The Peru Gazette

 

On Tuesday, May 17th between noon and 9 p.m. Peru School District voters will cast ballots to approve or reject the 2022-2023 school budget and three propositions. They will also cast ballots to determine who is the incoming member of the Peru School Board.  The Peru Gazette posed five questions to the two school board candidates – Kara Bruno Hicks and Eddie Webbinaro. Here are their responses.

1. Tell our readers a bit about yourself, your background/experience, and your connection and/or interest in the Peru Central School District.

Kara Bruno Hicks: I was raised in Peru, and have been a resident my whole life. Successfully graduating from Peru Central, I went on to get my Masters Degree. I have held positions on other boards in the past. I’m active in the school community, athletic programs, and have good standing relationships with many of the employees. I have chosen to stay in this town to raise my three children. I am committed to the school district because we plan to stay here for many years to come!

Eddie Webbinaro: Many folks in this town may remember me as Eddie Webb. I grew up right here in Peru, I have family that work for the school, and when my wife and I came back home several years ago we chose this district for our two young children to attend.  

My career in business started with a degree from RIT in Management Information Systems, concentrating in Organizational Behavior. An internship at Liberty Mutual turned to Director of Software Delivery before switching careers to sales 10 years later. Currently I manage a global team as Director, Solutions Engineering with CircleCI. I have gained experience serving on boards, managing large budgets (in excess of $22 million), and guiding organizations through conservation and transformation.

2. What are your reasons for seeking a position on the Board? 

Kara Bruno Hicks: I chose to run for the open seat on the board after talking to many families in the district and was backed with so much support that I had to push forward with my decision. Another reason I chose to run is to give a voice to our community. It is time we are all heard!

Eddie Webbinaro: I love this area. But I don’t take for granted why. Great communities don’t happen by chance. Great communities demand educated and engaged citizens, willing to share their voices and lend a hand. This is my opportunity to support the school, a system that our entire community depends on.

3. What are some major issues that you believe our school district is currently facing? How would you like the district to deal with those issues? 

Kara Bruno Hicks: One of the major issues that I am aware of is that student enrollment at Peru has declined over the past few years and that is concerning to me. We want to see our school community grow not diminish. This is in part due to the fact that education at Peru isn’t the same it has been in the past.  During the pandemic, I saw some districts who had teachers that taught their students virtually all day long during the shut down. I also saw some districts commit to short zoom lessons, youtube videos, and packets of paperwork sent home to be completed with parents or guardians. Our district can be classified in the latter. The last few years have been challenging for parents, students and the administration alike. I will remember what happened to our children and to us, will you? Many families have chosen to pull their children to homeschool or move out of the district all together. We should have come together during these difficult times! Instead I saw two clear cut positions and no room for compromise no matter how it was communicated. This has led to a lack of trust and effective communication in our district. I acknowledge how important it is to hold all parties accountable including those that chose to mask our children during long school days and indoor athletics. Our children spend more time being influenced in the school setting than anywhere else. We deserve to be part of the decision making process no matter what the popular opinion is on the topic – all sides deserve to be heard.   In my opinion, local and national politics have no place in our district. It is time to stop complicating things and refocus. I truly believe this will help change things positively for our district. 

Eddie Webbinaro: I see two major issues for the next board. Firstly, our district faces the same challenge trending nationally — teachers are leaving the field, our best talent is at risk. Secondly, as currently forecasted our district will be operating at a deficit for the first time in many years.

We need to invest in career growth and development for our faculty and staff. We’re fortunate to have a substantial amount of funds available in COVID-19 grants allocated for just this purpose. Investing in the team we have today is a great way to retain our best talent, raise the quality of our student’s education, and also reduce long term costs for the district.

4. What do you believe is the role of a school board member? 

Kara Bruno Hicks: As a school board member I believe we all need to work together on the Board to make the best financial decisions in order to not jeopardize education and extracurricular activities for our children.  I also believe an important role of a school board member is to facilitate communication between parents, students, faculty and the board. 

Eddie Webbinaro: The board itself has a wide scope of duties; establishing budgets, defining policies, and setting direction for day to day operations. However each board member is only one of many, and can accomplish little alone. It is a board member’s role to be curious, seek understanding, and find alignment. This means collaborating with school staff, community members, and the rest of the board to ensure we act in the best interest for all our students. 

5. What is your perception of the current working and learning environment in our school district? Do you have any any ideas on how to insure a positive working and learning environment in our district? 

Kara Bruno Hicks: As I’ve already said, education at Peru isn’t the same. Because of this I have seen parents, teachers, assistants, aids, bus drivers and even volunteers overworked and stressed out! I have seen our children faced with the pressure to conform to new standards suddenly. We need a voice of reason and common sense for Peru parents and students present on the board. I want to bring a new way of thinking into our district. One of trust! One of accountability, communication and compromise! Change can be scary, but the time is now!

Eddie Webbinaro: We all have strong emotions from the past two years. Our community and families were challenged in the district’s transition to fully virtual instruction, then hybrid instruction, and eventual return to classrooms. We have students who are struggling, parents who are concerned, and staff who are tired. Our community’s been beaten up and bogged down. It’d be easy to get stuck in that story.

Instead, I am looking to engage and support. In the conversations with teachers, various planning sessions, and workshops I have attended, I see a deeply committed staff who care about our students and value their mission as educators. We exist despite the conditions, not because of them. I am proud of our district, and I’m excited for what comes next as we work to rebuild communication and trust across our community.