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Public comments at Valley View meeting focus on DEI, transgender students and high property taxes
Summary
During public comment, speakers praised staff and athletic programs, criticized the district’s DEI stance and policies toward transgender students, urged support for board candidates, and voiced concern over high property taxes and field trip costs.
Several members of the public addressed the Valley View CUSD 365U Board of Education during the audience-participation segment, raising issues that included support for district staff and programs, criticism of diversity-equity-inclusion efforts, defense of transgender students’ rights, and concerns about property taxes and a student trip.
Jim Fisher, a parent, thanked the board and staff for supporting athletics and extracurricular programs and encouraged continued attention to athletic trainers. A later speaker criticized the district’s DEI work, saying, “DEI destroys everything it touches,” and urged voters to replace the board, attaching electoral endorsements to their remarks.
Alison Wold spoke in support of transgender students and urged civil treatment, saying that “folks that are trans are people. They’re humans. They deserve human rights,” and noted that her child is a trans male. Her remarks contrasted with an earlier commenter who asked the board to “get that boy out of our girls’ bathrooms.”
Another resident, Sean Salisbury, raised concerns about property taxes and a recently approved school trip. Salisbury said his total tax bill was $17,087.84 and that the school district’s portion accounted for about 69% of his tax bill among taxing bodies; he criticized the district for overall spending levels and questioned whether the spring trip to Cincinnati for 55 participants (students, chaperones and staff) — budgeted at $35,200 — had booster or parent reimbursement details included in the packet.
Board president Quigley and administration accepted the public comments without formal response during the audience participation period; some speakers used the public-comment period to endorse candidates ahead of an April 1 election. The board did not take immediate action on the subjects raised during public comment.
