JI: Why are you running for a school board position? What expertise, work experience or talents could you bring to the board?

BV: I’m running for re-election, because I believe I have served the district well. I’ll be the senior member of the negotiating committee next year and will provide continuity to the complex process of contract negotiation with the teachers, unions, and staff. Turnover is good for the board, but school district financing is complicated and it takes time to learn the rules and regulations surrounding them and a board needs some experienced members to provide leadership.

JI: Why do you think that proposed referendums have failed in each of the past two years? Do you see a referendum passing during the next four years, or should the district rely on grants, increased tax levies, or other revenue sources?

BV: I cannot tell you why the referendums failed. If the taxpayers of the district perceive a true need for increased funding, they will pass a referendum, evidenced by the building referendum passed a few years back. The district is always looking for additional revenue sources and will continue to do so. The district has done an excellent job of handling its finances under the current administration, and I expect that to continue.

JI: If you had to cut from the school district’s budget, for what would you decrease funding?

BV: This question is impossible to answer without input from administration, teachers, staff, and the public. It’d be imprudent to suggest cutting a certain area before knowing how many dollars would need to be cut or the impact the reduction of certain areas would have on students and staff. Although the budget is tight, I don’t believe that we will have to make any major cuts this fiscal year or next with the increased state funding.

JI: With the growing number of students in the Jordan district, how do you feel the district and school board should plan for expansion?

BV: We did a lot of planning for expansion when we built the new high school. It was built to handle class sizes quite a bit larger than we currently have. We also have some extra space in the middle school. The board is meeting with the city to discuss the impact of future growth and plan for the future. We’re certainly aware of this issue and doing what we can to plan for future growth.

JI: How would you rate the school district’s and school board’s communication with the public? What do you think works and what would you like to see improved?

BV: The district and board make a concentrated effort to communicate with the public. The school's Web site has been vastly improved. The Journalist provides quality information, and the administration writes articles for the JI every week during school. I believe that people interested in the school have access to the information they need, particularly parents. We could improve communication to taxpayers not connected to the school.

JI: What do you see as the other major issues facing the district?

BV: Finances and growth will be the driving issues for the district, in my opinion. All other issues flow from these two things. The growth in students comes with increased pressures in the area of staffing, facilities management, discipline, course offerings and, of course, finances. We have major decisions to make as to how we want the district to look in the coming years.