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Farmers urge board to fill two-person agricultural education role and restore FFA advisor capacity
Summary
Public commenters representing the Page County Farmers Association told the school board that the high school agricultural program is understaffed after recent departures and urged the district to invest in a two-person ag/FFA staffing model and improved facilities and summer help.
Two members of the Page County Farmers Association urged the Page County School Board on April 9 to prioritize hiring and program investments for agricultural education and FFA leadership.
Mr. Smith, who said he taught English for 37 years and farms hay, described serving as an interim ag instructor when the division could not find a replacement. He told the board he reviewed the ag curriculum and concluded it would take a full-time, two-person staff to deliver the program and run FFA at the level the county previously maintained. "The FFA...would take a full-time person just to do FFA the way it should be done," he said, and provided the board with a written breakdown of program responsibilities for their review.
Another farmer, Mr. Planey, also a Page County Farmers Association member, spoke about CTE and technical-education outcomes, described personal family experiences with welding and auto programs, and urged the board to 'open up your eyes and ears' to the staffing need. Both speakers said volunteers and community groups have supported the program and that recent simultaneous departures of staff left the program vulnerable.
Board members acknowledged the comments and noted the welding/Career and Technical Education (CTE) program improvements discussed elsewhere in the meeting. The board did not take immediate formal action during public comment; members said they would continue discussing staffing and facility needs as part of the budget and CIP conversations.
What was on the record: Mr. Smith said he submitted printed materials for board members to review and explicitly identified his affiliation with the Page County Farmers Association. Mr. Planey identified himself as a longtime member of the association and a local poultry farmer who also runs a family cleaning business.
