Public commenters urge levy support and call for accountability at Franklin Pierce meeting

Public comment at the Franklin Pierce School District meeting featured sharp criticism of district leadership and repeated calls for fiscal accountability.

TJ Johnson, who identified himself as a resident of District 2, urged community support for a levy while urging accountability and greater transparency. "We have failed to keep cuts out of the classroom," Johnson said, and asked whether the district was receiving "over $1,000,000" tied to K–3 class-size compliance. He pressed the board on paraeducator training, employee retention and attendance interventions, citing an attendance statistic he said shows 68% of students miss fewer than two days a month and that Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students have a lower rate (54%).

Kevin Marshall, the next commenter, delivered a longer critique of district leadership, describing a pattern of budget mismanagement and organizational dysfunction. He criticized administrative pay items and questioned the expense of multiple superintendents, saying the district should "fire Lance Goodpaster" as part of accountability tied to any levy request.

Board policy was followed: directors did not respond during the meeting; staff may follow up as directed afterward. The chair read the public-comment rules at the start of the session, including the board’s practice of not responding during the meeting and directing any follow-up to the superintendent or a designee.

The comments put public pressure on the board ahead of the district’s upcoming levy-related outreach and budget work sessions.