Weber school board hopefuls split on taxes, injection of party affiliation
-
- The precinct 6 Weber school board hopefuls in 2022 elections are, from left, incumbent Janis Christensen and Heidi Gross.
-
- Precinct 6 Weber school board hopeful Janis Christensen is seeking her third term.
-
- Precinct 6 Weber school board hopeful Heidi Gross.
The messaging is getting partisan at least on one side in the race for the precinct 6 spot on the Weber school board, deemed a nonpartisan post by election officials.
At the same time, differing views on the Weber school board’s decision to hike property taxes last August distinguish the two hopefuls.
Incumbent Janis Christensen of North Ogden, going for her third term, is touting her party affiliation and political outlook as she vies for the spot, which represents much of North Ogden and the Ogden Valley. She voted against a proposed school district property tax hike last August, which ultimately passed in a 6-1 vote.
“I am the Republican candidate and the conservative candidate,” Christensen said.
Challenger Heidi Gross, who’s from Huntsville, is focusing on her years in the system as a teacher. She retired at the end of the 2021-2022 school year after teaching for 35 years, both at the primary and secondary level.
“I know what’s been going on in our classrooms and what our students and teachers need,” said Gross, who finished her teaching career at Green Acres Elementary in North Ogden. “I want to be the voice for the citizens and bring their concerns to the school board.”
Gross bristles at the notion of partisan politics entering the fray of the race. And though she wasn’t on the board last August when the property tax vote came up, she said she favored it.
“We’re nonpolitical. We’re there for everybody, no matter their color, their race, their religion, their gender,” Gross said. “Partisan issues should not be mixed in with the school system. We’re a place to teach, not to preach politics to people.”
While emphasizing her Republican and conservative outlook, Christensen also said she values all feedback. “I will listen to all the community and I respond to everyone. My goal is to represent the entire community and respond to their needs,” she said.
Though local school board races in Utah are nonpartisan, spots on the Utah State Board of Education became partisan starting with the 2020 election cycle, per legislation passed by Utah lawmakers in 2016.
Gross, Christensen and Heather Koci faced off for the precinct 6 spot in the primary last June. Gross and Christensen were the top two vote-getters, garnering 2,294 and 2,280 votes respectively, putting them on the general election ballot.
‘NOT THE TIME TO RAISE TAXES’
Christensen voted no on the property tax hike given inflationary price increases and the financial struggles some are facing in the district. She didn’t want to add to their money woes by increasing taxes. “This was not the time to raise taxes,” Christensen said.
The increase, which will go in effect anyway since Christensen was the lone dissenter, will boost Weber School District property tax collections for 2023 by 13.7%, from $70.15 million to $79.76 million. The hike — which will boost taxes on a home worth $526,000, the median value in the district, from $970.89 to $1,103.97 — is meant to increase pay for teachers to stay competitive with other districts and augment school safety.
Though Christensen said her no vote stemmed just from the current financial climate, Gross had tough words. “She’s saying she doesn’t care about our students and doesn’t care about the teachers,” Gross said.
Gross noted a state audit of the district that found that the system spends less per student than peer districts, citing relatively low property tax inflows. In arguing for the tax hike, she also noted how hard it is for the district to retain and recruit staff. “We can’t get teachers. We can’t get aides. We can’t get bus drivers,” Gross said.
Christensen also said she’d push school officials to look at allowing public comment at school board meetings, currently not allowed. Gross said addressing mental health issues of students, notably anxiety, and teacher morale are big concerns for her.
Kelly Larson, incumbent Jan Burrell and incumbent Bruce Jardine are the sole hopefuls for the precinct 1, 2 and 3 seats, respectively, on the Weber school board. Ballots have been mailed to registered voters and are due Nov. 8.