Schools

BLOG: Dixon Unified School Board Election Uncontested - Hard Work Ahead

Blog by Ian Arnold states, Andy Bloom, John Gabby and Caitlin O'Halloran will be the new uncontested Dixon Unified School Board members, as there are three vacancies and three qualified candidates.

As originally posted by Ian Arnold
It appears that congratulations are in order to Andy Bloom, John Gabby and Caitlin O'Halloran. The extended filing period expired at 5 PM today, and as of 4:52 PM, no new candidates had pulled papers. A quick check with the Registrar of Voters verifies that only three candidates filed and all three qualified. With three vacancies and only three candidates, there will be no campaign season and the candidates won't have to pour their own time, money and effort into getting elected.

Instead perhaps, they could take a short break and recharge their batteries prior to taking office in December. While the incoming School Board won't be faced with the unenviable task of deciding what to cut due to poor decisions by prior boards and the faltering economy (as was the fate of the last two groups of incoming board members,) the new board will have to deal with how to effectively spend the increased funds coming in. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Not so much. There are many competing interests, but the new School Board will have to decide where the new dollars are best spent. After several years of saving thousands of dollars on preventative maintenance, the District needs to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on repairs.

Staff were laid off (or had their hours reduced) resulting in fewer services to students and parents. In many ways, having to decide where to spend the increased funds is a good problem to have, but I don't envy the new Board.


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