According to the Ohio School Boards Association, “The board is a policymaking body and members are the chief advisers to the superintendent on community attitudes.” Since these responsibilities have potential to change the course of learning and student lifestyle, it’s important for both students and the community to stay informed on who is running, what their beliefs are and what qualifications they have met in order to make rational decisions about all of their responsibilities. Voters should always speak up when they need their voice to be heard.
The Jonathan Alder School Board election was held Nov. 7, 2023 with six candidates running for three seats. Two members were reelected, Steve Votaw and Bill McCartney, and a new member, Bruce Hooley, who took office Jan. 8.
When I think of the qualities of a school board member from a student perspective, I picture mine and my teachers’ biggest advocate, someone who believes in the capabilities of preparing me for life after high school. I expect them to have high standards and to celebrate when I step out of my comfort zone. Moreover, since I can’t vote for myself, I expect community members to research and vote according to what will be the best for students.
When I look at our current school board, I worry that they will have trouble meeting these standards. Hooley in particular has never been an advocate for public education, or students who are in the public education system. He even removed his own children from the district he represents.
An instance of Hooley not supporting students is when he commented on one of The Pioneer Press’s articles in April of 2021, two years before Hooley became a candidate for school board. Sophomore at the time, Jackson McCoy wrote about ways the school board could be better in an article titled “Plain City, do better.” The reaction to the article was strong, and Hooley was one of many who left a comment. In his comment, he criticized one sentence in the article and followed it up with, “I would be happy to educate the author or the adviser on matters of journalistic integrity and the practices that have served me well at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports and Salem Media Group. Or, perhaps you would simply prefer to continue in ignorance, which is the choice to ignore available facts that would expand your world-view beyond your [preconceived] notions and opinions.”
McCoy took the feedback and corrected his error, and our advisor replied and invited him to join our journalism class as a guest speaker.
Hooley never replied, passing up an opportunity to share his experience and support the students of our district. Hooley’s failure to respond makes me wonder if the true purpose of the comment was not to offer sincere support, but to belittle a 16-year-old journalist who was still writing his very first articles at the time.
Hooley’s X, formerly Twitter, account also contains substantial evidence which shows he does not support the public school system. He made a post in 2021 saying, “Put your kids in private school or home-school them. Otherwise, they’re just pawns of NEA and its woke branches, like UA Education Association.” The NEA is the National Education Association, which is the national branch of local chapters, like our own Jonathan Alder Education Association.
At the same board meeting where Hooley was sworn in, the board also approved In-Lieu-Of Transportation requests for two of his children, who attend Worthington Christian, in addition to six other families. Hooley abstained from the vote.
Elsewhere on Hooley’s X account are comments showing transphobia, sizeism and homophobia.
It’s public posts like this that make me worried. Someone who calls students in the public school system “pawns of the NEA” and alludes to mental illness because of gender identity should not be on a public school board. Since Hooley is so comfortable making heinous statements about the public school system, I worry about his policy making abilities and if his opinion on public schools and their students might interfere with helping to make our school a place where all students feel safe.
These are not a representation of the views of the Jonathan Alder community.
Imagine being a Jonathan Alder student who is transgender, plus sized, an immigrant or someone who needs affordable housing and reading a board member’s post completely alienating you and deeming you less valuable than another student. In his posts on X, Hooley implies that encouraging students to respect differences is “nonsense,” but teaching students fundamental respect is crucial for life after high school.
This is why the importance of informed voting comes before voting for whoever aligns best with your political views. You might not agree with people who identify as trans, but they still exist, and they go to school right here at Jonathan Alder. Just because you don’t agree with them doesn’t make their life less valuable than a cisgendered person, and they have the same right to an education as anyone else.
Going forward, I think it’s important for all students to know that even if you’re not able to vote, you can still hold school board members accountable. After all, they don’t know what life is like in the modern classroom. The Jonathan Alder School Board holds meetings on the second Monday of every month, where you are able to attend and sign up for a slot to speak. Information about the school board and their meetings can be found on the Jonathan Alder Local Schools website.
As the school year continues, if you feel like your voice isn’t being heard, I encourage you to sign up for one of these slots and hold the Jonathan Alder School Board accountable for their policy making.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article inaccurately used a tweet from a parody X (formerly twitter) account impersonating Bruce Hooley. Hooley’s actual X account handle is @BHOOLZ. This was inaccurate and we apologize for any misunderstandings that resulted in that printing. We are student journalists committed to learning through the process of writing–and from the mistakes that we make along the way.
