Mike Occhialimi Sits Down With Corridor News
By, Breona Blakemore
Printable PDF Campaign Finance Report
Q 1: There is no denying that our current school board is fractured ideologically. If elected, what will you do to build consensus, community support, and help lead our school district forward?
Mike: I will focus on mutual respect on the school board, that we do not have to agree, but we should respect each other. I will welcome differences of opinion, but I believe that deliberations of our board should be in public and we should have rigorous debate on the issues that affect our students and our taxpayers. I think there is a lot of common ground even amongst the current school board. All too often we focus on differences, and we should start focusing on the common values we share. Then move forward.
Q 2: What is the ideal relationship between board and superintendent?
Mike: The school board is ultimately responsible for public education. The superintendent is the administrator or the manager of the school district. The school board must embrace its role to govern and also oversee the operations and the strategic directions of the school district. The school board is the elected body, the school board is in fact the representative of the community. I believe our future success lies in our community through the school board taking ownership of our school district and not leading up to whoever happens to be the superintendent. Superintendents come and go, and if you look at the school board, people who serve on the school board for a number of years, these are folks that have lived in San Marcos for decades, perhaps even generations. It is the school board who is technically much more vested in the success of the school district long term than a superintendent that may be here for just a handful of years.
Q 3: Do you agree that the superintendent should sit at the head of the dais and help lead the meeting or should meetings be similar in structure and format to that of our city council?
Mike: I believe the school board can learn a lot from city council. One of the things they can learn is by watching their meetings. The school board only has one employee, and that one employee is the superintendent. The school board must remain objective and unbiased because it is the school board who also evaluates its only employee. So, I believe an effective school board that takes responsibility for education in their community as elected officials, they must delegate to the superintendent. However, they must deliberate and debate the issues amongst themselves. The city council can teach the school board how to run those meetings, and I think that would be a step in the right direction, and I would be supportive of that. I believe that the meetings should be lead by the President of the school board, and all deliberations should be conducted amongst the members of the school board. Questions and directions to staff through the superintendent much like the city council, with questions and direct staff through the city manager.
Q 4: Although there were funds allocated in the May 2013 Bond Election our school board recently spent an additional $850,000 purchasing a score board for our district’s New Multi-Purpose Athletic Stadium using funds from our district’s reserve accounts. Do you agree or support this purchase?
Mike: I totally disagree with this purchase. The construction of the new football stadium will cost taxpayers about $1.2 million per year for 25 years. That is just for the purchase, the building, and the facility. That does not cover maintenance and operations. We only play 4-5 home football games each year. The stadium propositioned for the bond of about the 1500-1600 votes, it only carried by 114 votes. There was not overwhelming support, and in my opinion it speaks by it in terms of voters saying if we should even build it. If about 2 percent had 58 voters change their vote, the stadium would have not been built. For the school district in a measure that tight, to pile on another $850,000 for a score board for a high school football stadium given the facts and numbers, to pay for it with taxpayer money out of their fund balance and savings account is staggering to me. I am shocked. Now, I understand that they are going to try to offset the cost by selling advertisement. However, my position is that the school district using taxpayer money, should not invest in these types of entrepreneurial ventures.
Q 5: In what instances do you deem it is appropriate to utilize our district’s fund balance?
Mike: Our fund balance can be used for unexpected expenditures of emergency nature. For example if we have storm damage or a unplanned necessary repair to a facility, or we have to hire extra teachers in an emergency situation where we have new students come, and our classes are too big and we need our classes to be smaller. So, we need to hire a teacher really quick. This can happen when a community swells and we haven’t anticipated it. Fund balance, excess fund balance can be used to pay off debt early, much like a homeowner can pay off his mortgage early. Fund balance can be used to supplement the next year’s budget and reduce the tax rate to taxpayers. I believe in a balanced budget each and every year. I oppose deficit spending.
Q 6: Do you support the way our current board is elected? If given the opportunity would you keep our five single member district and two at-large trustee system of representation the same?
Mike: I believe single member districts can work, but only if people vote. So, the single member design creates an opportunity for representation, but it does not guarantee representation.
Q 7: During the 2009 and 2012 school board elections, the televising of school board meetings was brought up during the campaigns of numerous candidates. Here we are several years later and our district has just recently begun to discuss this issue. Do you think televising school board meetings is important? If elected, how long do you think it will take until our school district begins televising meetings?
Mike: I believe transparency of our government entities is essential and the video recording and making those recordings available to the public is a great way for our school district to be transparent to the constituents, to the taxpayers, to the parents. Years ago, the city council offered the our school district free use to their facilities, their equipment to immediately begin televising school board meetings and recording the meetings so that it could be played back over the internet. At no cost to the school district, and as a taxpayer I am offended that the school district would turn down such a generous offer from the city of San Marcos, and then later delay and delay more and then finally decide to spend $28,000 of taxpayer money to record and make available the video of school board meetings. This is a great example of how our school board is wasting money and missing the opportunity to engage our community in a positive way. I look forward to improved transparency by our school board.
Q 8: The Texas Education Agency’s 2013-2014 Texas Academic Performance Report for the San Marcos CISD tells us that only 44% of San Marcos High School graduates are deemed college ready for both math and English language arts. Is this acceptable?
Mike: In my opinion, the reality is worse. Only 1 out of 10 among high school seniors have competitive SAT and ACT scores. Both secondary education looks to SAT and ACT to gage whether a student should be accepted into their institution. Our students score below the national average on both the SAT and ACT. The TAPR does say 44 percent are college ready, but I would say it is so much worse. I would hope that public high schools in our state are more capable than we are of producing college ready graduates. That is one area that I hope to focus on, should the voters choose me to represent them. It is time for our school board to take responsibility for public education in San Marcos, and not leave it up to whoever is superintendent. Those that live in this community long term are the folks that not only pay for our school districts, but also have a best of interest in its success. Our biggest challenge is to be better. Better in the stewardship of our taxes, better academic achievement, better student participation, and better community involvement.