WJCC School Board Candidates Square Off in Debate

By Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The four candidates running for two seats on the Williamsburg-James City County School Board fielded audience questions at a debate Monday night.

The debate, moderated by The Virginia Gazette publisher Bill O’Donovan, took place at the Williamsburg Regional Library’s theater. For one hour, O’Donovan posed questions submitted by the audience, touching on issues ranging from budget challenges to past board actions. Candidates were also asked to address criticisms, including their personalities, potential conflicts and beliefs.

Roberts District hopefuls Richard Locke and Heather Cordasco joined incumbent Ruth Larson and challenger Patrick Sensiba, both running for the Berkeley District seat, on stage. O’Donovan started the debate by asking each candidate to share his or her “big idea.”

Larson, the sole incumbent, said the WJCC board has committed to taking the school division “from good to premier” and has started the process with actions like hiring Superintendent Steven Constantino, partnering with Colonial Williamsburg for an online curriculum and hiring a consultant to help the division begin crafting a strategic plan.

It is the final accomplishment that her opponent, Sensiba, objected to the most throughout the debate, noting the division has spent about $250,000 in the past five years to hire consultants for work he felt could be completed in-house. He said accountability “is paramount,” and said the community needs a proactive board.

Cordasco said she believes the Williamsburg community has the resources to partner with the school system, but the division could do a better job tapping those assets. She suggested the College of William and Mary’s leadership students should help the division with its bus system; she also suggested the division could diversify its offerings at the schools, possibly creating an elementary classical curriculum or a middle school with a technical focus.

Locke is interested in opening communications between all involved parties, and also wants to see the board improve its management process. “We need to make sure someone is in charge,” he said.

Declining state and local revenues pose the greatest challenge to the school board, and many questions asked the candidates to discuss how they think the board could save money. Locke said the division’s core mission is to put good teachers in front of children. “Everything else is secondary,” he said, adding he would have to look at cutting extracurriculars and athletics if necessary.

His opponent said she would have a hard time with such cuts, saying those experiences offer options for students to go to college who might not otherwise get the chance. “I would try to streamline to become efficient,” Cordasco said.

Sensiba said he’d cut consultant fees, and criticized the division’s cuts to Career and Technical Education. Larson responded that the board had tried to avoid cuts to instruction, and said regional programs, such as New Horizons, can help the division realize cost savings. Later in the debate, Sensiba said the board has made no effort to hire a grant writer, who could help bring in millions of grant dollars to pay for programming. Larson responded that such a position was budgeted a few years ago, but had to be cut when revenue projections fell short.

The candidates also fielded pointed personal questions. Cordasco, who believes in intelligent design, was asked if she would try to implement the teaching of intelligent design over evolution. She responded, “Absolutely not,” reminding the audience that the state Board of Education dictates the curriculum.

She is also a board member of The Family Foundation, a nonpartisan pro-family coalition that has advocated for the posting of the motto “In God We Trust” in public schools, the Student Religious Liberty Act, Internet filters on public libraries and against abortion and riverboat gambling. O’Donovan asked her if the group also advocates allowing public school buses to transport private school students; she said she couldn’t say for certain if that was the case, but she wouldn’t advocate for that.

Locke was asked to explain how he could serve on the board when his company, Optech, has bid for contracts on school projects. He cited Virginia Code 2.2-3108, which prohibits contracts by members of school boards, but has a provision that says the code doesn’t apply if the contract is awarded through competitive sealed bidding where the school board has established a need for the same or similar goods through purchases prior to the election or appointment of the member. He said he’s spoken to an attorney, who advised he would be in compliance with the code, and also has pledged to take no part in the preparation of bids and would recuse himself in any instance when a board vote would impact Optech. Learn more about this issue here.

Sensiba, who moved to the Berkeley district from the city in July, was asked if he is committed to living in the county long-term. He said he was, and also said he never sought appointment to the board through the city of Williamsburg during the three years he lived there. An audience question said Sensiba can be incendiary and combative, and wondered if he would be able to work together with the board.

“I have a tenet that I live by and that is ‘Principles before personalities,’” he said, adding he has been critical, but he didn’t feel he was combative. “Nice, polite dialogues haven’t achieved much.”

Larson was asked how she thought the board could’ve been more accountable. She said the question put her in a tough position. She later said there were times, such as when the administration allowed a contractor to place an HVAC system on the stage at the former James Blair Middle School, that she would have questioned that choice, if she’d been made aware. “But then you get into micromanaging, and you have to have the presumption” of trust, she said.

In their closing remarks, each candidate made his or her case for why he or she is the best choice. Locke, whose grown children attended WJCC schools from Kindergarten to 12th grade, highlighted his years of observing the school board, having attended nearly every meeting for four years. He also said his position as a local businessman is unique, and an angle he feels is underrepresented on the current board.

Cordasco emphasized her involvement in the community, telling the audience that when she gets involved, she immediately rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. She said, if elected, her constituents would see her at schools, on the buses and at community events, working to engage families. “You’re voting for a networker,” she said.

Larson said she is grateful for the education her children have received in WJCC schools, saying that every time she visits a school, she leaves inspired. The current economic climate presents challenges, she said; “It’s imperative we optimize our investment.”

Sensiba got the last word, saying economic challenges cannot be used as excuses for the division’s performance. He compared WJCC to neighboring York County, which consistently ranks higher in performance metrics, but has some of the lowest per-pupil costs of any division in the state. He ran on a platform of change, saying, “If you’re happy with the past five to six years, vote for my opponent.”

Although Larson is running for the Berkeley seat, she currently serves the Jamestown district, with a term that expires Dec. 31, 2013. After the most recent redistricting, her home was moved to the Berkeley district; if she does not win that race, however, she has the option to continue to serve in the Jamestown seat until her term is completed. If she does win, she will have to resign from the Jamestown seat, and a new representative will have to be appointed.