Independence school board candidates spar over building needs, funding and student safety at student-run forum

A student-moderated forum at Independence High School brought candidates for the Independence Board of Education together to discuss school facilities, funding, student retention, safety and classroom policies ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

The forum, led by AP government students and introduced by IHS Principal Mike Janitovich, focused on whether to pursue new construction or continue repairing aging buildings, how the district should respond to long-running funding shortfalls, and operational issues including bussing, campus safety and cell-phone rules.

Candidates and incumbent board members repeatedly returned to facilities as the most urgent long-term question. Kathleen Virgilla, a candidate who said she has reviewed past levy proposals, said the district is “dangerously close” to a point where deferred capital maintenance would make continued operation unreliable and argued that a new-build option makes fiscal sense given the age and inefficiency of current systems. “If you don’t do regular capital maintenance … your buildings will decline to a point where you can no longer reliably keep them operating,” she said.

Incumbent board member Carrie Sears, who said she is completing her eighth year on the board, urged voters to keep an open mind about a potential bond, saying staff have been studying options and emphasizing that the district does not plan to seek a “Rolls Royce” solution. “Our buildings are 65, 70 years old … it is gonna cost less to build new than to renovate,” Sears said, adding that the board is working to avoid overburdening taxpayers.

Several candidates noted the district’s recent failed levy and said lessons from that campaign would inform future outreach. One candidate, who has studied past proposals and current plans, said comparing them helps explain why previous measures failed and what might be done differently.

Funding and state-level issues also came up. Kathleen Virgilla noted that Ohio’s school funding has been the subject of long-standing debate and described the district’s leadership as “proactive” in reviewing budget schedules and proposals. Another candidate urged the board to scrutinize per-pupil spending and to ask hard questions about where revenue has gone over time.

Candidates described workforce-preparation and alternative pathways as priorities alongside college readiness. Sears highlighted the district’s partnerships with the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center (CVCC), saying the center provides trades and workforce training that can lead directly to employment without college. Several candidates urged expanding hands-on learning, internships and earlier exposure to career options.

Transportation and on-site safety were frequent concerns for parents in the room. Joseph Moller, a candidate and parent of primary-school children, described congestion and safety problems at the primary school pickup area and called for rethinking the site layout and improving bus reliability. “It’s flat-out just unsafe,” he said of the current traffic flow, noting that the school has a single access road and that Officer Green does an “amazing” job directing traffic but cannot solve structural flow problems alone.

Candidates also addressed school-day operations and student conduct. Most supported the district’s current age-differentiated cell-phone policy, saying it reduces classroom distraction and that the district should continue to tweak enforcement rather than liberalize phone use. Several candidates added they want secure storage or locker solutions at the middle school so students can be reached after school without carrying phones in class.

Volunteer screening and building security were raised as areas for near-term improvement. Kathleen Virgilla recommended stricter volunteer background checks for booster and PTO volunteers, saying the district currently lacks consistent volunteer screening practices for adults who regularly work with students. Other speakers urged quick fixes at the primary school — such as a secure vestibule and traffic pattern changes — rather than waiting years for a bond-funded rebuild.

On policy-making and board conduct, candidates said they would listen to educators, parents and fellow board members and balance compromise with conviction. Several emphasized the need for fiscal transparency and data-based planning; candidates with finance or analytics backgrounds said those skills would help steward taxpayer dollars.

The forum closed with candidates repeating commitments to student readiness, fiscal responsibility and community engagement. Several asked voters to study the district’s proposals and attend future board meetings. The Independence Board of Education election is set for Nov. 4; candidates urged turnout and voter review of levy and building proposals before casting ballots.