The Hays Post sent questionnaires to all the candidates who are running for seats on the Hays USD 489 school board.
Candidates on the ballot include David Clingan, James Feyerherm, Jayme Goetz, Lori Hertel, Craig Pallister, Allen Park, Ruth Ruder, Duff Watson, Dennis Wilkie and Derek Yarmer.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
To find your polling location, click here.
James Feyerherm
Age: 56
Occupation: District manager, Hays Social Security Administration
Incumbent: No
Do you have children or grandchildren who attend(ed) Hays USD 489 schools?
All five of my children have attended Hays USD 489 schools. My two youngest are currently enrolled at Hays High School.
For more biographic information, click here.
If you had one thing you could change about the USD 489 school district, what would it be?
USD 489 does a great job preparing students for college. College level and concurrent credit classes are available for those who are university-bound. Since not all students are going to college, more attention needs to be given to industrial arts and careers that do not require a college degree. Non-college-bound students need additional career counseling. Many of these kids will be staying in Hays. We need to pair them with businesses that offer mentors and apprenticeships. These will be our future business owners, electricians, beauticians, plumbers and contractors. There are good-paying careers available for Hays High School graduates. We need to do a better job of preparing and directing these kids while they are still in school.
What is your opinion of the current school board? Do you think you could compromise with the incumbents who will remain on the board?
This is really a process vs. product question. It doesn’t always look pretty, but the outcomes have usually been satisfactory. The current board has been positive in several areas. They have shepherded through a successful school bond. As pointed out during the candidate forum, the current superintendent has been in place for five years and that lends itself to continuity of operations — something that had been lacking.
As far as compromising with the incumbents, absolutely. What this question is really asking is, “Do you respect other people’s opinions? Do you listen? Can you negotiate?” Yes, to all of those. Somehow the word compromise became a dirty word. Every healthy relationship, yes, EVERY HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP requires compromise to work. That is true in your personal and professional life. We can’t just fight out every issue and tally winners and losers. We are part of a community and it doesn’t work when either side simply wants to dictate to the other. We all want what’s best for our kids, so we should be able to work together.
What is your opinion of the Hays USD 489 administration?
The USD 489 administration, from what I have witnessed, genuinely cares about the students. Superintendent Wilson is thoroughly engaged in the matters of the school district, the bond, and student achievement. Again, from what I have seen and heard from him and how he has presented himself at board meetings, he is trying to lead the district on a path of continual improvement. He references “from good to great” often but actually backs it up with actions. He was very much in favor of offering free breakfast to all students in the district again. That program ended after the previous school year. The principals in all the USD 489 schools are advocates for their students and committed members of the community.
What do you think the board’s role should be in the day-to-day operations of the district?
The board’s job is to arbitrate, not dictate. The board is not going to review every textbook and every syllabus to make sure it falls in line with what we think should be taught in a particular class. That is not reasonable or possible. If there are issues, however, that arise between parents and teachers or teachers and administrators that cannot be resolved, then the board will need to look at the issue and arbitrate.
Hays is blessed. We do not have to deal with many of the challenges faced by larger school districts. Do we really want seven board members trying to sway the day-to-day operations of our schools? That sounds chaotic. We have good kids and an involved community. We should be able to model for our kids how you can build consensus that benefits everyone and maintain a high level of trust with our educators and administrators.
What role do you think the board should have moving forward with the bond issue projects?
Oversight is the primary task of the board going forward. The board needs to hold the general contractor accountable and be able to tell taxpayers they did, in fact, get what they paid for. There are several projects active at this time. Keeping these projects on track is in everyone’s interest. With inflation where it is currently, moving the projects along as quickly as possible, without sacrificing quality, is very important.
Have you received money or in-kind donations from individuals, businesses, groups or PACs outside of the school district?
This is an easy one. Yes, I have received money from someone outside the school district. My brother, Alan, donated $30 to my campaign, and he lives in Virginia.