• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




School board candidates field questions on technology, tax increases

Posted at 9:58 am September 18, 2014
By Rebecca Williams 3 Comments

Oak Ridge Board of Education Forum

A. Paige Marshall, left, one of eight candidates for the Oak Ridge School Board, answers a question during the League of Women Voters’ Candidate Forum Wednesday night. To her right are candidates Mike Mahathy, Andrew Howe, Jean Hiser, and incumbent Bob Eby, with WUOT radio host Matt Shafer Powell, who posed the questions. (Photo by Rebecca D. Williams)

 

Fielding public school questions about technology, tax increases, and the teaching of science versus religion, eight candidates for the Oak Ridge School Board tried to distinguish themselves from one another Wednesday night at the League of Women Voters’ Candidate Forum held at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater, to a crowd of about 150.

Board candidates offered largely similar answers, with the greatest difference of opinion posed by Aaron Wells. He spoke against school tax increases and one-to-one technology in schools.

“The biggest impact on me growing up was when my teachers gave me one-to-one education,” Wells said. “How many hours a day are kids staring at a screen? It’s too many. We need to do more with less, because money’s tight. We’ve got to get back to the basics.”

Also participating in the forum were two candidates who are opposing incumbent Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican, for the District 3 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Mary M. Headrick, a Democrat, and Cassandra J. Mitchell, an Independent, answered questions. Fleischmann was not present.

Also, Tennessee House Representative for District 32, Kent Calfee, the Republican incumbent, and Joe Kneiser, his Democratic opponent, fielded questions about four referendum questions on the ballot Nov. 4.

Three seats on the five-member Oak Ridge Board of Education are open. Bob Eby is the only incumbent running for re-election. Other candidates include Jean Hiser, Andrew Howe, Mike Mahathy, A. Paige Marshall, Laura McLean, Laurie Paine, and Wells.

Radio personality Matt Shafer Powell, an executive producer at WUOT, posed questions to the candidates. He asked the board candidates about whether they would ever approve a budget that requested a tax increase from the city.

None except Wells ruled it out definitively.

“A decision on a $55 million budget is not a binary decision,” Marshall said. “It is a complex set of choices. It can’t happen from a fox hole, popping your head up and shooting a few bullets. Budget management doesn’t happen that way. A flat budget can’t sustain excellence, but I think it’s a much more complicated decision than yes, no.”

Wells pointed out that Oak Ridge spends more per student than the national average. “We can’t keep taxing ourselves out of competitiveness. Let’s learn to do more with enough. No. I will not vote for a tax increase.”

In the U.S. House District 3 discussion, Headrick stressed she is running “as a progressive, and also as a Roosevelt-type Democrat,” she said. “We need to address man-made climate change, unfair taxation, and shipping our jobs overseas.”

Mitchell said she is running as an Independent who is young and familiar with technology. “I am very young, but being young has its advantages. I’m energetic, I’m flexible, and I have a very unique perspective.”

Randy McNally and John D. Ragan, both running unopposed for their Tennessee Senate and House seats, were introduced but did not speak.

Early voting runs Oct. 15 to 30, and the election is Nov. 4.

Rebecca D. Williams is a freelance writer.

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Education, Education, Federal, Government, K-12, Slider, State, Top Stories Tagged With: A. Paige Marshall, Aaron Wells, Andrew Howe, Bob Eby, budget, candidate forum, Cassandra J. Mitchell, Chuck Fleischmann, Democrat, early voting, election, Independent, Jean Hiser, Joe Kneiser, John D. Ragan, Kent Calfee, Laura McLean, Laurie Paine, League of Women Voters, Mary M. Headrick, Matt Shafer Powell, Mike Mahathy, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge School Board, one-to-one technology, Randy McNally, religion, Republican, science, tax increase, technology, Tennessee House of Representatives

Advertisements

 

Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Most of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require at least four hours to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

More Education News

Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats

A Secret City Academy student was charged with terrorism and other crimes after allegedly threatening to shoot people and use a bomb at the school on Friday, Anderson County's district attorney general said. This is the … [Read More...]

ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’

Oak Ridge High School Masquers, the school’s extracurricular drama program, is presenting "Into the Woods," the Stephen Sondheim musical based on the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales, in four performances this … [Read More...]

Roane State employees receive excellence awards

Four Roane State Community College employees have been recognized as winners of the prestigious Excellence Award bestowed by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development. NISOD has been named the … [Read More...]

Tennessee Holocaust Commission accepting student entries for 2022 contest

“The Holocaust is a lesson in human (and inhuman) history that took place because of hate, bigotry, indifference—all characteristics that know no bounds. These traits spread like wildfire. If we remain indifferent to … [Read More...]

Former AC school employees charged with theft

Two former Anderson County Schools employees have been charged with stealing more than $10,000 in a two-year period between January 2018 and January 2020. Heather Dawn Heatherly, 44, of Jacksboro, and Stephanie Leann … [Read More...]

More Education

More Government News

Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday

A city official will give an update on the proposed development of downtown Oak Ridge during a lunchtime meeting Tuesday. The presentation will be led by Wayne Blasius, director of the Oak Ridge Planning and … [Read More...]

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016

TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority will have a virtual open house for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge this evening (Thursday, March 10). The open house follows the release of a draft environmental impact … [Read More...]

Oak Ridge names first honorary poet laureate

The City of Oak Ridge has named Erin Elizabeth Smith as its first honorary poet laureate. Smith will serve in this role for a two-year period, a press release said. "In this role, she will inspire and promote literacy … [Read More...]

Breakfast with Legislators on Feb. 28

The first Breakfast with the Legislators this year is scheduled for Monday morning, February 28. The breakfast will be virtual, and it scheduled from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. It has been organized by the League of Women … [Read More...]

Tax assistance center opens Feb. 8

The Oak Ridge Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Center will open on Tuesday. The VITA program is an Internal Revenue Service initiative to help taxpayers by providing trained volunteers to prepare and electronically … [Read More...]

More Government

More 2014 Election News

Oak Ridge City Council November 2014

Gooch elected mayor, Smith mayor pro tem

  Note: This story was last updated at 9 a.m. Nov. 25. New Oak Ridge City Council member Warren Gooch has been appointed mayor, and returning City Council member Ellen Smith has been elected mayor pro … [Read More...]

City of Oak Ridge Seal

Four City Council members say they’d like to be mayor

Note: This story was updated at 3:03 p.m. Four members of the new Oak Ridge City Council that starts Monday have announced that they would like to be mayor. One would like to also be considered for mayor pro … [Read More...]

Rick Chinn

Letter: Chinn wants to be mayor, help attract new families, industries

City Manager Mark Watson and honorable members of Oak Ridge City Council, First, I would like to congratulate the new members elected to Council and express my enthusiasm in working with the three sitting members of … [Read More...]

Ellen Smith

Letter: Smith seeks mayor, mayor pro tem spot; cites experience, knowledge

Fellow members of the Oak Ridge City Council: I respectfully request that you consider me as a candidate for the positions of mayor and mayor pro tem when the new Council convenes on Monday, November 24. This is in … [Read More...]

Warren L. Gooch

Letter: Gooch wants to be mayor, make city efficient, business-friendly

Dear City Council colleagues, I am submitting this letter to express my interest in being elected mayor. I believe our next mayor must provide bold leadership, vision, energy, and a commitment to excellence in our … [Read More...]

More 2014 Election

Recent Posts

  • REAC/TS welcomes new team members: John Crapo, Josh Hayes and David Quillen
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program seeks early career and senior scientists for prestigious fellowships at its locations across the U.S.
  • ORAU names Brandon Criswell associate general counsel
  • Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday
  • TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site
  • Science and supercomputers at ORNL topic of Mar. 8 talk
  • First Presbyterian offers free meals & groceries on Mar. 10
  • Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats
  • ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’
  • Oak Ridge’s first girl Eagle Scout named a “Scout of the Year”

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today