Hays USD 489 school board candidate: J. Alex Herman

Age: 34

Education: B.A. Philosophy 2007 University of Kansas; J.D. 2009 University of Kansas

Do you have a student currently attending USD 489 schools? No

Qualifications? I am a life long resident of Hays who wants to help any way I can make this community a better place to live.

Do you support USD 489 trying for another bond issue? What do you think that bond should include? If you don’t support a bond issue, how do you think the school district should address its infrastructure needs?

Passing a bond has to be the number one issue for all the school board members. Our buildings get worse every year, and each year we put off passing a bond, it becomes more expensive to do what needs to be done. The school board members need to be leaders in the community to get a school bond passed that meets the needs of our community while also being fiscally responsible.

What would you do to secure the financial health of the school district?

Securing the financial health of a public entity is an ongoing responsibility of all elected officials. The previous school boards have done an overall good job of stretching dollars to make sure the taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck. We need to work to continue that strategy, while making sure we are providing a quality education to all our students.

The Hays school board is at impasse with its teachers for the second year in a row. What would you do to improve relations with teachers?

If on the school board, I would listen to every idea KNEA presents for resolution of the problem. Often times, they have several ideas that fall on deaf ears because of individuals that are more interested in fighting with the union than in solving the problem. We need board members that have the best interest of community at heart instead of a personal agenda to fight with those they don’t like.

Do you support the district’s current one-to-one technology policy? If not, what would you propose?

Technology in education is a never ending arms race. Fall behind, and your students are left behind. I understand others’ reluctance to pay for such an enormous endeavor, but if we don’t pay for it now, the whole community suffers with a generation of students unprepared for tomorrow’s challenges facing the world, our country, and especially our community.

How would you support the district in its work to improve student performance?

Passing a bond is a very important step in this area. Students learn better in an environment that cultivates an enthusiasm for learning. Taking care of our teachers makes sure we keep quality educators in our community and don’t lose them to other districts.

Is there anything else you would like to add about you or your campaign?

The foundation of any great community is a great education system. For too long, we have not done what we need to do to maintain the long-term stability of our local education system, and that has both short-term and long-term negative impact on our city. I am running to provide help wherever I can to take the next step Hays needs to take to insure the long term stability of the community. That starts with developing a bond measure that addresses our needs, but is also fiscally responsible. I will do everything I can as a board member to make sure a plan is developed that meets the needs and expectations of the community.