Voters on May 21 will be selecting four nominees from a field of seven candidates who have cross-filed and will appear on both Republican and Democratic ballots for positions on the Moniteau School Board.

The candidates are Linda Dillaman, Joann Duke, Michael Panza, Trixie Foreman Heck, Eric Anderson, Terry Wells and Richard Dibiase.

Wells did not respond to the questionnaire.

The Eagle asked them to answer three questions.

QUESTION: When it comes to protecting students, how far should school boards go in spending on security measures? For instance, would you consider replacing all glass with bulletproof glass?

DUKE: School boards, the school’s administration and the community must all work together to find an acceptable security plan that will fit in the districts financial means and at the same time provide the safety that is needed for its students. Replacing all glass with bulletproof glass would not be the school board’s decision but rather one of the community, as such an expenditure would be far beyond the state allowable millage increase and would then become a referendum issue.

PANZA: If school security could be resolved by simply replacing glass every school would do it. The issue is more involved. The issue goes further than schools as was witnessed during the Boston Marathon and more. Everyone plays a role in the safety of children. Schools cannot ‘prop’ open outside doors, classroom doors need locks, parents should talk to their children about safety and we can never let down our guard. Together we can protect our children.

DIBIASE: The school board should do what it can to protect the children. There is no way that you can protect anyone 100 percent. There is nothing you can do to cover every possible scenario. I believe that you need to keep your faculty on watch and prepared for anything. People can make the difference. Through training and communication you can determine then eliminate most scenarios with a rational solution.

ANDERSON: I would look into hiring full-time security in the schools. Someone whose job is not only to monitor the students, but the teachers also.

The principles have enough to do already and that would free them up to do other things.

HECK: Security could become an unlimited expenditure — school police, full-time guards, metal detectors and bulletproof glass are just a few examples. Safety is always a concern for both students and staff. As a current board member, I have already authorized improvements in security at the Moniteau School District while staying within our budget. Schools would have an easier time dealing with security costs if the state would increase its funding in the education budget. Referendum by voters is always an option to get a clear answer from the taxpayers concerning security expenditures.

DILLAMAN: School districts have so many responsibilities. All the responsibilities come with high price tags. I believe that schools should take as many safety precautions as possible to protect the students. I believe that the majority of the schools in our area are concerned with safety and will do all that they can to protect all involved.

QUESTION: What can the school board due to help students score higher on standardized tests? For example, more tutors? Focusing the curriculum toward better scoring on these tests?

DUKE: The district must make certain that the curriculum of the school is aligned with the state’s Common Core standards on which the tests are being based. Secondly, an in-depth study of what areas the students are actually missing should be studied and those areas shored up within the classroom curriculum. After these steps have been taken, tutoring and remedial courses then would come into play.

PANZA: Schools, and the Department of Education, need to be cautious on how assessment scores are used. A newspaper editorial presented that high-stakes tests can actually be counter-productive to learning. The state assessments measure only reading, mathematics and science. Students are much more than these three, though important, subjects. The assessments do not address history, the arts and more. Students should not be taught to the test, but be well-rounded and creative.

DIBIASE: The first thing we need to focus on is educating our children. The children will be able to go out in the world and succeed. If we do that, then the standardized testing score will follow. This means doing what we can to get the children involved in learning. The children need to understand the importance of their education. Testing only shows the true results if an effort is given. This goes for educating and learning.

ANDERSON: Make sure the students are being taught the same things that they are being tested on. There should be tutoring available for anyone who needs it.

HECK: Aligning the curriculum, and buying educational materials which support this curriculum, are necessary steps in raising student scores on state standardized tests. Teachers and tutors also need to be trained in how to apply strategies for success. Educational techniques do not remain stagnant. A school district needs to maintain standards for both its staff and students.

DILLAMAN: Smaller class sizes afford teachers a much better opportunity to be assured that students meet the required levels of achievement.

Curriculum focused on the needs of the students is vitally important. School cannot be entirely focused on test scores, students need art, phys. ed, music, consumer science, and technology courses. Sacrificing these programs for further remediation is not the answer either. Schools have to meet the standards set by the state, but they must also create an environment where students are more than a proficient score on a test.

QUESTION: With school districts facing deficits, are you more likely to cut spending or to raise taxes to balance the budget? Should districts think harder about closing schools?

DUKE: Most school districts will do a combination of cutting spending and raising taxes. The deficits that the governor’s fiscal plan has created for school districts in Pennsylvania cannot be solved in any easy way. In the case of Moniteau, we have already consolidated all of our elementary schools into one. We must try to think outside of the box, provide our students with the best possible education we can and have them leave our district prepared to compete in our modern world.

PANZA: Moniteau operates two buildings so closing/consolidating schools is not an option. The problem is those in Harrisburg/Washington have pushed funding to the local level. The state is to pay 50 percent; their current rate is less than 37 percent. The federal government was to support special education at 40 percent; they pay only 17 percent. Taxpayers need this information when talking to their representatives. It becomes a balancing act for schools to be mindful of the taxpayer while ensuring that students are prepared for their future.

DIBIASE: Closing schools should not be done without looking at the long-term impact and planning. It may be a quick solution that can come back and hit you harder in the future with a change in population.

ANDERSON: It all depends on where the cuts would come from. Some years there may be somewhere to make some cuts and save money and other years there may be no where to cut and you may have to raise taxes.

Every year will have to be looked at a different way. The level of teaching should remain consistent either way.

HECK: Federal and state unfunded mandates increase the pressure on the budget by adding extra expenses. School board members have a responsibility to taxpayers to provide a positive educational environment, as well as passing a yearly balanced budget. The Moniteau School District has been able to balance expenditures with a continued quality education. If reelected, I will continue to maintain these high standards. By (the state) continually decreasing educational funding in a world of competition, all school districts will continue to financially struggle.

DILLAMAN: School boards must assure citizens that they are getting the “bang for their buck.”

Money has to be spent wisely and should benefit the majority of the students in the district. I am fortunate that the Moniteau School District has already faced the daunting task of school closings. The district has faced and survived the loss of several elementary school closings. I believe that the citizens in the school district should be proud of their schools. I would never want to see the children in our area anywhere but in this school district.