COLUMBUS—Candidates and a crowd that filled the meeting room of the Nesbitt Memorial Library in Columbus came together April 17 to get to know each other better as the election for school board trustees and two major propositions are up for vote on May 4 in Colorado County.
Columbus Independent School District trustee candidates took to the podium to explain why they are the best fit for the position. All but one supported Prop A and B. Cameron Frey, Carla Swindle Wiggs, Bo Schobel and Roman Footnick are the trustee candidates.
Proposition A is a bond proposal for the renovation and upgrades of Columbus Elementary and its fifth-grade wing. Proposition B is a bond proposal that will provide a building for skilled trades classrooms at the high school.
Before the trustee candidates’ talk, Colorado County Elections Administrator Rebecka LaCourse told the audience that historically, “voter turnout is low in municipal elections and local elections, and this really hits home.” She was referring to the very low voter turnout for a county the size of Colorado County.
CISD Superintendent Jim Connor gave a slide show presentation on the financial request of each bond proposal and what it meant to the taxpayer in terms of having any additional taxes levied at about 83 cents per $100 valuation if both bonds passed. The elementary school has over 804 kids now, and the fifth-grade wing is inadequate for classrooms. Connor stipulated that about 52 percent of students go to college, so it begs the question of where they go if they don’t. A CTE building can provide skilled training in trades that are used and needed in this area and wherever the student wants to go.
Weimar Independent School District trustee candidates Leah Newby, Thomas Strickland, April Mikulenka and Shannon Holland told the crowd, mostly Columbus residents, why they should represent WISD. The event was livestreamed to all county residents.
