Four candidates are competing for three Gorham School Board seats at the Nov. 4 election. The following surveys were filled out by the candidates.

William Benzing

Age: 37

Education: BA Biology, BA Political Science, Certificate in Public Policy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY; Dental School at University of Connecticut; Residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at University of Connecticut

Occupation: Partner and owner, Southern Maine Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for seven years

Political experience:

President of the Maine Association of Oral Surgeons for four years

Greater Portland Representative to the Maine Dental Association, Executive Board, two years

Civic associations: Associate professor at University of New England. Volunteer and coach for Westbrook Recreation Soccer, 3- and 4-year-olds for two years. Basic life support and first aid instructor. Advanced cardiac life support instructor.

Kathy Garrard

Age: 47

Education: BS nursing, Northeastern University; graduate courses at University of Southern Maine

Occupation: Associate at Barton and Gingold (communications management)

Civic associations: 

2006 to present Gorham Educational Foundation Board of Directors. From 1995 to present, volunteer in the Gorham schools – began in the classroom and have been involved in numerous parent groups, projects and committees, including: parent representative to search committee for new Gorham High School principal; co-chairman of the Gorham High School Maine Readiness Committee in 2006, which developed an action plan to ensure Gorham students graduate from high school ready for college, community and citizenship. Member of the Gorham High School Project Graduation Committees in 2006 (co-chairman) and 2008. Baxter Memorial Library Board of Trustees from 1999 to 2004. Graduate of Leadership Maine (2007 Xi Class), a Maine Development Foundation program that helps participants from around the state understand Maine’s dynamic economy, refine their leadership skills and build networks.

Dennis C. Libby

Age: 41

Education: Attended Bentley College

Occupation: Self- employed carpenter, stay-at-home dad

Political experience: 

I am a member of the Gorham School Committee, and have volunteered in the schools for the last six years.  I am presently the vice chairman of the school committee, chairman of the finance committee, and the vocational education representative.  I also serve on several district committees including the 21^st Century Committee, the K-5 Transition Committee and I am vice chairman of the New Elementary School Building Committee.

Polly Shields

Age: 41

Education: B. A. Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Penn.

Occupation: Current: business analyst, Unum; Previous: substitute secretary, Gorham School District; Project Manager-Process Improvement, American Skandia Life Assurance Corporation        

Civic associations:  White Rock Building Committee, citizen; Volunteer coordinator, White Rock, Narragansett, Little Falls; Gorham lacrosse, coach and registrar; United States Pony Club, district commissioner of the Sea Coast Pony Club; Gorham Cooperative Preschool, promotions committee chairman

How the candidates responded:

Why are you seeking election (or reelection)?

William Benzing: As the first of my three children enter into Gorham Schools, I am overcome with the pride of watching my daughter’s independence and confidence grow each day.  This enthusiasm is a testament to the district, the administrators and especially to the teachers involved in her education.  I firmly believe that this experience is one that each and every parent, student and teacher in Gorham should share.  As a member of the school committee, I will work tirelessly towards this goal.

Kathy Garrard: To fulfill my civic duty and give back to the community.

Dennis Libby: I have three kids attending three different schools in the district, so I have a vested interest in the school department.  I enjoy being part of a system that allows all kids the opportunity to pursue whatever their goals may be and preparing them for their futures.

Polly Shields: I am seeking election because I feel that it is important to contribute and give back to our community.  I feel that I will be able to succeed in this capacity on the school committee because of my experience as a volunteer coordinator, substitute secretary and involved parent.  I feel it is a natural progression for a volunteer coordinator and although I am now working full time, the school committee position will enable me to remain connected within the school district and put my experience to use to benefit the community.

What makes you the best candidate for the seat?

William Benzing: I am a parent of a child in the Gorham School System. I am also an associate professor at University of New England. Both of these roles give me a unique perspective allowing me to understand the concerns both the families and educators share. As a small business owner, I have assumed the responsibility to provide a service for the community, while providing an income for my employees and their families. I have developed an understanding of the difficulty in maintaining increasing standards while balancing a budget during difficult economic times. For the past four years, I have also served on several professional executive boards at the state level, gaining experience administrating and creating policy for our future.  Together, each of these experiences have shaped my opinions and views and given me a perspective that few can reach from.

Kathy Garrard: Through my years of community and school involvement, I have gained extensive knowledge of the schools, the policy-making process and the budget process, as well as a good understanding of the relationship between the school department and the town, and the need for continued and improved cooperation between the two. I work well with others, have good communication skills and enjoy collaborating to solve problems in a mutually beneficial way. It is my core belief that each and every child attending Gorham public schools deserves to receive the best education possible, and graduate with the skills necessary to become a contributing member of society.

Dennis Libby: As a member of the school committee the last three years, I have worked very hard to try and get to know all of the nuances of our district.  It takes some time to get adjusted to the workings of the committee, and my past experience will allow me to continue the work I am involved with, and continue to be an effective school committee member.

Polly Shields: I have been a volunteer coordinator for five years, worked as a substitute secretary in each of the schools within the district and I am aware of the inner workings of the district.  I have been involved with the White Rock Building Committee for more than two years.  I have two children ages 8 and 11 years old and have experienced three of the four district schools as an involved parent. My career for the past 10 years has been in the financial services industry with a focus on project management and process improvements.  I hope to translate these skills to the school committee.

School spending:

William Benzing: During today’s tough economic times, Gorham families are under increasing extrinsic pressure to stretch each and every dollar to its fullest.  Our school system is no exception.  As school committee members we are responsible for creating a budget that the town council and citizens ultimately accept.  Together we need to balance the ever rising costs of education while being ever mindful that we are charged with the task of setting the policy to prepare each and every child of Gorham with the skills necessary to excel in the 21^st century.

Kathy Garrard: The cost of public education is high, not only in Gorham and the state of Maine, but nationwide. It is essential for the school committee to develop an annual budget that provides for the most efficient and cost-effective delivery of a high-quality education to each and every child.

Dennis Libby: While we have continued to receive small increases to our allocation, state funding has not kept up with the rate of inflation. Our fixed costs continue to rise at or above the inflation rate, yet state funding has not. This puts more of the burden on our property taxpayers just to maintain the programs we currently offer. As a school committee member, I will continue to review our budget, and look for potential savings, while also providing our students with the best possible educational experience.

Polly Shields: I think now more than ever we need to find an acceptable balance between quality education and rising costs.  This is a time to be creative in our thinking and our utilization of resources, such as the Sebago Alliance.

Growth and development:

William Benzing: We always need to keep our eye on the future and ensure that we are providing what our children need to compete in the global economy.  We need to continually reevaluate our education processes to ensure we are not falling behind the current standards of educational practice.  This involves a willingness to evaluate, assess and modify or change on a regular basis. 

Dennis Libby: Our teaching staff has worked very hard to make sure what we are teaching is aligned to the newly modified Maine Learning Results. Our teachers have had to review their teaching practices and work together to assure a common experience for all students while still allowing creativity in the classroom. The leadership of our new curriculum advisory council is helping our staff work towards this alignment, and thus provide a more accountable system.

Polly Shields: The projections completed for the new Gorham Elementary School indicate Gorham will have 100 to 150 new students entering the district in the next 20 years.  Gorham is proactively addressing these needs by having built the middle school five years ago and by building a new elementary school, which will serve 450 students and eliminate overcrowding at Village and Narragansett Schools.

Infrastructure:

William Benzing: The recently passed referendum to create a new elementary school brings enormous potential to the children and families of Gorham. This will create three equivalent kindergarten through fifth grade schools.  Each of these schools will share the same mission in education.  But each school will also maintain their own neighborhood’s identity.  Educators will have ample space to accommodate their increasing enrollments.  This realignment of the schools will give us an opportunity to “start fresh,” taking the strengths of each school and applying them to each and every school.  This synergistic effect will propel the Gorham schools further up the ladder of excellence. 

Dennis Libby: We are very fortunate in Gorham to have the state as a major financial partner in the most recent improvements to our facilities. The new middle school opened just five years ago, and we recently passed the referendum for the new elementary school, which are both state supported projects. Along with the state funding, Gorham has made very sound investments in these schools. Nearly all of the local funds put into these projects are directed towards either future growth, or items that will reduce the overall operating costs. The middle school’s geothermal heating system is an example of this.  Gorham had to entirely pay for this heating system in its local only portion of the budget, but one that has almost paid for itself in only five years.  This system has received numerous accolades for efficiency, and is now a heating system the state endorses for funding on future projects, including our new elementary school project. The new elementary school will have other systems to address operational costs, including solar domestic hot water, solar chimneys used in natural ventilation, and sloped metal roofs to reduce the need for snow removal on heavy snow fall years. In fact, the new school is approximately eight times larger than White Rock School, but will cost slightly less to operate annually.

Polly Shields: Gorham is in the process of building a new elementary school that will allow us to create three kindergarten through fifth grade schools, eliminating the overcrowding at Narragansett Village and White Rock Schools.  At some point soon, Gorham will need to address the size of the high school and overcrowding there.

Educational development (including stance on school consolidation):

William Benzing: We have just completed the first year of the new math curriculum and it has been met with great success.  We are now embarking on a new curriculum for reading for kindergarten through fifth grade.  It is imperative that we continue to have frequent reassessments to determine the effectiveness of these new programs.  As we identify our strengths and isolate our weaknesses, it is incumbent upon us to adapt the curriculum and refine our methodologies.  

Kathy Garrard: Even though Gorham was not required to join with other towns under the consolidation law, the benefits of streamlining the administration and transportation departments should be apparent this year and in coming years. The school department also needs to continue to work with the town to consolidate services when practical.

Dennis Libby: While Gorham has not been faced with consolidating with another district, we still have had to adjust to the new consolidation law.  We made reductions to system administration, transportation, maintenance/facilities, and special education as required by the consolidation law. While making several major changes to our organizational structure, we also continue to look for efficiencies not only within our district, but also with other districts and with town functions.  I acknowledge the need to reduce the cost of education, but I fear this particular consolidation law will in fact, cost more to educate the kids of Maine.

Polly Shields: The Gorham School District has a very challenging curriculum; one that maintains mandated responsibilities and protects the core educational program and integrity of the classroom.  The Gorham School District is large enough that we are not consolidating with other districts; however, I hope we can utilize the Sebago Alliance to support our curriculum in more innovative and cost saving ways.

Top three issues facing Gorham schools and how you will address them:

William Benzing: Although Gorham Schools will not be consolidated with other districts, we have been charged with the task of reducing administrative costs. Superintendent Sharp has been very successful in making considerable cuts in administrative costs.  The new White Rock School and reorganization of the three elementary schools offers us a unique opportunity to create a new model.  We should strive to create a model where three identical schools can pool their resources while increasing efficiency by sharing the costs of education and the administrative burden together.

Education in the 21^st century is quite different than when many of us went to school.  It is incumbent upon school committee members to ensure that our children graduating today have the necessary skill sets to compete in today’s society.  It will be my goal that every child with the ability to succeed and to go on to advanced education is able to do so and is not limited by the education they receive.  I will ensure that the school system continues to adapt to give our children the edge necessary to compete in today’s workforce.

The final goal as a school committee member is to increase communication between parents and administrators with the school committee members.  The role of the school committee is to set the course for the education of our children.  Each committee member holds the responsibility to set the policy for the direction of the school system that the superintendent is charged to administer.  If we can increase communication between the citizens of Gorham and the administration, we can move to improve the academic standards for all students more efficiently.  I would propose that we try to get a greater involvement of the community in setting policy for the schools. This would help to foster a sense of acting as a team proactively as opposed to reacting to policy after it is already in place. 

Kathy Garrard: 1. Continuing to provide a high-quality education to every child, given the challenges of state and federal rules, rising costs and decreasing state funding.

2. Building the new kindergarten through fifth grade school for a September 2011 opening

3. Managing logistics and making a seamless transition to three kindergarten through fifth grade schools.

Dennis Libby: First, Gorham is facing the necessity to prepare our students for the increasing skills needed to compete in the 21^st century, while doing so, in a climate of limited resources.  As part or our 21^st Century committee, we are reviewing every aspect of our district and will make recommendations to ensure that we are providing opportunities for our students to attain those skills.

Secondly, is the strain on our economy, and its affect to upcoming budgets.  As chairman of the finance committee, I will continue to monitor every dollar spent to make sure we are making the best use of the funds we receive. 

Thirdly is having the new elementary school ready for students in the fall of 2011, and the reconfiguration of all three of our elementary schools being kindergarten through fifth grade.  As a part of the building committee and the kindergarten through fifth grade transition committee I will continue to work on the planning and construction phases of the new school.  

Polly Shields: The top three things on the Gorham school department’s list of focus points that I think are at the forefront are the management of the 2009 budget and development of the 2010 budget.  Integration of technology and the implementation of Infinite Campus Software. Accountability—providing tangible data analysis and individual level coaching on student strengths and weaknesses, teacher grouping data analysis on teacher strengths and weaknesses, and curriculum reporting to determine curriculum strengths and weaknesses.

Additional comments:

Kathy Garrard: If elected, I will work hard to develop a responsible and reasonable school budget without sacrificing the quality of education. I have no magical solutions to problems, but will do all I can to learn about the issues and make the right decisions for the children in the Gorham schools. 

Dennis Libby: Gorham is fortunate to have a staff that is very dedicated to providing the best possible education for our kids. It has been an honor to serve our community the last three years as a school committee member, and if re-elected, I pledge to continue to diligently work on the many projects I am involved with. I hope you will support me Nov. 4.