Welcome to our online chat with school board candidate Michael Pomes.

The chat took place on Thursday, February 13, at 6:30 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Moderator: Welcome, everybody, to tonight’s chat with school board candidate Michael Pomes.

Moderator: Let’s take our first question.

Jill: How do you propose the district balance its operating budget if the bond does not pass?

Michael Pomes: We will need to take the initiative to request greater support from the business community, make greater use of educational foundations, and see if any consolidation in services could be acheived from looking at city and county governments. Perhaps the local neighborhoods could also chip in by helping out with grounds maintenance.

John: There was a big power outage on the south side of town. Several schools were affected but South Jr. High’s rapidly aging boiler blew a motor and thus, no heat tomorrow. It is difficulties like these that make the replacement of South so important. Is there any part of the bond issue that you are in favor of? Or, what would be needed to be removed for you to be in favor of it?

Michael Pomes: Given the situation you described, the replacement of South is very necessary. I am in favor of replacing South. My daughter Sarah went to South and my younger daughter will also attend South in a few years. I want Jennifer to be in a better building. Will they have to cancel classes tomorrow?

Question: what activites do u think should be cut and why

Michael Pomes: I will be the first to admit that we are not in the best of economic times. However, the question we need to pose is if we make a cut, how difficult will it be to get that activity back? I don’t want to get into the situation in which activities that my older daughter Sarah enjoyed have been cut so my younger daughter Jennifer can’t take part in them. Sixth grade band is an example of what is currently being considered for cutting. We need to solicit greater support from the community and the business community to make sure that activities do not get cut.

East Side Parent: You are aligned with a bond foe named Arly Allen. With his credibility being poor or weak at best, why are you associated with him? Doesn’t your neighborhood revitization campaign credibility suffer?

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Michael Pomes: Arly Allen seems to me to be genuinely concerned about the effect the School Bond Issue will have on neighborhoods as I am. I did not know I had problems with my neighborhood revitization campaign credibility. I’m more worried about getting through the primary election.

Haleybell: I think I read that you work in Topeka. If elected, will you be able to spend much time in Lawrence schools when they are in session?

Michael Pomes: I do work for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in Topeka. If elected, I will make a point to visit Lawrence Schools while they are in session. It’ll take some judicious use of my Annual Leave, but I’m up to it.

Tim: I understand that you oppose the district’s $59 million bond issue. I’m undecided. I like about 75 percent of the bond plan. Should I vote for the greater good? Or reject the whole package because 25 percent is bad?

Michael Pomes: I will be the first to admit that there are parts of the bond issue that I like, particularly the replacement of South Junior High School. However, I don’t feel that the parts of the current bond issue serve the greater good, given the proposed closures of East Heights, Cenntenial, and Riverside Schools. I think we need to go back to the drawing board and examine the Apple Option proposed by DLR which would upgrade all facilities across the board and positively impact all students in the district.

Nicole: If the bond issue doesn’t pass. What cuts from school programs do you suggest? The district will have to make 4.5 million, worse case senario. The district can’t run efficiently with the ideas you just suggested.

Michael Pomes: My first inclination is not to want to cut anything. If elected, I will not look forward to making any cuts, but will do so after a thorough analysis of the pros and cons.

Concerned Parent: How can you justify keeping a school open that serves approximatley 150 students and costs about $6800 per pupil vs. a school with 350 students that costs about $3200 a student?

Michael Pomes: Any cost analysis should also consider the benefits. A student in the 150 student school can probably walk to that school, whereas the parents of that student may not be able to afford the school bus fee to transport that student to the 350 student school. Alternately, the student in the 150 student school may attend an afterschool program after which the parent walk to that school and pick him or her up. Granted the 350 student school may have the same after school program, but the same parent may not be able to pick up his or her child if their car is dead in the water. We are dealing with real students and I think that this type of cost analysis does not help the issue.

Rose: I believe that you are in favor of small schools remaining open. How would propose the district maintain small class sizes in a small school?

Moderator: (This is the last question.)

Michael Pomes: This is a difficult question. I think first of all, the Discrict should abandon the model that every school should be a two section school. Sections should be added as the numbers of students increase. Within the schools, I also think that principals should also teach classes which will help decrease the student to teacher ratio. Perhaps, the communtity as a whole needs to look at viable altenatives for funding teachers salaries to make it possible to maintain small class sizes in a small school.

Moderator: That’s it for tonight’s chat with Michael Pomes. Thanks to everybody for joining us. Our next chat is with Samuel Gould, Monday at 5:30 p.m.

Michael Pomes: I wish to thank World Online for allowing me the opportunity to participate in this online chat. It’s a way voters can become better informed. We all win when voters are better informed.