As the debate finished, I had a few thoughts.....not saying you want to read about them, but here goes. Please add your thoughts and impressions as well! Jill - spoke with certainty. Had a clear understanding of what the issues are and where we need to be. Didnt ignore issues. Has a high understanding of the budget and would LOVE to give teachers all the money in the budget, but it just doesnt work that way. She was able to give examples of her current experiences with teachers and administrators (for example, attending a conference today for PE). Feels that the current issues (budget and board) are impacting the classrooms. Charlie - his years of experience came through. He also did not deny the issues the current board majority has caused and had a clear vision of where he sees the district heading. His answers about budget were thorough and honest. He feels like the current board issues and budget cuts have already impacted the classrooms. Has a connection to employees and would be their fair advocate. Reed - his experience with budgets seems extensive. He seems to have a ton of experience with corporations and solving problems that others struggled to do before him. He did not ignore the issues with our current board majority - even backed up concerns with examples from the Mayor and realtors dealing with concerns about our board. Dawn - has been in the district for 20 years and will be for another 20. Has a child that has graduated and one that will be around for another 20 years (and pretty sure more in between). She seemed lost on several issues and over-focused on ZBB (meaning, it appears that all of her research has been dedicated to one issue). She graded the current board with a B, stating there is always room for improvement (this in contrast to the C from Reed and Ds from Jill and Charlie). Ron - has lots of experience with city, county and state entities. You can call downtown to get his references. Wonders why excess money in the budget was not used to pay teachers. Seemed to be living in the world that all is well and he would continue to keep GPS great, rather than acknowledge the issues/concerns of the public. He was asked by Jill if he wanted to make a statement about Daryl Colvins criticisms of her (since Colvin endorses Bellus). His reply was simply that he does not need to defend anyone but himself. Overall, a great opportunity to hear from each candidate. Brahm Resnik did a fantastic job of being the moderator. Highly suggest you watch it here: livestream/gilbertschools
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 05:28:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015