For Woodland Dist. 50: Attiah, Juarez and Schrantz

Daily Herald Editorial Board

Finances are at the forefront of the six-candidate Woodland Elementary District 50 race, and three challengers offer persuasive arguments for doing things differently. The district last month cut 13 teachers to address part of its multimillion-dollar deficit. Challengers Alex Attiah and Vincent Juarez, who support each other’s candidacies, argue Woodland has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. They criticize a decision to issue $9.4 million in working-cash bonds and then refinance debt to cut the tax rate as “kicking the can down the road.” Challenger Chris Schrantz believes the district can achieve some savings when it negotiates the next teachers contract, and he says it’s time to ask educators to chip in for health insurance. Incumbents Terry Hall and Mark Vondracek contend that deep deficits require cutting personnel, since employee costs account for 85 percent of district expenses, and they cite lost state aid as an additional contributor to the district’s budget problems. Challenger Keith DeVore is also running. But we believe Attiah, Juarez and Schrantz will be more aggressive about fiscal restraint, and we support their efforts.