Four candidates running for two at-large seats on the Carmel Clay Schools board of trustees answered questions and traded barbs for 90 minutes during the Sept. 30 debate presented by Current in Carmel at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts.
After candidates Robin Clark, Dina Ferchmin, Jon Shapiro and Kristina Wheeler introduced themselves, moderator and Current Senior Managing Editor Ann Marie Shambaugh asked a variety of questions covering finances, the role of parents in public education, library book reviews and more.
One of the questions that led to the most back-and-forth focused on the role of partisan politics in what is officially a nonpartisan race on the ballot.
Shapiro said society has injected partisanship into many conversations, adding that political views can help voters understand a candidate’s values. However, he said, supporting public schools is not a political issue.
“I do not believe that strong public schools, high quality public education, is a Republican issue or a Democrat issue, a liberal issue or a conservative issue,” he said. “We have chosen to live in this city because Carmel has excellent schools, and if our goal is to enable our students to be successful for whatever their next steps are going to be in life … there should absolutely always be room for respectful, inclusive, civil conversation.”
Ferchmin, who – along with Clark – has promoted her conservative values as part of her campaign, stressed that no political party controls her and she has no political aspirations.
Clark said that for her, nonpartisan means that school board members evaluate decisions based on merit, rather than what a political party wants. Everyone has political values, she said, but partisanship shouldn’t be part of the role of a school board member.
“I’ve served on other boards,” she said, listing a few examples, such as her HOA and sports clubs. “I don’t take partisanship into those activities, and I won’t be taking partisanship into our schools.”
Wheeler said she and Shapiro have been endorsed by the Support CCS PAC, which includes moderate Republicans in the community. She said that nothing about Ferchmin or Clark is moderate and accused them of not being clear about their views on their campaign websites.
That led to some back and forth, with Ferchmin accusing Wheeler and Shapiro of aligning with Democratic backers and Clark saying that Wheeler’s talking points are meant to divide the community.
Shapiro and Wheeler responded they have support from people across the political spectrum, with Wheeler noting that former Republican Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard has endorsed herself and Shapiro.
Referendums
The candidates were asked whether they supported and would continue to support operating and school safety referendums. They primarily focused on the school safety issue when answering.
Ferchmin said she did support the ballot measures but was disappointed that less than half of the school safety referendum funds are used for school resource officers, with other funds supporting mental health and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Clark said the district has a strong SRO program and she supports anything that strengthens and improves school safety and teachers. She added that she heard from SROs who said school social workers are vital to the officers’ jobs. Clark also said she would like to make sure referendum dollars are needed or if programs could be supported without those extra funds.
Wheeler said mental health funding promotes safety by supporting students who might otherwise not feel seen or heard.
“As we’ve seen over and over again, many school shootings happen when children have serious mental health issues,” she said. “So, safety and mental health go together.”
Shapiro said referendums are critical to help fund public schools following a change to the state education funding formula. He said he supports what the district has accomplished and would like to evaluate the programs to maximize their effectiveness, including providing for students’ emotional and physical safety.
Charter school
In 2022, a charter school sued to obtain the now-closed Orchard Park Elementary school for $1, citing state law. A Hamilton County judge ruled in the district’s favor, but the charter school has appealed. Candidates were asked what they think the district should do with the facility, which is now used for storage.
Wheeler said the litigation is still pending, so the district can’t do anything yet. She said the community paid for the building and it shouldn’t be given to an “ultra-right, religious charter school.”
Valor Classical Academy is affiliated with Indiana Classical Schools and Michigan-based Hillsdale College, a private Christian college.
Shapiro agreed that taxpayers paid for the building, and it shouldn’t be given away. He said that once litigation is complete, the district can use the space to enhance programming.
Ferchmin said the empty building should be used for public education, noting that a charter school is still a public school. She said there are families on a waiting list to attend that school.
“Why are we preventing that parent from putting their child in a charter school?” she said. “And even worse than that, why pay $3 million to demolish a school and turn it into a storage facility just to make sure that the parents in Carmel don’t have the choice?”
Clark said she would like to see a cost-benefit analysis of maintaining the building before making a decision, adding that she wants to know whether the district is holding onto it only to keep the charter school from opening.
To see a recording of the full debate, visit youarecurrent.com/