By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
Incumbent and current Cheney School Board president Charlie Weber continues to look toward the future of the school district.
Weber is running for reelection to board position No. 3. He has been on school board for 10 years, and has previous experience in local government on the Cheney board of adjustments and the planning commission for about eight or 10 years.
He was appointed to the school board when one of the members stepped down from their position.
Two months later, the father of two adult children ran unopposed and has served on the school board since 1997.
In becoming president, he was nominated and voted in by other members for the yearly elections within the board. He got on the board with no agenda.
“I had no ax to grind,” Weber said. “I thought the district was well run.”
He did have a different perspective being from a different professional (project management) background than the other administrators. He learned the business side of the board, which is the biggest part of it.
In the event of his reelection, Weber wants to continue to concentrate on capital projects and upgrades for facilities. Dealing with the growth in district, namely in the Sunset and Windsor elementary attendance areas.
“We're going to have to look at building another school out there,” Weber said. This means getting a bond passed.
Weber will look into a capital levy for a technical upgrade to get new computers, network servers and such.
The last upgrade was 10 years ago. As an inclusion on the levy, Weber said part of it would go to the food service.
There have been improvements in the hot lunch program and the district wants to purchase dry goods in larger quantities to get a reduction in price, so more storage space is needed. They would like to address the issue of the bleachers at the high school.
Weber is reluctant to talk about his accomplishments.
He knows the budgeting process, the state and national standards, the condition of the facilities and the immediate plans of the school board. “We work as a board,” Weber said. Administrators do not have pet projects.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
By DAVID TELLER
Staff Reporter
In running for Cheney School Board position No. 3, Spokane County deputy prosecuting attorney Larry Haskell said he would bring a different perspective to service on the board. He has always been interested in the way school boards work, how they budget and how they hire.
“There's really a lot that a school board director can do to influence that process in one direction or another,” said Haskell.
He feels that having the skills and legal knowledge he does, the knowledge of surrounding the Revised Code of Washington requirements, knowledge of city government and having kids in the school district, the father of five said he would be well-suited to give a fresh perspective.
He does not have any particular issue with the school board, just to get a different perspective that will assist in the common goals like the state and federal mandates, increasing the efficiency level of children to where they should be, and ensuring the budget is spent as efficiently as possible.
He's not implying the current funding isn't being handled properly, he is just another set of eyes and a new perspective in looking at how the board operates.
“I think I would be, given the experience and training that I have, able to give that perspective,” said the retired Air Force Lt. Col.
The main thing he wants to see is an increase in the scores, more efficiency in the budgeting, and an increase in the communication between the directors, the instructors, the parents and the students. “I think we could do better with the information loop we have going,” he said.
Haskell said some people believe being a lawyer makes you more inflexible, but he said the knowledge you gain as an attorney helps in knowing where to find information, how the RCW works, and he said he is a very effective negotiator.
“I listen carefully to what people say,” Haskell said. He also brings additional experience in budgets and policy making from his position on the Airway Heights City Council.
David Teller can be reached at [email protected]
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