001Lucius and we will be moderating for this evening before we begin I would like to invite superintendent Malle to say a few words and to provide the necessary safety reminders for all in attendance tonight thank you Noah and thank you Joselyn for agreeing to um be our moderators for tonight's event so that our voters get an opportunity to learn from the folks that are running for the Keen Board of Education um before I go any further just please take note of the exits that are in the room in the case of an emergency we have some in the front and the back of the room if there is a need um to evacuate please do so quickly and through the closest exit uh another housekeeping if anyone needs the restroom it's through the door at
002the back of the room just around the corner to the left so that you can um find that restroom easy enough real briefly real quickly an overview of the Keen Board of Education the Keen board of education has nine members that are elected by the district voters um they serve for three-year terms typically they serve for three-year terms this year is a little bit unusual as we had a resignation on our board so we're not only electing three members for three-year terms we're also electing one member to fulfill the vacated spot and will only be for a two-year period so it's a little bit different that way um the Keen board of education has five standing committees just for everyone's clarification that those are the education committee the policy committee the Personnel committee the finance
003committee and the facilities committee Tuesday nights are pretty much Keen Board of Education nights whether it's a committee meeting or a full board meeting that's when the Keen Board of Education conducts its business um the Keen board is part of a larger organization known as sau29 they are one of seven districts and all seven districts are independent of one another they all have separate boards they have separate budgets separate policies um and they operate um independently but also um cleal I I guess I would say that um so beyond that I think that you know it's a commitment that we respect and appreciate for those raise her hand to run for the Keen board of education for any of our board positions throughout the entire SAU and uh we appreciate those who have put their
004name into the hat and look forward to tonight's event so thank you again Noah and Joselyn for coming stepping forward and hosting and facilitating tonight's event thank you Superintendent mle at this time I would like to invite our student council adviser Chelsea bond to come up and say a few words about our student organization welcome uh my name is Chelsea Bond and myself along with Sabrina durgen are the advisers for Keen high school student council student council is a student run organization whose goal is to create a more positive School culture and give back to the community members of student council are leaders in our school community and Sabrina and I are very proud of of their contributions to our school student council is honored to host tonight's Schoolboard candidate Forum we are excited to
005hear the thoughts and ideas of our two candidates we'll now hand it over to KHS seniors Noah bandet and jsyn lucus who will be the moderators for tonight's event thank you Miss Bon engaged student organizations are critical for success in public education and we're fortunate to have your leaders ship and support here in Kean during tonight's Forum we will ask a series of questions that all candidates received in advance of this event we will also rotate the order that the candidates will respond to the questions so as there is no perceived advantage to any of the candidates on the ballot but the incubate candidates are all running unopposed so tonight's we will only be hearing from the two candidates that are running for the open 2-year seat unfortunately one of the two is unable to
006be here tonight so superintendent Malay will be reading her responses on her behalf if time allows we will open the microphones in the audience for those in the attendance to ask questions to the candidates are there any questions at this time before we begin I would like to ask the audience to please silence their cell phones if you haven't done so already and just a reminder that we are streaming this live on the sau29 YouTube channel please introduce yourself and state why you are running for Schoolboard basically what experience would you bring to the school board that would benefit students and staff of the King School District let's start with Mr waser hi uh my name is Jason waser um I'm I'm a better writer than I'm a speaker so I'll be using notes and
007I hope you can forgive me that um thank you to the students um and the administration for hosting the forum tonight um a little bit about myself um I want to be a voice on the school board that puts students first uh because every decision that we make should prioritize their education well-being and future success um I grew up in Keane attended Simon's school um and then the middle school and the high school um my parents in the 70s and ' 80s uh owned jeans pastry shop which there might still be a few people that remember that um I've been married to my beautiful wife Melanie for 16 years um and our three kids all attend the same great Keen schools that I did um Julia is in second grade Adam is in sixth grade
008at the middle school and Max is in eighth grade at the middle school um After High School I served in the Navy as a medical Corman um and then later studied English lit and worked as a health counselor for adolescence with mental health challenges um following that I spent a Dozen Years working in management at a number of Home Depot um including the one in Kean in 2010 I started my own e-commerce company uh in Kean which is still going strong today um last spring I started attending board and committee meetings when I learned of an issue with how the district was handling school lunch uh debt after seven months of meetings advocating for change to benefit the students um the board to their credit Chang the policy um it was from that experience that
009I realized I could help make positive change uh that could benefit the students in the schools um and that's why I'm running uh for my kids and for everyone else's students need to be at the center of every single decision that the board makes and that's my intention if I'm lucky enough to be elected thank you and now let's have Mr Malay speak for Miss Walker I'm just going to read verbatim What She submitted I'm not going to articulate her stray from the script on this okay um good evening I'm disappointed to miss the meet the candidates Forum I tested positive for flu and pertusus both highly contagious I wanted I wanted to thank the administration for putting on the Forum to Mr Malay for reading my responses and to the Keen high school student
010council for moderating my name is Paige Walker I was born and raised in keen and am a proud graduate of ke Public Schools I am deeply invested in the success of our schools and our community after spending 18 years in New York City building a successful career in financial services I returned to Kean in 2016 to raise my family my son is currently a student at Simon school and I am an active member of the Simons PTA and partnering for public education I believe that public education is the backbone of society and I am committed to ensuring that every student in the Keen school district has access to strong well supported schools I am passionate about board service because I see it as a meaningful way to contribute to my community strengthen our public schools
011and support students teachers and families I am action oriented a problem solver and I think outside the box to find Creative Solutions to challenges as board chair for several local nonprofits I've focused on strategic planning governance and finan financial oversight skills that enable me to bring people together to tackle challenges and plan for the future professionally I have nearly two decades of leadership experience at Major financial institutions including JP Morgan and erade where I managed large-scale projects LED strategic initiatives and oversaw governance and compliance my ability to navigate complex financial and operational Landscapes will be an ass ET to the Keen School Board as we work to ensure responsible budgeting and strategic decision making for our schools thank you Mr Malay if you were elected to the school board which committees would you like to
012serve on and why for reference the Keen Board of Education communities are education policy Personnel finance and Facilities this time we'll hear Miss Walker's response first first thank you if elected I will ensure financial responsibility to keep our schools strong and sustainable strengthen academic programming so all students have access to high quality learning opportunities develop strategies to retain and attract highly qualified teachers be Forward Thinking in addressing the challenges facing public education today in order to accomplish those goals I would be eager to serve on all committees immersion is the best way to get up to speed and fully understand the challenges and opportunities facing our schools however I am particularly interested in finance education policy and Personnel committees as they align closely with my background in finance oversight strategic planning governance and support for
013educators thank you Mr Malay now we would like to hear from Mr waser I'd like to have a seat on the policy committee if that would be possible so that I can help contribute to the policies and procedures that guide the district um when I first started attending meetings last spring it was in the policy committee where I was told repeatedly that the lunch policy was legal and because it was legal it wouldn't be changed um after seven months of meetings and public input um the policy was revised and I'm pleased with that outcome but it shouldn't have taken that long or been that controversial um I want to bring a more student centered approach to policy ensuring decisions aren't just legal but they also truly benefit all of our students um I also think
014a seat on the education committee would present a lot of opportunity to focus on the students and work on issues that would directly benefit them um supporting teachers enhancing programs um and addressing challenges in the classroom um I believe my experience in business and managing large teams would be beneficial on the personel and finance committees I've LED performance evaluations for large stat staffs met business goals and helped manage budgets both at Home Depot and in my own business um I would try to bring a thoughtful goal oriented approach to the Committees um in short I'm excited to contribute in any way I can and I'm interested in working with any and all of the Committees uh that would have me thank you Mr waser public education in the United States and here in New Hampshire
015has been embattled of late what should a local school board do to maintain and improve the level of TR TR in our schools Mr waser you are up um I really like this question um we need to increase transparency and openness on the board and in the district um we need to follow our state Sunshine laws that guarantee guarantee public access to meetings and information to the letter um public matters need to be discussed in the public uh more communication is always better than less especially two-way communication between the community and the board um the board has made a number of great strides in this area uh the district has started trying to post committee meetings to YouTube um at the last Finance meeting I attended some of the reports that are regularly shared with
016just the committee members um were put up on the screen during the meeting is fantastic um although they weren't accessible to download uh the board and the district are 100% moving in the right direction um but there's still a lot more to be done to gain the Public's trust in the future I'd like to see all of the Committees put all public documents and reports online where the public can access them um committee and board meetings are posted online currently but often not until days or weeks past the 5-day legal limit imposed by the state uh transparency and openness are incredibly important in building trust with the community um we should also ensure that any future public conversations allow for parent voices to be heard um the community knows when it's being plated and if
017anything that and if anything that breaks trust rather than builds it um if I'm elected I'd like to be in the business of building trust with the community and now we will hear from Mr mle the school board's role to ensure we have strong po I'm sorry the school board's role is to ensure we have strong policies to support students teachers and our schools to do this effectively we must actively listen and engage with the administration teachers students parents and taxpayers I am already out in the community doing just that and I will continue to do so building trust also requires transparency and education when people understand the challenges and decisions facing our schools they can Advocate intelligently and participate meaningfully by fostering open communication and ensuring that all V voices are heard we can
018strengthen public confidence in our schools and their leadership thank you Miss Mr Malay what are two of the greatest strengths of keen schools and two of the most pressing challenges Mr Malay please share Miss Walker's answer thank you strengths the people in our schools teachers staff and administrators are deeply committed to education and truly care about students their dedication creates a supportive and enriching learning environment strength number two is diverse academic and extracurricular opportunities just today I was reminiscing with a friend about the Kean Junior High School Ski Club how many mountains we visited and how learning to ski on Ice meant we could ski anywhere these experiences shape Us in ways beyond the classroom from the kindergarten Outdoor Classroom to advanced placement classes at the high school Keen schools provi provide a wide range
019of opportunities students benefit from elementary Ski Club Middle School track and fishing clubs and high school student council interact in athletics Additionally the Keen school's Partnerships with outstanding Community organizations like the Lions Club high five ndi and the Harris Center further enrich student experiences making keen a place where learning extends beyond the textbooks challenges declining enrollment from facilities and Bud from facilities and budgeting perspective this is a major issue while our fixed costs like facilities and staff remain constant fewer students mean reduced State funding creating Financial strain as a board member I would be Forward Thinking and creative with Solutions uh second one the expansion of the voucher system coupled with decreasing state and federal aid puts additional pressure on public school funding making it harder to maintain the quality and breadth of programs our
020students deserve as a board member I would support continuing transparency and education of the of the Kean School District's budget thank you Mr Malay now for Mr waser Kean has great schools with great teachers um just one example because it's close to my heart is Simon School uh the principal and teachers are fantastic um and they love and care for those kids um and I'm sure that can be said of all the elementary schools in Kean as well as at the middle school and at the high school um we have great and caring teachers in keen and I think our schools are very student centered um I would also like to I would also add that the large and diverse roster of co-curricular activities in our schools um are also a tremendous asset to the
021students um a challenge for the schools and by this I mean all schools not just Keen um is bullying and I don't pretend to know what the answer is beyond what our schools are already doing um but I would like to help figure it out um I'd like to try I think more openness and two-way communication about the problem not legal Jaron would be a small step in the right direction um another challenge is finding a way to balance providing a great education for our kids without overburdening uh the taxpayers we must pay our teachers and staff well um and we also have to find a way to slow the spending if we can the impact of the taxpayer this time around is going to be fairly large and painful for a lot of people
022um we have to try to reduce spending where we can and in ways that don't hurt the kids or hurt the teachers uh for example one of the warrant articles that's coming up on March 11th um wants to add $300,000 from the Surplus fund balance to the building maintenance trust fund um I would suggest that given the impact to the taxpayers this time around we could have added $100,000 to the fund instead um it's a small change but I think it's in the small things that we can slow the growth of the budget um a lot of tax are hurting right now and the Board needs to show to show that they're making every effort to provide both a great education and respect the taxpayers thank you Mr wer what role do you believe co-curriculars
023such as clubs organizations and Athletics play in students overall educational experience going to start with Mr wer again uh I think co-curriculars are incredibly important um I heard someone on the board say a few weeks ago I think it was U Mr Roberts that co-curriculars are the reason some kids even show up to school um and I think that's very true clubs and sports are what motivates so many of the kids especially in the middle and at the high school uh these activities can build leadership teamwork and communication skills that prepare students for future success um they build confidence and discipline and it's on these teams and in these clubs and activities where many students find friendships and a sense of belonging in the school schools um in my own family the music program has
024made an incredible impact um music drama Sports all the various clubs and activities build community and if anything I think we should try to have even more clubs and co-curriculars available uh to the students now Mr mle co-curricular activities play a vital role in shaping the whole student they teach collaboration teamwork resilience and how to navigate both success and failure most importantly they provide a sense of joy and belonging the relationships formed through clubs organizations and Athletics are lasting and formative I played on the Keane High School soccer team back in the day and my teammates became some of my closest friends soccer taught me dedication grit and the confidence that I could achieve anything if I put my mind to it finding something that you are passionate about whether it's a sport a club
025or an organization is is essential these experiences help students develop lifelong skills build meaningful connections and make the most of their educational Journey thank you Mr Malay do you support the current impr proposed education Freedom account voucher programs please explain your position Miss Walker is going to lead this one first I recognize that there are students in circumstances where the voucher program can be beneficial and provide important opportunities however I also recognize that the current voucher system does not have any Financial guard rails and is unaudited both of which negatively impact the budget ultimately affecting a greater number of students in our Public Schools as a school board member my priority is to set policies to ensure all students have access to a highquality education Public Schools serve the vast majority of students and must
026be adequately funded to maintain strong academic programs attract and retain excellent teachers and provide essential Services any expansion of the voucher system should be carefully evaluated to ensure it does not come at the expense of the resources and opportunities available to our public school students thank you Mr Malay now we're going to hear from Mr waser I don't support education Freedom accounts um what's happening is that they're pulling kids and money away from our public schools and redirecting it to private and religious schools um and homeschooling uh it's a slow attempt at weakening and privatizing the entire Public public school system in New Hampshire um secondly $5,000 doesn't begin to cover the cost of a private education and families of more modest means can't take advantage of it um and that creates further inequality um
027those families of modest means are paying taxes to support a program that benefits only the wealthy um once the private or religious schools receive the tax dollars there's also no accountability or standards or even testing in place to see how effectively the schools are using the taxpayer dollars another issue with the education Freedom accounts is that some of the funds are being spent at religious schools uh despite the Constitutional issues that should be preventing that from happening um voucher aren't fair or Equitable and they're hurting our Public Schools thank you Mr waser in seeing how a couple of neighboring districts have had their proposed budget slash one earlier this month and another about five years ago how do you plan to support the needs at the school without risking similar types of cuts being made
028in our district Mr washer please kick us off uh it's really a terrible situation that that um has been happening in the neighboring districts um I think the solution so that it doesn't happen here boils down to openness transparency um and respecting the taxpayer uh we have to build trust I think the taxpayers need to see that the board is doing everything it can to hold costs steady while still funding a great education for the students um they need to know that every effort is being made to keep costs down while not impacting students uh we need to pay our teachers well and we also need to control other costs where we can um maybe in the next budget cycle we hold the annual budget increase to 2% instead of three um or instead of
029reabsorbing the Surplus fund balance into line items in the next year's budget we commit to using it partially or entirely to reduce the taxpayers bill um the current board is doing a good job um they're incredibly competent and well-intentioned uh people serve on the board because they care about kids and schools and they want to help um but we still need to be better stewards of the taxpayer dollars we need to build and maintain trust and transparency with the community to prevent what happened in manano and at Jeffrey ringe from happening here um show the community where you're saving them the money uh show them where you could have spent it but you didn't show them that you're trying because you are um the taxpayers aren't mean or stingy and they want Great Schools too
030it's that many of them can barely afford to live here already The taxpayers Who live here are the families of the kids who attend our schools if we keep raising our taxes they won't be able to afford to live here and they won't be able to send their kids to these amazing schools that we have in Kean thank you Mr waser now we will hear from Mr mle I am aware that the Keen schools use zerob based budgeting meaning all expenses must be justified each year this approach ensures that funds are allocated thoughtfully and responsibly one of the best ways to protect our budget from Cuts is through education and Community engagement by holding public input sessions and increasing transparency we can showcase the great work happening in our schools and demonstrate how funds are
031being used effectively to support students if the community understands the value of our investments in education and sees that we are being fiscally responsible they are more likely to support our schools and advocate for substant for sustainable funding from the state and federal government thank you Mr Malay what is your position with the current funding our state provides for local schools and districts can you touch on adequacy funding special education funding building Aid in the Statewide education property tax more commonly referred to as swept Mr Malay if you would like to start us off with Miss Walker's answers please I told everyone how to use them messed it up myself state and federal funding of public education is simply not enough I recently attended a talk by the New Hampshire school funding fairness project where
032we participated in a budget building exercise my group was given barely enough money to pay teachers salaries and mandated special education costs highlighting the harsh reality of inadequate and INE Equitable State funding key funding issues adequacy funding in 2022 2023 the state calculated the base adequacy amount at $4,180 per student while the actual cost of educating a student is $2,322 a massive Gap that local taxes must cover swep is meant to help cover the shortfall in what the state considers the cost of an adequate education however there are two major issues one the amount calculated for adequate education is far too low and two there are loopholes in the system that prevent swept dollars from being distributed equitably special education funding special education costs often exceed State reimbursements forcing districts to pull from already strained
033budgets building Aid State support for school infrastructure has been inconsistent leaving many districts struggling to maintain an upgrade facilities in summary state and federal funding are inadequate and projected to decline further if we want to maintain strong Public Schools we must advocate for a fairer funding system one that does not place an overwhelming burden on the local property taxes to make up the difference I would encourage everyone to get out and vote on March 11th at The keeme Parks and Rec Center thank you Mr mle now we're gonna hear from Mr waser the state doesn't provide enough funding period um for starters adequacy funding doesn't come close to covering uh what it actually costs to provide a high quality education um the state's definition of adequate doesn't match the real needs of students um this
034leaves local taxpayers to pick up the slack which creates unfair gaps between districts the recent adequacy funding bill that popped up in the legislature recently um was ridiculous something like 30,000 people registered opposition to it um and I hope that it doesn't go through I imagine it won't um when it comes to special education funding the state simply doesn't provide enough support our schools need to offer these services and they should but state state reimbursements only cover part of the cost um that leaves local taxpayers footing most to the bill the state needs to step up with a fairer approach to a fairer approach that gives every student the support they need without putting extra pressure on local school budgets building Aid is another big issue uh State support for school repairs and upgrades um
035has been unreliable and inconsistent and again wealthier districts can afford more extensive projects while lower income areas still struggle to cover the remaining costs or come up with required matching funds to even begin projects in the first place um that's a tough ask for communities without a large tax base the swep tax was designed to make school funding fairer across the state but often does the opposite wealthier communities can raise plenty of money with lower tax rates while property poor areas struggle um it's not a fair or equal system despite the original intent overall the state's funding approach puts too much responsibility on local districts creating big disparities uh we need a funding system that's Fair balanced and ensures every student has access to a great Education Without overwhelming local taxpayers um thank you again
036to the students and administration for this opportunity um and thanks to everyone who came out tonight or is watching from home um and I hope everyone will come out and vote on March 11th thank you thank you Mr waser we now have time for any audience questions we do ask that if you do please come up to the table in front well it doesn't look like we have any takers and I guess that's good because it would be a little bit um imbalanced because I'm reading prepared responses on behalf of uh candidate Walker and I would not be able to answer any live questions from the audience on her behalf so appreciate all of you for coming out to tonight's Forum I am so thankful for our two moderators who have stepped in and for
037our student council who said yes we can and that we will do it big round of applause and after listening to the responses and I listened to myself while I was reading them so after listening to the responses I am grateful that we have two highly capable and qualified candidates to choose from I think that that is outstanding for our district and I think that that is exciting so I encourage everyone as both candidates did in their remarks to go out on March 11th between 7:30 in the morning and 7 o'clock in the evening all Wards are voting at the Keen Rec Center which is at 312 Washington Street and make your make your vote count make your voice be heard so thank you for coming make sure you have some cookies the um student
038council and advisers have been baking for a long time getting them ready for tonight's event so help yourself to some cookies and have a wonderful if I don't see you have a wonderful week next week during our February break thank you folks