The 5 Q's: Carthage School Board candidates (Part 4)

Mar. 23—About the candidates Karen Wilkinson, 71, retired from teaching in 2014. Jeff Jones, 56, is executive director of Innovative Industries in Carthage and Joplin Workshops in Joplin. Lora Honey Phelps, 46, is an estate planning attorney at the law office of Christopher Dumm in Joplin. Patrick Scott, 44, is president, CEO and financial adviser at Heartland Financial Investments.

How do you feel about the $26 million bond issue that Carthage voters will consider on April 4 to construct a performing arts center (PAC) and baseball field for the school district?

Karen Wilkinson: I feel passionate about focusing on improving our student academic achievement. I voted for making good decisions to ensure financial stability for this school district. I am not an advocate for adding $26 million to the $40 million debt that we already have. I believe in making good decisions to ensure financial stability for this school district. It is time to push the pause button and take inventory of where we are as a district before borrowing more money. We need to make sure we are taking care of and maintaining all of the buildings we already have. We are at a tipping point in education, and I believe it is time to give our time, money and consideration to other priorities that are important other than building more buildings. This district should not be running school buses that are decades old. Let's make sure that our air conditioning is up to date in our older buildings. The air conditioning system at Columbian school has been scheduled to be replaced for the last two years. Maybe it's time to do a complete service check on all of our buildings.

Jeff Jones: Voting is personal, and each one has to cast that vote based on their circumstances. I support the bond issue. We have been fortunate to add space to meet the needs of our district the past few years. This is one more way that we meet several needs. It gives us a larger venue for performances. It will add additional classroom space for the fine arts programs, which in turn will open space for six to 10 classrooms inside the high school. It will also provide a tornado safe room for the high school campus, which is now part of the building code for the city of Carthage. The bond will also add a much-needed baseball facility on campus. The bond issue will appropriate funds to construct a field on campus, which will reduce busing and students driving to Rock Stadium. It also removes a huge safety concern for the public. The new field will be a turf facility that should reduce rainouts. Both projects are needed and will greatly improve what we are currently using.

Lora Honey Phelps: I wish we were already building the PAC. I was disappointed with the outcome in the August election (in which voters defeated a similar proposal) and am hopeful for a renewed understanding of the issues by the community members when they go to the polls on April 4. I feel confident that our community can raise enough funds to supplement the bond issue to build the PAC and the baseball stadium. I served as a co-chair of the Carthage 2020 process for the school system, and I served as a co-chair again for the Carthage 2020 and Beyond process. It was very clear during both of those community meetings and processes that the school and community supported a performing arts center. Both the performing arts center and the baseball stadium have been a part of the original campus plan that began with the high school being built in 2010. Our school district is financially sound, having an A+ financial rating, and our current levy of the $0.83 is an average levy across the state of Missouri. Voting "yes" to the bond issue does not raise taxes. It simply extends the current levy from 2040 to 2043. Here we are 13 years after the high school was built, and we haven't completed our vision. I hope we don't give up on the plan at this point, when we are so close to completion. To have all of the planned facilities in one location will only enhance student outcomes, increase economic activity, increase sales tax receipts and increase our property values. It is a win for the entire community. A vote against the bond issue seems shortsighted to me.

Patrick Scott: I am for the PAC and baseball field. I hope the voters pass the bond issue; however, I will understand if the bond issue doesn't pass. I can sympathize with both sides, and I will respect both sides without lashing out if we have differences of opinion. I am just thankful for a democratic system that lets the voters decide. My call to action is to vote.

Editor's Note This is the fourth in a five-part series of questions for Carthage Board of Education candidates: incumbents Karen Wilkinson, Jeff Jones and Patrick Scott and challenger Lora Honey Phelps. The final question with candidates' answers will run Saturday. Three board seats will be filled in the election April 4. {related_content_uuid}439ee56b-dc50-4042-af1e-16e89edfe053{/related_content_uuid}