Candidates Offer Suggestions for Ending Tension on Francis Howell School Board

Francis Howell Board of Education candidates said Thursday that respect for one another is key to having a board that functions well. 

The candidates weighed in during a "Meet the Candidates Night" held Thursday. Student journalists from FHNtoday.com hosted the event.

During the past several years, the board has been fraught with tension.

In March 2011, Board member toward district employees, but after arguing for 40 minutes over setting a date to discuss the censure, she dropped the issue.

In 2009, disagreements led to board members abruptly leaving meetings, and an effort at reorganizing the entire board.

Board member said Thursday that it appears that some members come to the meetings seeming to have already discussed the issues.

"It appears that some decisions have been made ahead of time and discussed," he said. "If we would all try to work as a team together, form our own independent opinions, we'd probably get along a lot better than we do."

Incumbent disagreed with Hodits. He said this board has been one of the most free-thinking boards.

"At no time in the last three years has a board member called me up and said, 'Here's what we're going to do at the board meeting we're going to vote in x and you're going to vote x.'" he said. "I have never called a board member and said 'Let's do x.' I don't have that perception whatsoever."

"I've sat in that audience four and five years ago and I've seen chaos. I've seen violations of the sunshine law. I've not seen that in the three years I've been on this board," Johnson said.

Candidate said he expects to see the board continuing to agree on 90 percent of the issues, but added that he would be an independent thinker.

"I'm going to do what's on the best interest of the students," he said.

Candidate said she's seen some of the board meetings get pretty fierce in the past. She said healthy discussion helps bring out facts others haven't thought about.

"I think the board has been really good at being together on a lot of issues especially the important ones. I don't see that as an issue in the future," she said.

Watch video of the event, which is posted on YouTube or read our other story: