Roman R. Romanovski - School Board Seat D |
Name: Roman R. Romanovski
Occupation: Cook at the Bear Tooth Theater
Registered Political Party: Non-Affiliated
Why are you running for the School Board?: A good education starts with involved parents and is followed by concerned teachers and then an effective administration. These days the administrations hands are tied by Federal mandates. I am going to increase local control of our district by fighting the federal governments unconstitutional mandates. I will bring a different perspective to the Board, one full of creative cost cutting ideas because I think outside the box.
What one sentence best describes your philosophy of how the school district should be run?: From the bottom up.
What letter grade would you give the current school board, and why?: C, They are not doing a bad job. Schools across the country are facing budget problems so our district is average. I am thankful our state has the funds to supply us with 2/3 of our budget but we can't rely on oil revenues forever. Oil is a finite resource and our education system should be for posterity and we have tied these two things together. The Board needs to focus more on long term measures of cutting costs, finding efficiencies and sustainable funding.
What letter grade would you give Superintendent Carol Comeau and school administration, and why?: D+, Mrs. Comeau has been our Super Intendant for as long as I can remember. She has created an empire. I think she is happy with the status quo and is a bit too cozy with the unions. I think we would benefit from a fresh perspective. For a position that make 168K a year plus benefits I expect a stronger leader.
What are your thoughts on the 2011-12 school budget approved by the school board? Is the budget too big? Not big enough? At the right amount?: Our current trend of spending for the Anchorage School District is unsustainable.
What school services would you like to see reinstated, and how would you suggest they are paid for?: I am not in favor of increasing the budget (taxes) to pay for additional services. I think the currently level of services is adequate.
Are property taxes too high? Explain your answer: Yes. I would be in favor of eliminating property tax entirely and replacing it with a sales tax. Property tax is contrary to the idea of private property ownership.
What is the most important issue affecting the school district as a whole?: Returning local control to the district.
What are your thoughts on the three school bond propositions in front of voters?:
If we are partially reimbursed by the state for these bonds it seems like a good deal. However I wish the Service High School bond was separated into two parts. I don't think now is a good time to build an auditorium but we should finish the remodeling of Service.
The last municipal election had the lowest voter turnout in at least 20 years. Why should people head to the polls and vote on April 5th?:
1st and foremost it is our civic duty.
2nd Often registered voters feel like their vote doesn't matter but in local elections your vote has a greater impact because the pool of voters is smaller.
3rd Voting is the least you can do. If you are upset about taxes or with how this city and its schools are being run but you didn't vote, I don't want to hear it.
