May 12, 2007 2 min read

Since we find it difficult to endorse candidates who are unwilling to meet with us, the Herald-Standard endorses the four Brownsville Area School District board candidates who did: incumbents Sandra Chan and Nena Kaminsky, and challengers Jeff Bayne and Joyce Mayers. However, it’s worth noting that none of them was a strong advocate for adopting a strict anti-nepotism hiring policy. Bayne, who’s worked as a construction operations manager for two companies, brings a real-world view, noting that if school district employees want to maintain paid health care benefits, they should do what everyone else does and work until age 65. Based on that and other of his comments, we think he’d be an excellent watchdog for the taxpayer.

Chan, a former teacher and administrator in the district, voted against a full benefits package for teachers and administrators taking early retirement, which shows that she also has some grasp of fiscal reality. Chan also seems knowledgeable about the full plate of educational issues.

Kaminsky says the district is potentially looking at a big lawsuit from architect Michael Molnar, who basically several years ago was awarded an open-ended contract to do work on “all future projects,” contract language that Chan calls “absurd.” It’s those type of deals that get far too many school boards in trouble down the road, and you know who ends up paying.

Mayers has no family working in the district, which is a plus, and she wants to be the voice of the people. She also thinks the question that should be asked regarding the new elementary school complex is, “Is it fiscally feasible to taxpayers?”

All four candidates are willing to admit that some sort of building project is necessary, with Kaminsky noting that Brownsville is unable to use all of its classroom technology because wiring it so outdated that “you can’t plug in more than two computers without the electricity going out.”Kaminsky and Bayne, in particular, talked about the need to fix a food service deficit that Kaminsky pegged at $150,000. Bayne said, “We don’t charge enough for our lunches,” and advocated a hike from $1.10 to $1.75.

It’s good to see candidates offering solutions to problems.