School board candidate Jeff Hohrman seeks answers

School Board

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, October 27, 2008

Jeff Hohrman

Jeff Hohrman, a Fergus Falls Police sergeant and former School District 544 liaison officer, is stepping up to the plate for the first time this year, looking to claim one of the three open spots on the Fergus Falls School Board.

Having witnessed recent actions taken by the school board, Hohrman said he has more than a few questions — and he’s not the only one.

“I’m frustrated as a taxpayer and as a parent to see the district in the financial situation we’re in,” he said. “I felt more questions needed to be asked.”

Those questions, he said, have to do with the current statutory operating debt (SOD) situation and the timing the district made the announcement, which came less than two months after passing the building referendum.

“There are definitely good programs, but there are also problems that need to be addressed a bit better,” he said.

Hohrman feels those good programs and aspects of the district — which include the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, post secondary education opportunities, excellent teachers and a robust music department — should be more proactively marketed to draw in more students to the district.

“We should not accept declining enrollment,” Hohrman said.

In terms of building relationships with community members, Hohrman feels his duties as a police officer have more than prepared him for the “on call” role of a school board member.

Having a son in third grade, Hohrman also attends many school functions, which he says will make him accessible to voters.

He’d also like to be more open with members of the public, welcoming everyone in on work sessions, which members of the public are not typically invited to attend.

Those work sessions, Hohrman said, are where the discussions go down — and he thinks it is important to let the public know what, how and why the board is making its decisions before the rubber stamp of approval is given at the regular school board meetings.

“Tax payers deserve to see some of those discussions,” he said. “Board members are elected by the people to make the best decisions for them (the people).”