PARTY AFFILIATION: Declined to answer, however Watson had run as a Republican for state races as recently as August of this year.
PREVIOUS ELECTED EXPERIENCE: Brunswick School Board, 2008-10
Why are you running for a seat on the Brunswick School Board?
I’m asking for all District 1 citizens to vote for me to bring a commonsense approach to the School Board. It’s a noble goal to get the new school completed and I would like to bring my leadership experience throughout the building of HBS to help keep rising costs down, but yet meet all the needs of our students, staff and community. (Yes in that order, student first!) We can also get so much more accomplished for our students at the same time. I think it’s time we collaborate with our local Universities to bring Dual Enrollment for our students. This would allow our High School Seniors to graduate with an Associate’s Degree, Credits towards a Bachelor Degree, or even a Career Certificate. It’s already being done in Richmond, Fort Kent, and the entire State of Florida. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel to make this a reality for our students.
With all of the Harpswell students being bussed everyday straight through Brunswick to get to Topsham, I would like to lead a Focus Group to see if we can entice them back to Brunswick High. Historically the Harpswell students went to Brunswick High. Unfortunately Brunswick snubbed them decades ago. It’s time to make amends as it’s the right thing to do and fiscally responsible for all taxpayers in the form of transportation costs.
It would be an honor to serve the citizens of District 1 again on the Brunswick School Board and I would make you proud!
How do you think the school department’s facility needs should be addressed?
The Brunswick School department’s facility needs should be addressed no differently then we address the needs of our own homes. If you have a leak in your bathroom, you fix the problem. You don’t tear down your whole house and start over. What I don’t like to hear is that we are narrow minded and only concerned with building a new school. What about the deteriorating Jr. High that has needed renovations even before HBS was built? Here’s a novel idea, put the safety of our students above all else. Let’s not arbitrarily decide not to shovel off a flat roof during a Maine Winter, so a beam doesn’t collapse with our children inside. Then let that same building sit and rot for years so there is no other choice but to tear it down. Let’s not hire a High School Administrator who has a questionable relationship with a female student and then fire him with $90,000 in his pocket after only a couple months of work. Who did that vetting? Nobody thought to add a clause to the contract protecting our children and our tax dollars? Let’s not continue to put our staff and students at the High School at risk by not adding an emergency access road. There is a lot of work that needs to be done with our facilities & beyond, and it will take experienced leadership to get it accomplished.
Do you feel like Question 2 on the state ballot is an effective way to help fund public education?
Some think it should be real easy to say absolutely yes on Question 2, but forcing Maine to have the highest top tax bracket in the country other than California is not an effective way to help fund education. Governor LePage has made it clear that if Question 2 passes the State will simply lower the rate by 3 percent, which will nullify any passage and put us right back where we are today. The State Curtailment in the latter years of the Baldacci Administration saw Brunswick lose over $7 million in State Funding over a 3-year period. Simply relying on the State to bailout our local School District is not what a true leader would do. Especially when professionals nationwide say passage of this ballot question will have a lot of unintended consequences. If high wage earners move out of the state to avoid paying astronomically high taxes, that will hurt every citizen in Maine, from Seniors right straight down to our children.
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