Threat of school closures draws candidates to Baldwin school board race

Budget concerns and the possibility of closing rural schools have heightened interest in Tuesday’s Baldwin school board primary.

Six people have filed for the District 4 seat on the Baldwin board.

Incumbent Chip Hornberger, a lifetime Baldwin resident, said he couldn’t recall when so many people were bidding for the same board position.

“It hasn’t happened recently, anyhow,” he said. “It’s going to make it an interesting race.”

Ruth Barkley, 46; Toby Ebel, 37; Nathan Feldt, 43; Hornberger, 51; Doug Mead, 38; and Barbara Tucker, 51, all tossed their names into the ring for the position.

“The budget is a big issue,” Barkley said. “No one wants to see cuts in staff or programs. But we know there’s only so many dollars that will go around.”

As a result of budgeting issues, people have been discussing school consolidation in the Baldwin school district and closing rural schools, such as the Vinland and Marion Springs elementary schools.

Candidates interviewed said they didn’t want to close schools, and most said that they wouldn’t do it. Ebel and Barkley said they would review the matter, but both said that the board members would have to diligently evaluate the consequences of taking such action.

“We might be able to save a lot of money and get us through the crunch by closing schools,” Ebel said. “But while we should look at the savings, it definitely wouldn’t be my first choice. Those community schools thrive and do well. So to take them away because of a time of hardship is not good for them or the district in the long run.”

Feldt said the possibility of consolidation was his biggest concern. He says the reason he is running is so he can be a voice for the rural schools.

Mead said he would like to go through the budget to see where the dollars were going and see whether money couldn’t be spent more effectively.

Tucker said the school board needed to make sure the district was finding ways to be creative with budgeting and finding as many resources as possible to try and help improve the budget.

“We also aren’t the largest school district,” Tucker said. “But I think it’s important to make ourselves visible and make sure we’re being heard.”

About 1,500 voters have the opportunity to narrow the field for Baldwin school board’s No. 4 position to two candidates, said Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew. The two top vote-getters on Tuesday will advance to the April 5 general election, where all the voters in the school district will cast ballots to determine who the representative on the school board will be.

District 4 includes portions of the Willow Springs Township and anything west of East 1700 Road in Baldwin.

Shew said his office wouldn’t open polling sites at Marion Township Hall and the Wakarusa Township Hall on Tuesday, since only 126 voters between the two sites will be able to participate in the primary for the District 4 seat. Voters from the polling sites will either go to Willow Springs Township Hall or Vinland United Methodist Church, he said.

Letters were sent to the voters informing them of the change and also providing the option of receiving an advance voting ballot, Shew said.

— The Baldwin City Signal contributed to this report.