Jill Fecher -
SCHOOL SAFETY – I am very familiar with the advances they have made each year in the schools in our district. I believe that any changes they have made from a policy standpoint such as locking the doors, ensuring visitors are checked in, etc. are worth the inconveniences. I believe in having more school resource officers to protect our students but I do not believe in arming teachers or allowing parents to bring guns into schools.
COMMON CORE – I think common core is a very complicated subject….can you clarify what you want to know? Overall I think the intent was good in developing a standard across the country but I don’t think the implementation of it went very well, leading to most people having a bad impression of it.
ART and MUSIC – I was very involved in the music program at Lancaster when I went there and I am so proud of its continued growth. One of the reasons I love Lancaster is that they haven’t had many cuts to arts and music, which are typically the first to go in any school’s budget cuts. I think the arts are so important to a well-rounded education and that many students would be lost without them. I would never advocate to cut any kind of art or music program. Hand in hand with that, I am a proponent of STEAM programs.
BALANCING ACADEMICS AND ATHLETICS – I think being able to participate in athletics is a privilege, not a right. I believe that being a part of a team (or a music program like marching band, or a club like DECA or any other organization) should teach responsibility and how to manage your time while maintaining good grades, not getting into trouble, doing drugs or alcohol, etc. When a child tries out to be a part of an athletic team, the child and his/her parents should know the time commitments ahead of time and have a serious discussion about how to be a member of that team without sacrificing the time it takes to also be a good student.
LGBT – I am an advocate for equal rights for all students (and people in general for that matter). My heart breaks when I see anyone that identifies as LGBT being discriminated against, bullied, or treated differently from anyone else. In 2018, I wish this wasn’t still an issue or cause for concern and it is unfortunate that it is. I promise to always support for this student population!
TAXES – Our flyer says that we would like to minimize school tax increases – not cut taxes. We don’t believe anyone that says they can actually decrease taxes and we don’t believe in cutting funding for important programs. Our school has been commended for its operational efficiency and effectiveness year after year and I believe we have very smart administrators who are planning that budget. I have always voted “yes” on the budget vote, no matter the increase because it is those investments that help us improve our offerings every year.
I hope that answers some questions that you all have!