By Jonathan Cheung
Staff Writer
April 15, 2008

Incumbents Kay Kyung Kim and Michael Sprague will be joined by newcomer David Hausmann, as all three candidates were voted onto the Board of Education for three-year terms.

Serving on the board since 1998, Kim received the most votes with 241. Kim is a longtime resident with a deep understanding of the system and her youngest child is still in high school. She looks to continue to work toward providing the students with the best academic experience possible.

Sprague, who received 225 votes, is an experienced and active candidate with two daughters that went through the school system in the 1990s and currently has a daughter in the elementary school. He has served on the board for 21 years and during the tenure has been involved in significant financial and curriculum decisions.

For the most part voters are satisfied with the incumbents and are eager to see how they will tackle the upcoming issues, such as budget and extracurricular concerns.

"The incumbents have been doing well and that’s who I voted for," said Yoke Wong. "It’s our school, our town and the kids are the future. In the past the board has done a great job and I’m here to support them."

Hausmann, who received 235 votes, looks to bring many positives to the table with his experience in cutting costs in his self-owned business and supplying knowledge on the possible installation of solar panels in schools. His wife is also heavily involved in educational decisions.

"I like that his wife is on the Parent Teacher Organization and I’m sure he has learned a lot about the educational system through her," said Sandra Foster Conklin. "One of the reasons why we moved here is because of the school system and coming out to vote today I feel it’s worth it to support the school board."

Voters hit the polls to show academic officials that they are involved and sincerely care about the town’s educational system. Additionally many voters chose to cast a ballot in appreciation of past accomplishments. Voters and newly elected officials both know that the student’s academic future is vital.

"The reason I came out was more to just support the schools, as the appointed candidates need to make sure they are properly funded, since the budget is tight," said Mitchell Heymann. "The schools need good funding and it’s up to all of us to support them."

Also on the ballot, the school budget in the amount of $7,594,400 passed 195 yes and 151 no.