you. Next, we'll hear from Amber Gilmore. So, I think that Red Creek has the same issues as many other schools and so many of us have the same beliefs right now. Um, staff retention, student retention, budget constraints, special education limitations, and our students mental health are probably the most important subjects right now. And each problem has its own set of actions that need to be taken. And it's going to take a strong policy, you know, community support and definitely tactical budgeting to solve some of these problems. Staff retention. I think that we just need more staff engagement. I think we need to do yearly or quarterly reviews with our staff. I mean, as somebody who's worked in this district, I know that
028there's a lot of unhappy staff and we're not going to retain them if we aren't talking to them to find out what the problem is. Um, students mental health. I think that our right now um I think that we need to work with our counselors. Our counselors need to work more with our students. Um our special education department I think needs as a whole um a lot of help. Um there's a lot more students that are getting IEPs and 504s and you know um you know um that kind of stuff that that needs more focus as well. So I think those are our biggest biggest constraints right now. And finally, Mr. Red Creek School faces significantly declining academic performance. It's no one's fault. It happens. But when this academic performance starts going downhill, it's going
029to take some work to turn it around and get back. It's not going to be easy. This is a challenge along with the rise in drug use in our communities as well as in school. These things detract from what this should be about. If you're in a school, you're here to learn, to be educated, to grow, mature, become social in a way that is effective for your graduation and moving into society. And right now, if unless we start turning that back around, it's going to probably continue to underperform. And if we don't reverse that with factbased strategies, good data and performance metrics shows how we're doing, then we're going to have trouble. So, yeah, my plan really would start with what a school should give up when it's educating their youth, doing everything we can
030to make it possible for them to learn, not worry about our teachers at all. worried about the environment. Thank you very much. The next question will start with Amber Gilmore and work her way down the table this way. If a situation arises in which your personal feelings conflict with the written board policy or protocol, how would you handle that situation? Well, I I feel as though I'm a pretty fair person. Um, if board policy conflicted with my own personal feelings, I'd probably still follow the board process. I understand the processes were put into place with the history and reasoning behind it as well as um the policy, you know, um, as long as the policy properly serves our students, staff, and district fairly, I'm open to supporting results that I'm not entirely in agreement with.
031My goal is to listen, learn, and understand its intent. Ultimately, leadership is not always getting what you want, but good ahead of oneself. I've got three teenage children, too. So, I kind of know that my opinion isn't always the most important one in the room. So, processes processes. Okay. Thank you, Stephanie Con. I've been very vocal within my position that personal conflicts and feelings should at no point come between yourself and your position on the school board. Um, when you're elected to and sworn into the board, you take an oath to for students, teachers, and community. Personal opinions and feelings should never get in the way of this job. I've mentioned to colleagues before and community members before and um even people that I sit on this current school board with, we are running a
032business. Um sometimes that's not a popular opinion that people like to hear, but ultimately we are running a business. It's a people business, but it's still a business. And I feel like you got personal conflict that comes up. It's wise if you remove yourself from the situation. and ultimately think about what are we here for personal agenda um the community the kids why are we here and follow policy thank you thank you very much and now Nancy Henry Gley thank you as a board member my responsibility is to uphold established policies and acts in the best interest of the district as a whole not based on personal opinions I fully understand that policies must align with federal and New York state laws and regulations. It's my duty to operate within the governance framework. If a
033personal belief were ever to conflict with a board policy, I would remain professional, objective, and focused on what best serves students, staff, and further the mission of the district. I believe in engaging in thoughtful discussions and raising questions when appropriate. Ultimately, I respect the collective decision-m process and the role of policy in maintaining fairness, consistency, and accountability. Thank you. Thank you. Next, we'll hear from JD Fr. Uh, in a nutshell, yeah, I would work within the confines, the rules, and protocols of any board I would be a part of. Now, that being said, uh sometimes on boards you run into outdated rules, protocol, and procedures that might not fit the current schools or the board you're serving on. So, I'd pursue whatever exists in the bylaws to change any law I needed to. In fact,
034we had to do this a little bit for the Red Creek Community Center advisory board. Um, we had a student who wanted to attend who was underage and the rules say underage students can't participate or be in the community center, but there is a passage in the bylaw that says the board the reg board can make an exception if we meet and discuss an agree. So I work with always work within the framework and the laws that are on any board I serve on. But we would also pursue anything I needed to if we felt like a law or or a rule in the board was insufficient for our community's needs or outdated didn't have a place in our current school systems. Thank you. And now Steven High. As a school board member, my role
035is to hold the law first and abide by my value added policies second. And while advocating for students best interests, my experience has taught me that my feelings don't matter. That's a long history of learning that people don't care about your feelings. But what does matter are the facts, truth, and success that you have. Truth and facts must drive the discussion. Having said that, if conflict arises, I still wouldn't worry about my feelings on the matter. I would first ensure I fully understand the policies intends impact on students, staff, and the community and view the data behind the policy. The outcomes, effectiveness, and alignment are important mission of academic excellence. Having said that, experience also, I've seen this a lot in my life, tells me that policies can get in the way when they're not
036value added any longer. They can actually protect old systems that continue to drive poor performance. We need to review these types of things, make sure that we are working properly, but has nothing to do with feelings, and we're not entering any operational. Thank you. The next question we will actually start with Mr. Stevenson. Uh the question is what do you feel are the most important current topics or issues in our community? I've seen this and I've actually been to town meetings on this village meetings the great community and local communities sadly around the United States of America faces serious issues I mean there's an academic decline a lot of places not just us but there's also basic drug use and this never helps community pull together and do a good job it's something that has
037been evident in our parks, our village. And this type of element in our community is going to damage even the school. This epidemic affects youth and families, undermining safety and well-being, creates social divides and distraction from education, and requires urgent action. Shouldn't have drugs in school. know that we have to harden up our school so we don't have that in here. We need to focus on those types of things so that we can have the best possible chance for our students to learn, grow, and getting rid of drugs is a very Thank you. JD, same question. I have three things to try to cover really quickly on this. Uh the first is internet access. Okay. Um this is very important to kids education. Um some kids have great access to it at home. Some have
038zero access. Someone can come to school and get access. But it's become more important for their education to be able to do their work with teachers in the district. We have to find ways to get these kids that are living maybe in working homes to have access to internet so they can achieve what they want to achieve in school. That's one I don't now I'm going to be honest with you. I don't have the answer for that. I don't know. I don't know how we achieved that, but maybe we can work together to find the answer. Right. Second thing is discipline. I really think disciplinary standards have slipped in school systems across the board. I can tell you of so many stories from people in my churches of things that have happened in school and
039the teachers and the administration's hands are tied by policies that don't allow them to punish people in a manner which discourages that behavior to continue happening. We need to update and uh move forward with some of our disciplinary standards. And the last thing I would say is safety, the bomb threats. How much time is wasted for the teachers and the kids sheltering in place for all these bomb threats? We have to find a way to identify who's doing this, punish it, and discourage it. Uh this is so disruptive to our school. Um yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Next, Nancy Henry Damon. Thank you. Red Creek is currently engaged in several critical initiatives aimed at improving educational outcomes, strengthening school culture, and building community trust. The most important topics right now include faculty and staff retention.
040It's important that Red Creek not be seen as a stepping stone. We must create an environment where faculty and staff want to stay through and invest in our community. That means ensuring that they feel supported, respected, and professionally fulfilled. We need to give our staff reasons to make Red Creek their long-term home. Our administration needs to step up to serve as instructional leaders who support teachers as they implement new curriculum and improve classroom practice. Next, academic excellence. The district is making strides in focusing on curriculum development and using data to drive instructional decisions. Over the past two years, we've seen an intentional shift towards identifying the academic gaps in implementing targeted strategies to improve student achievement. This kind of progress takes time and while the results may not appear immediately, the foundation for lasting improve
041improvement is being laid. The school culture and communication. We're actively seeking to create a school environment where students feel safe, respected, and able to learn. The concerns persisted around The concerns persist around student behavior, peer conflict, and disengaging, vaping, and cell phone misuse. These issues are complex and cannot be solved by the district alone. While schools must be led with a clear expectation and proactive interventions, it's essential to acknowledge that much of this of this starts at home. Strengthening partnerships between families and schools is key. Poor Mr. wants to raise that so bad. Uh, next Stephanie K. Um, so it's important to note that um, as a current board member, um, the current topics and issues that I hear in the community are not necessarily what I personally feel, but what I hear in the
042around the community. Um, the first topic that's come up a lot is our current administration team. Our admin team is relatively new and when you you say new in the sense of education you think the last couple of years um we've had significant turnover in our high school um making consistency difficult. I think that with proper um PD and discipline experience we will eventually get there. Making sure our admins are following the code of conduct is essential and holding our admins accountable for their actions and what's happening in the building is essential. That being said, the code of conduct is also something that's come up in the community frequently. Um, there's been some instances this year where people may or may not feel the code of conduct has been followed exactly as it's written or
043maybe disagree with the way it's written. Um, I think it's important to note that our admins, including our current superintendent, understand that this has been a problem and they're working to fix it. There is actually a committee that has been formed to review the code of conduct to make sure it's accurate and appropriate. So, I think we're headed in the right direction and I'm confident that we'll get there. Thank you. Finally, um I think current issues and something that I would love to see is more programs that teach our children about the trades. I think the Boseies is a great program, but it's also shared with so many other districts and the classes are limited. Students can't always attend the program they've chosen. Um I think that we need to implement more programs and classes
044and etc. that would allow our kids to explore more um their futures more in depth. Um I'm I'm hoping to actually share some creative ideas with the board if I'm elected and I think that there's a lot more things that our students could engage in if we are given the opportunity. Thank you very much. Next question. We'll start in the middle again with Nancy Ding. Are there any changes you'd like to see in school district policies, programs, or the various school curricula being offered? If yes, what changes and why? All right. Cell phones will be a major topic in the upcoming year. While we don't have a budget pass, when it does happen, it's been said that all New York State public schools will be required to implement a policy for preventing students from using
045cell phones during the entire school day. While technology is an important tool for learning, we must set clear boundaries around cell phone use during the school day. Next, enrichment and opportunity. Beyond the basics, we need to broaden the scope of what we offer. Every student should have access to enrichment opportunities. Whether through the arts, career, and technical education, STEAM, STEM programs, or extracurricular clubs, these experiences build confidence, curiosity, and a sense of purpose. Equity and access. We must ensure that all students, regardless of their ability, economic background, or academic level, have equal access to a high quality program. This includes students in special education from those economically disadvantaged backgrounds and students seeking advanced coursework such as AP. Equity is not about lowering expectations. It's about removing the barriers and providing the support every child needs
046to succeed. Belonging and inclusion. Students need to feel that they belong academically. socially and emotionally. That starts with a school culture that reflects inclusivity in both curriculum, content, and daily practice. When students see themselves represented, they feel valued. They feel more likely to engage and thrive. Okay, thank you very much. Next, we'll go to JD Cle. Yeah, a lot of the stuff's been covered already, but two things I want to address quickly. Um, I think we have a couple untapped resources in that can draw some interest. Like I'm I'm talking about the blue ribbon thing. I'm going back to my main point of making Red Creek a place of interest. People that want to come here, move here, have their families and kids go to school here. The homeschool group is growing every year. And
047I would be interested. I've worked with these people for many years and families that homeschool their kids. Maybe we can develop policies and programs to get their kids into our sports programs. I know all across the board we are struggling in churches and and Rotary clubs, Lions clubs, volunteers help and a lot of these parents want their kids to be involved in sports and arts and music and maybe we can develop programs and ideas to help get these kids back into these programs and maybe bring them back into the fold of the public school system. I think it's a widely untapped resource that if we develop some policies here, maybe we could draw these families back into the the school system. And the other thing is the community center. It is an untapped resource to
048this place. It is a draw to this school and this community and it's a great focal point for this school. I can't tell you how many friendships and how much energy and passion is over there. If we could tie the community and the school together and give us something to unify around, something to get excited about. People coming to play ra people coming to meetings and coming to concerts. It is such an underutilized resource that we have. Maybe we as a school board could develop policies to incentivize people getting memberships coming in and getting involved and being here on these grounds more often and creating some energy here. Thank you. Thank you. And Stephen, real quickly, I just like to say I like to see metal detectors right at all the entrances. You catch not
049just weapons, but I understand you can also catch baby for that as well. But I've beat on drug thing enough I think for tonight. Regarding curriculum, I'd like to ensure that offerings remain focused on core competencies, math, science, reading, technology, arts, and expanding those. You know, how is AI being incorporated into our schools? That's the way things are going. We have to understand how to use that kind of technology, how to use it appropriately and make that part of these young people's lives. I've used it used properly and used well, it can enhance your work, your own creativity. So, I recommend those types of things. I like to see people from with industry experience come in and volunteer time to help inspire young children to or older children, high schoolers to grow in this way.
050They are ready and willing to do that and are far in advance of many of us elderly people. But I think we can still teach them a thing or two. Uh, we want to emphasize skills and knowledge that are universally universally applicable. I'd like to enforce reinforce neutrality in all programs, ensuring personal political viewpoints don't influence teaching. These changes are necessary to refocus on academic excellence, support student wellbeing, and maintain community trust. By prioritizing facts and efficiency, we'll create a stronger and more effective educational system for regular students. Thank you. Finally, have I think that our current board has done a great job and I'm excited to see how the new curriculum starts rolling out and the changes that that come with that. Um, as far as changes that I would like to see, I
051would like to more focus on our special education. I as a as a bus driver, I've seen so many kids that get sent to other schools because we don't have the capacity for them here to teach them, you know, what they need in within our special education. And I would love to see programs here that that would be able to keep those kids in house and keep them closer to home so they don't have to travel so far. Um, I think that would be one of our one of our main goals. Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh, the final questions are intended for candid responses. Candidates have not seen them beforehand. Oh, did I miss? I'm sorry. That's okay. Last but absolutely not least, please. Please, Stephanie Cox. Thank you. Um, thing that I
052would really like to see change at this point is the equality of pushing kids towards trades just as much as we push them towards college. I feel that college is pushed extensively not just here but everywhere. Um we're starting to head in that direction with the help of some of the staffing a lotments um and supporting that. Kids are getting kind of a taste of you know different um different trades in different classes. Um but I I'd love to see a lot more of that. I think in a community like ours we have probably about 50% of our students to either go into a trade or the workforce right out of school rather than college. And I'd like to see more opportunities for them. Um I'd also like to see opportunities for students to explore
053different career paths starting much earlier. Um at this point we really don't offer that until the high school level. Um and most doesn't get offered until junior year. I'd like to see students maybe even at the elementary level start learning about some of those opportunities. Thank you. Thank you. Sorry. Now the final questions. Yeah, you're going first. Uh, now the final questions are intended for candid responses. The candidates have not seen them beforehand. First question of candid response. With a declining enrollment, what do you see for the future of Red Creek Central School District? Stephanie, I don't think Red Creek Central School District going anywhere. I think continuing to partner with um you know our families, our parents, tapping into resources that we um can get grants, things like that. I think we are going
054to be a marketable district. I think people will be moving into the area. Um we're not going anywhere. Okay. Thank you. Next, we'll call on Stephen Heis. Same question. Same question. Okay, fair enough. If their attendance is going down, who says that's going to stop? And then you have to look at what does that do to the budget and how do we keep a successful staff of teachers here who are passionate about teaching their job. We're going to have to find out why people are deciding to homeschool versus sending them here. Some of those things have been mentioned. Some of those things are just the ideological elements that have been plaguing our society for some time. They're taking them home because they don't like it here. They don't like what might happen here. We need
055to take a look at that seriously. See if we can make some changes, inspire people to come back to school. But we aren't going to just be able to hope in one hand, you know what the other and see that it's going to get better without some active participation on behalf of the board, the school, and the community. It's going to everyone. Thank you. And Amber Gilmore, same question. What do you see for the future of Central School District despite declining? So, I looked up the enrollment numbers and in 2004 we had almost,00 students and we have like 753 of you currently. I think the reason for it is because this is such a great area to live and nobody moves out. I mean, if you look at a lot their neighbors, they're they're elderly,
056and at some point in time, there's going to be a new family there. I think our numbers are going to go back up because this is a great place. This is a great place to live, and this is a great place to go to school. Um, and I the teachers are wonderful and they're here for the right reasons. So, I I don't feel like we're going to decline too much more than we currently are. Um, I think that it's going to take a little bit of time, but just like with the housing market, it's going to go back up. Thank you, J. question. I am an eternal optimist and I believe the best is yet to come. I think things can turn around here like they can't anywhere else, but it's going to take work.
057It's going to take sacrifice. It's going to take everyone, not just school boards or administration or faculty. If we want to see things change in our communities, we're going to have to do something about it. One of the unique things I think about Red Creek though is Fair Haven. Um, I don't know if you guys noticed this. A lot of towns along the waterway don't do or lake don't do as well as for Haven does. There's something special about Vhaven. It's one of the only bays in in this area that can support six or seven restaurants. They can't do it in Port Bay. They can't do it in East Bay. Sodas Bay struggling. There is something special about this community, but it's going to take all of us to do our part. We can't just
058sit on the sidelines and criticize and point fingers. I think there's a lot of good bones here. I think there's a lot of good structure. We just have to find a way to get back to where we want to be and then go beyond that, right? So, yeah, I do think things can turn around. Thank you. And last but not least, Nancy Dingle. I'm sorry, could you repeat the question? Yes. Thank you. With a declining enrollment, what do you see for the future of the Red Creek School District? I I see opportunity. We have four school districts um within a 10-minute drive of Red Creek and it it's about sharing services. It's about what is one school offering one's not another's not. So I see that we have to tap into those resources, get together
059and say what are we going to do collectively. So I find opportunity. Thank you. The next question is, what does teacher retention look like to you? What does it mean or look like to you? Please provide examples of ways you would like to promote teacher and staff retention. Start with Amber Gil. I think that retention with anyone overall is communication. So if you want to retain somebody, you need to communicate with them and you need to be open and honest and fair about it. I honestly believe in yearly reviews. You got you got to talk to your people and find out why, you know, why they aren't happy or what makes them happy. Okay, thank you. Same question, Stephen. Yeah, it's a it's a tough one because they're all people and they have a passion
060for doing it. It's why they got into it. So, you're going to have to see if it's a systemic problem that impacting teachers wanting to leave and go other places or if there's something we can do individually to help inspire them to stay. That's really going to come down to be a leadership role in the schools themselves, all the administrators to find out what is the best mechanism by which we can retain excellent teachers, keep them on the job, keep inspiring them, rewarding them. Not always monetary though that always helps but just being appreciated. I'm not certain that they always get that appreciation. Thank you. Next, let's hear from Stephanie Kaiser. The question. Yes. What does teacher retention mean or look like to you? Please provide examples of ways you would like to promote teacher
061and staff retention. So, teacher attention to me would obviously be teachers staying in this district. Um I think in any job um obviously people come to work to make money. Um it's not a secret. We don't pay a ton here, but we have something that a lot of other districts don't have. We have a small town community feel. There's a lot of teachers here that have ties. They have kids here. They went to school here. Um I think talking with your staff, making and building relationships is huge. That goes a long ways. Um, people come here and stay here because they love it here. Um, they love the students and they love the small town feel. Thank you. And next we'll hear from Nancy Hunter. I think it's important that faculty and staff feel supported,
062respected, and that they're professionally fulfilled. Sustainability is important. If it doesn't happen anymore, but it's great when you hear that teachers stay 30 or 44 years uh because they love it. So, you just have to take that and you know find out what what makes them stay, what makes people want to be here and run with that. And finally, uh, JD, it's kind of like, you know, what I've been saying all along with, this school being a place that's a draw. We want to create an environment that teachers want to be, right? And I I believe this about teachers. I'm not one. I can't speak for but I have to imagine uh they have to not only be a teacher but a counselor in many cases a parent um a disciplinarian a safety officer they
063have to wear these hats which they'll do because they care about their jobs and they care about their kids. It doesn't mean it should be the responsibility that's woed upon their shoulders. So I would you know I would think we need to create an atmosphere where teachers aren't getting burned out or stressed out. an environment where they do feel like they can do what they're called to do and do what they're passionate about. You know, I I believe most of the teachers we have here are probably great people who love the kids. And we need to find a way to create an environment that makes them want to not just stay here, but come here. Invite their teacher friends. If they went to college one, they why don't you come apply at Red Creek School
064System. We got to find a way to let teachers be teachers and the rest of us do the jobs that we're supposed to do. Thank you. Hey, thank you very much. If there are any audience members with questions for the candidates, I'll ask you to step up and line up behind the microphone right over here. I'll turn it on for you. Um okay. Um so I would just ask that uh you state who you are and what your interest is in the district before you No, he's not. Are any building? No. Um, so Marilyn Wither, our treasurer who helped organize the event, uh, would like to respond to that. Sorry for the candidates, but I just want to respond to that by saying that this sponsored by the rec Teachers Association teachers union. So it
065is not a district sponsored event and I understand the way you feel and I want to make it clear for everybody that we did not be teachers and they have a budget tomorrow night. So I'm feeling very building. Yes, we we did make the opportunity for this to be live streamed from home. Uh not only right now in real time, but in uh in the future if somebody wasn't available to watch it right now. We do have uh one of our administrators here. It's just not a building principle of the superintendent. I also see many of the other uh sitting board members and past board members in the audience as well. Anyone else out in the cafeteria during our meet and greet? What? Okay, Mrs. Thomas. I'd like to know what your policy. Okay. So,
066a question is asking about enforcing the banning of cell phones. What do you intend for policy to be regardless of what the state budget does? Absolutely. district. Oh, well, if she's cleaning it up in each district. Yeah. Then I think Well, from my end, from my end, I think it'd be a mistake. Yeah. You know, so it's going to come down to what you can't vote on everything, but I think what does a community want? Most parents like the freedom to be able to contact their kids. Most kids like to be able to call their parents or whatever when they want to. How do you remove that from happening? It's going to take some some thinking and I don't know that we have an answer. I don't the best way to do that right school.
067So, well, I can't talk on behalf of Hannibal, but um what I can is from my understanding it will be up to the districts as you said um what's how it's going to be implemented. Honestly, it starts at home. If the district says that you can't have a cell phone, it's also my understanding that you're going to have waiverss or a parent who's going to be able to have an exception to the rule. So, it's only as good phone allows. Um, my child does not bring a cell phone into to school. Um, it's difficult because while you can say there's not going to be a cell phone, the kids bring them. The kids have them out in class. Um, it takes a village. But it will be up to the next board to adopt a
068policy administration to follow through with that and um hopefully have parent buy in that. And I think honestly that's going to be the hardest part is the parents who still say I need to get a hold of my child because of XYZ. Um we used to have to go down to the nurs's office and use the phone to call home or else the parent would have to call the school to leave a message. There wasn't the instant access that people feel entitled to. Now sure that answered your question um something so when u our children give us a hard time we cut off their internet which makes their phones about useless. So maybe schools could do is limit internet access just to school utensils instead of like Wi-Fi for kids to access, you know, like
069your cell phone's not very good when you uh can't send text messages or receive calls or surf the internet or get on TikTok. So, well, I I think it might be like a toothpaste getting getting the toothpaste back in the tube kind of thing because they got they got Chromebooks, they got watches, they you know, some people They have it in their glasses. They have internet access through their glasses. Yeah. So, I mean, I guess the best thing you can do is limit their internet access access. Anyone else want to respond? I'll respond. Okay. Um, I think that this generation of children is very smart. So, I think it doesn't matter what we do to take things away from them, they're going to figure out a way to get back. Um, I think that the
070consequences to their actions are probably going to be what gets them. So, and for the parents as well. Say you take their cell phone away and the parent has to come get it. It's going to only take twice before I probably eliminate my child's cell phone if I have to go pick it up from school and he won't get it back or she won't get it back. You know, I think it's going to definitely be the consequences to the actions. And it's it's going to have to affect both the children and their parents. up to the next board and the administration team to figure out how you implement something like that. There's going to be push back from students. There's going to be push back from parents. Um but how do you get them to
071buy in? Um and from my understanding, there already is limits on the internet here. Um students don't have access on their cell phones during the day. Um I know that because my own child doesn't have access to internet during the day. Of course, they need access on their Chromebooks. they do a lot of work on Chromebooks. Um, but limiting at this point I think has been eye opening for students and I think it was difficult in the beginning. Um, I heard a lot of moss and groans at home that I don't necessarily hear now. Um, you know, after it's been going on for a little bit of a while. So, I think just, you know, whatever the governor is going to do is what the governor is going to do and it's it's going to
072have to be rolled out, but there's going to have to be buy in. There's going to have to be um consequences and procedures put in place to limit what our kids have access to. Thank you. Anyone else? children of the district. I've heard you all talk about our district within our district. I'm curious to not just for the sake of those listening at home. Um, you've been asked by this is agenda Vinnie. If you do not win, how will you continue to show your support for the district? I catch that. We'll go right down the table starting with Stephen. Yeah. You know, I still have grandkids here at school and so I'm I'm always kind of packing going to the games being a part of that. I think might be something volunteer opportunities. I feel
073pretty strongly about some of these things and if I'm able to come in and help like let's say do a hall monitor job for a little bit you know as a volunteer then I think that's something that I can do to help tackle one of the things I think it's a serious problem Mr. Yeah, I currently am on the community center advisory board and I'll continue to do that. I uh I love that place. I love what it brings to the school. I've made a lot of good friendships there. It's a great connection community. I I keep doing that. I keep supporting my kids and all that they do whether it's sports or my kids are kind of artsy is the right word for it. concerts and I I do all the normal stuff I
074normally do. Thank you. This is great. Prior to coming on to the board, I attended board meetings. I was an active member in my child's school at that time was Kyler. Now it's middle school. Um she doesn't want me there at all but I still try. Um I As you know, I am also a colleague and communicator with administration and teachers here. So, I don't foresee that if I'm not here next year that I will be going away. In fact, sometimes maybe people will hear from me more often. Okay. Thank you, Stephanie. I am going to do what I did before I was elected to the board. Um, I was an active I think a lot of success at school comes from what happens at home. I'm going to still continue to parent my child.
075I'm going to still hold her to high standards, making sure she's following the rules, doing what's asked of her, um, and ultimately being a good person. Um, I think communicating with the teachers, communicating with the administrators just as I did prior to my position here. Thank you. I think that Red Creek provides a lot of opportunity parents to be involved. Um there's the community schools board. There is the handbook committee that's going on right now. I think there's a lot of ways that we can be involved even if we don't make it on in on the board of elections. Um I've got seven more years of students in this district and I plan to just remain part of this district. It's important to me. Thank you. Any further questions from the audience? Right. So the
076question is if you have volunteered on any of the committees uh or booster clubs or anything like that recently um or meetings that they had here um and then they are starting back up so I would definitely attend those again. It's not just a red thing but I coached T-ball for many years in the Elvis leagues and then opened to Red Creek Ferry Roads North Roads and I I did that till about I had a heart attack and I couldn't do it anymore. So, uh and then again at the advisory board. So, I am on the code of conduct committee. I am on the negotiations committee. I'm on the finance committee. I'm on the policy committee. Um I've spent many many nights here. Um I'm sure there's a committee I'm forgetting, but um I serve
077more than just being a board member that comes once a month to a meeting. My name is Nancy. I'm on board committees um that I attend and I participate in I am very interested in the booster club. Unfortunately, I was at a prior commitment for my district the night after the booster club meeting. So, I couldn't make that one. But I do plan to attend um one other meeting sum up because I do feel that that's important for our district. Forward and ring the bell. Anything else for you? So the question is, how do you intend to help uh the elementary and middle schools as well as the high school? There's been a lot of talk about helping out high school. What about early childhood education and middle grades? Just because they're in early grade
078doesn't mean you can start on a good technology path and this world is heading that all the time is getting faster and faster. So by getting into the schools, getting something in the curriculum even for our our youngest grades, getting them to really embrace technology opportunities that are there, science, just inspiring children that'll help them want to learn. That's a important factor. But you're right. We tend to focus because I'd like to think that in grade school drugs are a problem, but that's kind of what I've been thinking about high school. But you got to start there, too. Lots of when I went to school, they would have police officer come in and talk about drugs, why that was bad, not just for arrests, but just because it was harming them, health, all that type
079of stuff. I'm sure it's there now. Um, I think one of the other kids mentioned this, but I think identifying kids with like career paths or talents like maybe it's music, maybe athletics, maybe it's uh the trades, right? identifying kids that are more geared towards that type of styized learning and finding ways to push kids in directions that they're passionate about and that they're skilled around them trying to make them fit into a specific mold. I think you know you verbose mentioned carrying the trades. I think it's an underutilized underappreciated and we're suffering for as a as a society right not having skilled tradesmen. I think identifying kids and what they're good at and what they're aiming for and trying to help them succeed. Those callings, if you will, right on their life, I think
080trying to find that younger age, elementary, middle school, is important. And I'm uh I'm also think nap time should come back to elementary school. My kid comes home every day from school and she is exhausted. I have everything I can do to keep her awake. I don't know what the answer is for that, but she she's 9 years old. a week and the poor thing is big exhausted by the end of the day. I'm all for that time for kids, for teachers, for everybody. Um, so I was the one that mentioned that I would like to see some sort of um career path exploration in the elementary buildings. Um, being that I elementary building. Um I I do see issues every single day. I don't want to make light of them, but I don't think
081that they are as pressing as what we see in a middle school or a high school. Um but offering different sort of programs, you know, we have Inventive Vines, we have Girls on the Run, Battle of the Books, DARE, all of those things um to keep the young ones engaged and excited about learning. I'd like to see those continue does a great job engaging in our elementary school this year. They started the spelling be the girls on the run, you know, and wise the the book battle books and stuff and I I think that we do a great job with our elementary school and I feel that if we just continue those things and we keep growing those things and keep the kids engaged and we're going to we're going to be just fine. I
082think that middle school probably definitely needs some work. Um, I think those kids are struggling to figure out who they are and and what career path they want to go down as well. And I definitely need to focus on the middle school and keep them engaged because we all know that middle school children are probably the the toughest to raise. Um, and maybe I think if there's a gap between elementary and high school because we don't offer before modified sports, there's nothing really for sixth graders to do. You know, there's no after school. There's we've well, we started up the fishing club, which is great. Um, but there's no modified sports for sixth graders. I think that that's something we could focus on. I I do think there's programs at all levels. um you know
083already mentioned a lot of the elementary um with with the career path though it is supposed to be integrated into the curriculum you know so it doesn't start at high school I'm not sure what they're doing um child's not there anymore um but they should I believe they they also have inter murals after school for the middle grades for the modified level so I do think it's important for you know has to be wellrounded. We do we have presentations we go to the music events but um what can we do we just have to be visible being involved um and it's more than just coming once a month. I think our board is also very involved in what the schools are doing and what the builders are doing. Thank you. Any other questions from the
084audience? So, um I'm elected official about this. So, unfortunately, a lot of people come to school with conflicts or problems, concerns they have. Uh how how would you do that? Most of the time with issues they have you're direct I say you need to follow the chain of command. Have you talked to the teacher? Have you talked to the principal? Have you Have you gone through the proper channels? I'll agree with Nancy. Um I'm a big supporter of um public forum. Um I have said openly in public session that I think it's important that community members come in and voice their concerns. Um but again, it is about following the chain of command. Um if you come in and talk to the board about something, make us aware. Great. The board's hands are really tied
085until it is followed all the way through the chain of command member myself and never serving on the board of education. And for so long, I think that people have thought that the board is like the end all be all of everything. I think educating the community on what the board can do is probably where it's going to start. Um, listening to the community is very important, but Having them know their resources is is key. Honestly, there's a lot of people that don't know what a DA form is. You know, there's there's a lot that we could teach the community before they so they can follow that chain of command. You know, I think it's important for every elected official remember that they are public servants elected by the people to positions that the people
086expect and present that represent the issues concerned about. So, someone came to a board with complaint or an issue, I would listen to them and smile whether I agreed or not and shake my head and say, "Thank you for sharing. We'll talk about it and whatever they can talk about, answer if it's something we need to address is important." So, so I think it comes with a gig of being uh in the public. You better be ready for people to come and complain and voice their concerns and do it with a smile. And protocols get in the way of having some fun, won't they? Well, person come in and complain, I think they want the personal touch of listening to them and also connecting with them as a community member, giving them feedback is what
087we're allowed to do, right? Because you don't they just leave here thinking nothing's happening. Conversation back or sorry, go do that. And that's that's not going to inspire confidence. So that's trying to do is inspire the confidence that we're here listening what we can but our protocols to address this as well. Thank you. Think we got time for one more question. I can't see. Yeah, we're running a little long. Sorry, one more question. I do have one on a card here if nobody has one in the audience. All right. Nationwide, there is a high rate of suicide and other emotional issues among LGBTQ plus teens. In your opinion, should a club or other support be provided in our school district? I'm assuming a club such as Ally Club or Yes. Nationwide, there is a high
088rate of suicide and other emotional issues among LGBTQ plus teens. In your opinion, should a club or other support be provided in our school? Yes. But it's also student run like any um there is no reason why we don't have one now. In fact, I support one. I think it would ran by just the students or would there be staff engagement? Would there be a counselor? Would there be somebody who would provide good good feedback and support to the students? Um my daughter attends a school and there is um many different students there and everyone seems very happy and they have many different clubs and everyone just gets to be who they are and I think that that will be great in every district as long as is support for that with with adults. I
089don't think that students should run their own their own clubs without some sort of adult support. Yeah. Go ahead. Um I would say I have to agree with Amber. Um if it's student run, if there was a need for it here, sure. No different than a chess club or uh the running club or the science club. Um I think it need to be mostly studentled, but I do also think that there would need to be counselor support. I don't necessarily think that students um can handle topics like that on their own. Mr. um I think if there's room in the school for Dungeons and Dragons clubs and drama club, then I think there should be room for basically any club. I mean, there there used to be a Bible club here Red Creek Community Center
090or Red Creek School System. About 20 years ago, a bunch of my kids from youth had Bible club here at school. Just as much as we can have Bible clubs here in school, we definitely should have groups for people that are suicidal for if that's the question. If we're talking about suicidal Q members or LGBTQ group in general, it will be an LGBTQ plus group. The way that I read this would be uh a club that could support members of the LGBTQ community with the understanding just the way that it reads, nationwide there's a high rate of suicide and other emotional issues among LGBTQ plus teens. Should there be a club or other support uh be provided in our school? Chair, I think there's room for club for that. It's always said should be young
091people's a family apart or anything else people need support people need to be felt like others care so some capacity I think that makes some sense for school if there's going to be other clubs how do you single out any other one not doing that it's not a part what my beliefs are but again my feelings my beliefs matter is what the facts are. That is a factual thing of suicide is way up and have those statistics and uh what we should do is try and find a way to help those people feel cared about maybe that's a clue. Thank you very much. a couple last minute things here and then you have an opportunity for a closing statement. Um my second concludes the questions part of our forum. Thank you all for your responses.
092You will now have one minute each for closing statements. Just we'll just go right down the line. So we'll start with vote for Steve School Board of Education. I'd like I want to I just want to help out. This is part of my nature. I'm a servant. I was a servant in the military, a servant industry, and I'm a servant as a pastor. And I really want to also help this school continue to thrive because I have fond fond memories of seeing all of my not all but any children walk down these aisles at graduation come out here at Christmas time and see and uh you know I just love that and to be honest regain a little bit of that touch with personal level with the school and what that means. I love I
093love love teaching you do that. Thank you, Mr. Free. Yeah, I I have to speak publicly usually eight to 10 times a week and I got to say this makes me more nervous than anything else I talk about, you know, in my daily life. But I care about the community. I don't have an axe to grind against anyone here. I uh I think you got a lot of good choices here for uh candidates. Um I I love the school system. I care about people and I would be happy to help serve this community on board of education. Thank you. I want to thank the teachers association for sponsoring this event tonight. So thank you very much. Um I want to take my next minute just that there is no evidence in any school district in
094central New York, including Red Creek, that has implemented CRT, as part of their primary instructional resource or curriculum. While there may be lessons or discussions related to historical events involving race, such as slavery, segregation, or civil rights, these are taught in the context of social studies in history, not part of CRT. Thank you. So again, thank you to the teachers union for sponsoring this. Thank you um for being able to get a live stream. I think that was important to our community. Um thanks to everyone who came out to watch this if anybody has any questions. Um you know, feel free to reach out to myself or I assume any other candidate between now and the next couple of weeks before the election. Um the past three years, I think we've come a long way.
095When I got on the school board, there was a lot of um a lot of animosity in the community. Um a lot of people are unhappy and you don't hear that anymore. Um I'm sure not everybody's happy. You're never going to get everyone to be happy. But I think compared to where we were three years ago, we're in a much better place and I just like to see that continue. Thank you. Thank you, Ambigo. So obviously there's only so many seats on the school board and I think that whoever is elected should be running wholeheartedly and I hope that whoever has the opportunity to take a seat on the board or remain on the board um is just putting the best foot forward for our school. I think that our students and our staff and
096our community deserves um the absolute best and I best of luck to whoever takes that. Thank you very much. Just a few closing comments here just so that you know and for those folks at home. Uh some of you, the board members especially have had a long week because tomorrow night is the board presentation for the budget. Then there's a board meeting on Wednesday. No, there's time. Everything's tomorrow. Well, that makes a little easier on Okay. Um, the all school play is this weekend. I know that's not chocolate. Uh, Charlie the Chocolate Factory, I believe. So, that should be fun. Come on out and see that. Friday and Saturday night, 7 o'clock. I think there's posters in the hallway. And then to actually vote. You have time to talk to your friends and community members.
097Tell them some of the things you saw here. Encourage them to watch the the video on the district's YouTube channel. And that is May 20th. So, exercise your civic duty and vote. Yes, fourth and fifth grade concerts Wednesday night. Oh boy. Yeah, busy week. That Well, that's what the risers are for, right? So, all right. Come out and see the fourth and fifth grade concerts. Watch those kids sing their hearts out. So, thank you once again. Thank you, Mr. Robbins up in the booth. Thank you, Merrily. Thank you, Joe. Thank you, candidates. And best of luck to all of you. And have a great night. Get some cookies on your way out. They won't eat themselves. [Applause]