Where the Candidates Stand on Fiscal Responsibility

All RIH BOE candidates ‘say’ they will be fiscally responsible. Actions speak louder than words.

Audrey Souders, Melissa Kiel and Jared Geist are aligned with the rogue Board members that seek to disrupt. Disruption costs money, both in wasted time and resources and in legal fees.

The disruption has resulted in three top administrators leaving the district. The need to replace them costs time and money, loss of progress to the district, and a decrease in morale.

The current disruptive Board increased legal spending by over 400% over last year (over $400,000). In January they terminated the district’s long term legal counsel. Board President Judy Sullivan said it was due to fiscal concerns. In fact, it has led to a HUGE increase in spending on legal bills, taking money from students. Where is the legal money going? Improper and excessive use of Board counsel by the Board President, defending rogue Board members for Ethics Complaints filed against them, defending the Board against employment action taken as a result of rogue Board members voting down a hiring recommendation because they didn’t like an individual’s social media posts, and more.

Souders, Kiel and Geist also critique the current Board members who are candidates for an increase in taxes last year. The FACT of the matter is that the 2023-2024 budget was discussed, grappled with and negotiated over a period of months, by the Board’s finance committee and the administration. The final budget was the result of a partnership between the Board and the administration. The Budget was passed UNANIMOUSLY, by all Board members, on April 24, 2023.

Vote King, Eilert and DeLaite. They will reign in excessive legal spending and seek to restore the focus and the funds back to students.