Next week’s election could push the Hermon School Committee in a more conservative direction depending on which candidate garners the most votes.
Voters on Tuesday will fill one seat on the school board and two seats on the town council. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the gymnasium at the Patricia A. Duran Elementary Gym, 235 Billings Road.
Kristen Shorey, 52, the incumbent seeking a second three-year term, is being challenged by Brian Veneziano, 51. The two were on opposite sides of a proposed policy that would have screened books in Hermon school libraries for sexual content.
Shorey voted against the change while Veneziano supported it. Even if Veneziano wins, conservative-leaning board members would not be in the majority.
The book controversy that has divided the community for more than a year may be over, or at least tamped down, after Hermon High School Principal Brian Walsh this week put in place an opt-in system that requires parental consent for students to access books with mature content and/or adult themes. Those books will be placed on a reserve shelf behind the library’s circulation desk.
Under the plan, parents will be asked to fill out a form that must be returned at the beginning of the school year. It will offer parents three options: to restrict access to all library materials, to restrict access to those containing adult/mature themes, or to allow access to books and other materials regardless of their content.
Walsh did not need board approval to implement the plan.
Shorey said earlier this week that the “current policy coupled with building level protocols” are adequate to address parents’ concerns over age-appropriate content in library books.
Veneziano believes the protocol should be implemented by the board as a policy so that it applies to all school libraries and not just the high school. He also has advocated for a ratings system similar to those used for movies, television shows and video games.
Shorey has lived in Hermon for more than 20 years and has two adult children who attended schools in the district. The younger one graduated from Hermon High School on Saturday. She works for the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, a state agency. Shorey is fluent in American Sign Language.
Veneziano is a retired U.S. Army veteran who has lived in Hermon for 18 years. He is a stay-at-home dad to twin boys who will be in the fifth grade this fall.
If elected, he would join conservative board member Haily Keezer, who was elected last year. Keezer, who ousted an incumbent, was the only school board member to support the proposal to screen books for sexual content.
In addition to the book controversy, the candidates differ in their priorities for the district.
Other priorities are to work collaboratively with the members of the school board to implement its goals and to prioritize open communication among stakeholders, including parents, teachers, school administrators, students and town council members.
Veneziano said that his top priorities are school safety, parental rights and educational standards. The department recently contracted with the Penobscot County Sheriff’s office for a school resource officer, who spends some time each day at the elementary, middle and high schools.
“Parents are the final decision makers for their child’s upbringing,” Veneziano said. “Schools need to include parents in decision making, inform parents of student issues, advise parents of school curriculum and be responsive to parental concerns.”
He also said that the school committee should focus on improving student achievement of educational standards.
The town paid for a survey of registered voters to determine where the community stands on students accessing books with sexual content and adult themes. Town Councilor Danielle Haggerty, who led the effort, said earlier this week that those results won’t be released until after Tuesday’s election and the annual town meeting on June 15.
Veneziano is running with two Republican town council candidates, incumbent Ron Murphy and Christopher Gray. Their campaign signs are clustered together around town and videos explaining their positions and priorities are posted on the Hermon Republicans’ website, even though the election is non-partisan.
Shorey is running alongside Kimberly Stewart, a candidate for town council. They had not made their party affiliations public as part of their campaigns.
A recording of a candidates forum held May 9 may be viewed on the town’s website here.
