The South Portlander

I’d like to hear from all the school board candidates on this question:  where do you stand on collaboration with the City for the betterment of all?
I ask this because the City was in desperate need for space for their planning department about four years ago and approached the school about using the recently closed elementary school on Ocean St. The school staff and board replied that they were using the building to store old desks and equipment and couldn’t accommodate the city’s needs. Is it just me, or does this seem like two entities funded by taxpayer money doing battle while the taxpayer needs are ignored?

Thanks!

This is the first I’ve heard of this situation. I suspect there is more to the story but I understand the general question. There is a long standing tradition in South Portland of the taxpayers having little or no faith in their elected officials to do the right thing. Unfortunately that lack of faith is often justified. It seems that once someone gets elected all reason flies out the window. Would it be so hard to be an elected official that makes decisions based on similar criteria to what they would use if it were their personal budget? I know I’m painting with a broad brush here and probably being a little unfair...but after watching the Armory and High School renovation debacles it makes me wonder how seemingly good, smart, motivated people can so consistently get it wrong. In order for there to be change there first has to be healthy conflict. People need to be clear about their positions and be asked to defend them. The current school board is very collaborative...which each other. There is an endless list of unanimous votes. I propose that there be a little less collaboration with board members...and a lot more collaboration with the taxpayers of South Portland. Best Regards....Jay Allen

I absolutely believe that the school board and the city should work together on all issues that would benefit the citizens of South Portland. That being said, I suppose there may be reasons I am not aware of that would regulate that relationship. I can’t imagine there is anything that prevents this kind of relationship, but as a tax accountant I have learned that anything is possible in the crafting of regulations by legislators.

Supposing there are no regulations preventing a partnership, I think it is a great idea for the two boards to work together on plans that involve facilities and grounds. In fact, it doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t work together. I would take this further and would expect that in these sensitive economic times, resource sharing should be considered wherever there are opportunities. This is some very good “out of the box” thinking by citizens. This is exactly why you can see on my website, http://www.kfassett.com , I am intent on listening to, learning from and responding to ALL citizens. Even if all ideas are not implemented, they can be documented and may stimulate other ideas that instigate future solutions.

Also, though Jay didn’t exactly answer the question that was proposed, I would like to make one comment on his response. I believe that with good leadership, you can have both respectful conflict and collaboration. Both are necessary to make sure that all perspectives have been considered to ensure a well thought out solution.

I want to thank Linda for the article. Also, I would encourage citizens to click on the following link (or go to my website message boards to get a pdf), http://www.kfassett.com/downloads/files/current_questions.pdf , to see the questions she asked and the answers I provided that is the basis for much of the information in the Current article. Also, I would encourage you to get more information about me and my ideas, http://www.kfassett.com , and do the same for all the candidates. This vote is important; please take the time to put the best candidates on the School Board to represent you.

Kendall....are you suggesting that I support “non-respectful conflict”? Are you suggesting that the school board does listen to the community?.

Thanks for asking. No, I am not suggesting you are supporting anything. What I am suggesting is that there is room for healthy conflict and collaboration. I am for that.

As for the school board listening to the community, I think I am clearly on the record saying they could do better job listening and engaging the citizens in a way that builds trust. That is a perspective I intend to bring to this board.

its nice to see candidates communicating with the public on this blog. wondering where baxter and callaghan are, though? would be nice to get their feedback on the question posed earlier.

kendall, what exactly is this church you are affiliated with? mdchurch.org? no offense but the web site is kinda scary.

Kendall....I am pleased to hear that you support:

1. Healthy conflict and collaboration.
2. Engaging citizens in a way that builds trust.

I’m confident that you will fit seamlessly into the Board of Education when elected. Best of luck on the 4th!

Many things are scary to people that aren’t willing to dig beyond the surface. To look past what someone or something “looks like”.
What you are looking at on the website today is a graphic. It’s a graphic that represents what is fake, not real. The graphic is simply a symbol related to the current sermon series, the Book of Malachi. (most will come to that conclusion when they read the paragraph underneath). The website is being changed and I expect the new one to be up any day now. Check it out in a week or two. It’s a great website.
The church is Missio Dei Church, meaning “Mission of God” ( http://www.mdchurch.org ). My family and another family started the church 4 years ago. We are simply an evangelical, bible believing church that is geared toward the younger generations and welcomes all. We believe we are here to love God and all people that our well lived lives might bend hearts toward Jesus. Our focus is “mission”. We want to authentically love and bless the people of the Portland area and do our part to take care of the poor, oppressed an voiceless. We meet sunday mornings at the new East End School on the hill in Portland as you are leaving the city. It is non-denominational.
It’s just normal people living normal lives who embrace a faith beyond what we can see, feel, hear, smell and touch.
I’d be happy to answer any other questions you might have.

sorry if my question came out wrong. i wasn’t trying to attack you or your religion.  i was genuinely curious.

you mentioned that it is a bible based evangelical church.  does that mean that you take the bible literally?  if so, is that going to affect the decisions you make as a member of the school board?

Kendall....Are your views similar to those of other Missio Dei churches? If not...how do they differ? If you are uncomfortable disussing this in an open forum you have my personal email.

Andre, generally I would interpret a reading of the bible as literal. However, this does not mean that I believe the running of public schools are addressed in the bible. I believe that the bible is clear about my responsibility in the upbringing of my children. I will do that the best I can.

As a follower of Jesus, the most important message He offered to me is to love God and love people. This is what shapes my character and I expect this to be evident in my actions and words. My desire to give my time to this community is directly related to Jesus’ message and His impact on my life.

It is my belief that the purpose of the public school is primarily to educate our children and make sure that all children have access to appropriate educational resources. The decisions I make as a school board member will be relative to the purpose of the school’s existence and the education we are required to offer. Off the top of my head I cannot think of a conflict between my faith values and the decisions I will participate in as a school board member.

If you have some specific questions, I would be happy to address them.

Jay, I am always happy to discuss anything in an open forum (unless I think the sensitive nature would cause undue harm or hurt someone).

Honestly, I do not know of any other Missio Dei churches. However, I have not done a web search or anything.

So, the only way I can answer your question is to tell you that Missio Dei Church in Portland Maine is in no way affiliated with any other Missio Dei Churches. If we ever are it will be because some people from our church have a heart for others in another city and we sent a team to start another church under our umbrella. Right now there is only one MDC. It started four years ago with two families who have a heart for the people of the Portland area. Also, as I mentioned earlier, we have no denominational ties either. Just one rogue church out here intent to love God and people.

If you can specify what “views” you are referring to, I am happy to continue the conversation and give you my perspective.

Mr. Fassett,
It is good to hear you have Jesus and G*d in your heart and they guide your values and decisions. Does this mean you will oppose so called “safe sex” education and pro-homosexual teachings via student “Gay-Straight Alliances” in our schools?
PraiseBe

"PraiseBe” beat me to the punch. to take his/her comments a step further:

kendall, would you sell your daughter into slavery? exodus 21:7 says that’s ok.  what about those of us who have to work on sundays? should we be killed? exodus 35:2 says yes. and don’t even get me started on things like playing football and eating bacon… leviticus says those are big no-no’s!

honestly i’m not trying to be a jerk but anytime someone tells me they take the bible literally, it scares the crap out of me.

for what it’s worth i am a christian, a born-again one at that, and was raised in an evangelical church.  but i vehemently disagree with the notion that everything written in the bible should be taken literally. “that’s my opinion, i welcome yours” (apologies to fred nutter)

Lets not beat up on Kendall for his beliefs. He clearly has a right to conduct his life in a way that makes him happy. I would only say that there is a difference between having a set of beliefs....and being compelled by those beliefs to change school board policy to fit your version of “right and wrong”.

I have no evidence that this is Kendalls plan or intention. The only thing that bothers me to this point is that within minutes of someone on this blog mentioning that his church website looked “scary”.....he took the offending images down. He also says..."we have no denominational ties either. Just one rogue church out here intent to love God and people”. First off your church wasn’t started in a vacuum by you and your friend Angel. It, according to your business plan, received $30,000 from New Life Northeast (the church planting arm of Mission Northeast of the Conservative Baptist Association), and will get monthly support from your home church - The Orange Alliance Church in Vermont. You have a detailed plan including the need for over $9,000 per month in donations to run the church.

I would disagree with your description of the Missio Dei church. I don’t see it as a rogue church started by a couple of buddies that want to spread love. While I have no doubt that spreading love is part of the equation I don’t think it stops there. You say on your web site - “So, as much as I would prefer to see science that has not been proven as “fact”, taught as “theory”, as a parent I am careful to find opportunity for these great “teaching moments”. I had to read that a few times before I understood that you would rather “Evolution” was taught as a theory.

Finally I would encourage you to be more transparent about your beliefs. Stop doing things like taking down your website....denying affiliation with other churches and just generally be straight with people. I have no issue with you being on the school board....just don’t start pushing to teach my kids that Evolution is a theory,or that Gay people go to Hell, or that woman should subject themselves to their husbands.

I respect anyone that stands up for what they believe, whether I agree or not, but generally am mistrustful of those that aren’t up front about their beliefs and motivations.

I agree with Mr. Allen, do not judge others for their beliefs. Before jumping to conclusions, lets have Mr. Fassett respond to the questions rather than guessing what his beliefs are.

well he already stated his beliefs—that he takes the bible literally—so i was just asking him to clarify.  in other words, does he take the bible 100% literally or only certain parts of it?  i’m sorry if i’ve made anybody uncomfortable by bringing up this subject, but it was mr. fassett who chose to use his church’s email address and made it public on this forum, had he not done that i never would have known about his church and probably wouldnt have even thought about what religion he might be a member of, but he put it out there and i’m just asking him to clarify… i’m not judging anyone or beating anyone up!  that said, it is interesting that he is the co-founder of this church, which i would consider a great accomplishment, but he made no mention of that on the section of his campaign web site where he talks about his background and past experience.

again, i cannot stress enough that i’m not trying to bash anybody’s religion here… i really am just genuinely curious… the bible is the most amazing work ever to grace the printed page, but we can’t forget that it was written and re-written and translated and re-translated dozens of times, and as a result there is some really bizarre stuff in there… i already mentioned some of it, praisebe and mr. allen mentioned some of the rest… and if you take all of it literally, then you better be prepared to throw out a lot of your clothes, stop eating pork, and kill your friends who work on sundays!

Nothing like politics to get people talking instead of thinking.
I can’t believe that these issues about fifty-million dollar proposals, budget deficits, low grades, higher drop-out rates, and a school board that acts as one aren’t being talked about.  I’m still upset about the redistricting(Thornton Heights) and get the feeling this board will continue to frustrate me in the future.
I believe in god and have great respect for anyone that worships, as I do not, but someone that moves to another state to create a place for people to worship is that much more impressive.
I think the questions should be aimed at the candidates views on todays issues and not have one candidate taking all the shots, while another is piling it on at the same time the two members up for re-election are nowhere to be seen or heard.
I think that a tax accountant for a worldwide corporation, a man that worships on Sundays, and a father of school children would be a great candidate for school board.
Mr. Allen what is a certified supply chain professional and how will your job help you help us, what are your spiritual beliefs explained in detail so we can pick you apart as well, how do plan on working on the board if your against collaboration, and one last thing if South Portland taxpayers shouldn’t pay for a new South Portland school than who should.
Todays issues with todays candidates would be nice!

"Mr. Allen what is a certified supply chain professional and how will your job help you help us, what are your spiritual beliefs explained in detail so we can pick you apart as well, how do plan on working on the board if your against collaboration, and one last thing if South Portland taxpayers shouldn�t pay for a new South Portland school than who should.”

I second that…

David....I’ll take these in order.

If you read my last post again you see that I said I have no problem with Kendall being on the school board. In fact, I voted for him.

I think I have been very active in detailing my views on both redistricting and the High School renovation plan. You might take a look at this weeks Sentry and read my 1,200 word letter to the Editor. You can also go to my blog at http://www.jaytallen.com.

In addition to being a CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional) I am also a SSBB (Six Siga Black Belt). Both designations refer to operations management. Specifically, having the skill set to design and implement efficient, productive processes in either a manufacturing or service environment. I believe there are only 5 people in the state of Maine with both of these designations. A simple google search will give you more information than you want. As an interesting aside LL Bean is actively involved with APICS, the educational group that awards the CSCP designation...and they have a group of managers taking Lean Six Sigma courses as well.

I do not attend any church. Every religion that I’m aware of, and I have spent a fair amount of time through out my life looking at this, is convinced they have the answer. Their way is the RIGHT way....and everyone else is wrong. In many cases those that have a different set of beliefs are doomed to Hell. I have never been able to reconcile the preaching of love and tolerance with the glaring fact that the opposite is often the case. That said, I have seen the good work many churches do in their respective communities. I tend to believe the vast majority of people attending churches are better for it and are enriched by the fellowship they seek. I believe I have a well developed moral compass developed over 47 years of life experience. If you or any of the candidates want to get together in the public square, on SPC-TV, on NBC, or even just in my living room, and compare our moral compasses.....count me in.

I believe I am a very collaborative person. I just try to avoid “group think”. True collaboration requires all involved to...collaborate. The school board believes they were very collaborative during the redistricting process. Didn’t they allow hundreds of people to speak for 5 minutes each? Was that truly collaborative.....I say no. They had their mind made up before any of those meeting were held. If you think disagreeing with a policy, or a school board, is being non-collaborative I guess I would have to be non-collaborative. Saying what I believe about the redistricting process and the High School renovation process has earned me no friends. I could be less direct in my views, tone down my opinions, and hope that I get elected before speaking my mind....but that doesn’t fit MY moral compass. I want the voters to know what I believe so that they can be fully educated before going to the polls on the 4th. I am comfortable with not being elected if my views don’t resonate with the community.

Finally....school projects of the magnitude proposed by our current school administration have virtually always been co-funded by the State of Maine. Case in point...the Falmouth Elementary School, a 46 million dollar project, received something like 80% funding from the State. The Hamden project was similar. Our local legislators need to demand equal consideration for South Portland. The bottoms line is that State money is allocated based on perceived need. If we expect to EVER get state funding we need to present a better case. My brutally honest assessment is that this school administration has a difficult time recognizing the difference between a WANT and a NEED.

I will not collaborate with Kendall, whether I’m on the board or not, if he decides to press for Evolution being taught as a theory. I will collaborate with him on stopping any further redistricting and finding a solution to the High School issue....as long as we can agree on the difference between wants and needs.

First, why isn’t Baxter or Callaghan responding to the question about collaborating with the City?

Second, why isn’t Kendall responding to the questions posed about his beliefs re: safe sex education, gay-straight alliances, and other bible-related views?

Third, why are people pitting Kendall against Jay? The purpose of challengers is to compare them against the incumbents which so far isn’t happening on this blog.

I think Ralph and Karen would respond if they knew the question was being asked. This blog is still an evolving community resource that only a small fraction of the voters use. I suspect Ralph and Karen aren’t users.

I have no interest in a blog fight with Kendall. I think he should have been more up front about his views, but in fairness...he wasn’t asked. He made a strategic decision not to make his views on these sensitive topics a part of his campaign....but neither did I. I’m sure he was aware that his beliefs would cause quite a debate and just wasn’t interested in going through it.

Lastly...I’m dissapointed that there wasn’t a candidate forum for school board candidates. I would have welcomed the opportunity to participate in such an event.

clearly he did not intend to make his religion part of the campaign, and that is fine, but surely he must have realized that somebody reading these blogs might notice his e-mail address @mdchurch.org and think to themselves “hmmmmmm i wonder what mdchurch.org is...”

let me reiterate that i have NO PROBLEM with kendall or his church, i was just asking him to clarify his views.  if he isnt comfortable doing so thats fine but he shouldnt have put it out there by using his church email address if he didnt want people to ask about it.  like, if i was running for public office and i worked at a company called south portland widgets, and i posted on a blog using an email address @southportlandwidgets.com, i would expect people to ask me “so andre, what is south portland widgets? what do you do there?” thats not unreasonable i dont think.

Jay thankyou for that response, your a fine tuner is that right, not to simplify just trying to keep it short.  Fine tuning is a good thing and would be useful on a school board.
Religion should be respected as you have stated you do but becarefull about launching your stones, my grandparents would never assume your going to hell because you didn’t go to their church or some sort of branch. 
The current board did shove redistricting down our throats and made me sick, but I do understand anyone working on a board needs to compromise by collaboration.  I think the board needs to learn how to get in touch with the public better and collaborate with them, before it is to late.
State funding would be nice but at the same time, especially now with deficits we can’t expect them to bail us out.  Alternate plans are needed maybe a plan A,B,C for everyone to discuss.
As for anonymous it would be nice for the other two to be seen and heard but lets just not vote for them unless we do get their attention.  Right now we have two out of the fours attention so lets get their views on the issues at hand.  The bible related views you seek are not the issues at hand but if you feel compelled please ask all the candidates for their views and not just one.

There are two questions out there waiting for response. The first, which Baxter nor Callaghan have addressed, is what are your thoughts on the School Board better collaborating with the City (with the the old school building given as an example)?

The second question was posed to Kendall Fassett regarding his evangelical bible beliefs. Would he oppose safe-sex materials and would he oppose gay-straight student groups as they currently exist in the schools? Since the topic of his religion came up, these are two points that relate to the school board that parents deserve an answer to.

Andre...I agree with you completely. I don’t think you are bashing Kendall for his beliefs and I hope it doesn’t appear that I am. If asking questions rises to the level of “bashing” we are all in trouble.

David...Fine tuner isn’t a bad way to describe what I do. Fine tuning is an integral part of continuous improvement which is an important part of Six Sigma methodology. Six Sigma is based in large part on the DMAIC process which is a road map to a data driven solution. I won’t bore you with too many details but in short DMAIC stands for:
1. Define - Take the time to clearly define the problem.
2. Measure - Gather meaningful data related to the problem.
3. Analyze - Using various methods analyze the data.
4. Improve - Take all you have learned and implement an agreed upon solution.
5. Control - Have systems in place to monitor the solution.

The Six Sigma methodology is a VERY collaborative process. As a Six Sigma Black Belt I am trained to lead the process (usually a team of 6-8 people)....not dominate it...but facilitate it to a successful conclusion. I think this sort of training would be useful on the school board. What has happened, in my opinion, is that the school board and facilities committee has done what is very common in the business world. They jumped right to the improve phase. Not enough time was spent defining the problem, gathering relevant data, and analyzing that data. The improve phase is where all the fun is....it’s the exciting part. Unfortunately if you don’t put the focused work in up front you end up with a less than desirable outcome.

Let me first share my weekend and then I will work on the rest.

So, yesterday I had a full day. It started with kids soccer first thing for my 4 & 7 year old at Wainright. Then a brief time to finish my sign and my 4 year old and I went off to the SoPo football game. I held my election sign while Ryan played on poles and fences and picked up some trash. We went into the game and watched a fun game. We enjoyed some food and Ryan played with a great group of High Schoolers. They were really great with Ryan. One of them was a girl named Jesse (not sure about spelling). I am hoping that we have found another babysitting option. (keep in mind that while I was at the game, the barrage of posts started). After the game, I held the sign a little more while Ryan played on the grass.

When I got home we had dinner, watched a movie with the kids, put them to bed and caught up on all the posts. Overwhelming!

I woke this morning and headed off to church with my daughter Brenna to help setup. After church we all went to a family’s house in Windham for “soup day”. On the way home we stopped at the store to get some groceries for the week and returned home in time for my wife to go out with a friend she had plans with. As she was leaving, a young couple from Los Angeles stopped in to have dinner with me and the kids. I do not know them, but they are in Boston for a business conference and spent the weekend in Maine. They are part of a church plant in California and wanted to look us up. They had heard of our church through some people and found us by our website. I made dinner, we ate and they left a little while ago. I cleaned up, finished getting the kids to bed and just now finally have a chance to get “unburied” from the flurry (sorry for the snow pun). Haven’t even got to see one play of football today. Maybe next weekend (I did see that Randy Moss got 102 yards for my fantasy football team, but Tom Brady is still sitting there on my roster with zero stats).

I will start with my “literal interpretation” of a “reading of the Bible.” Simply put is that I believe that the Bible is a history book that tells a story. I believe that in general, the events and people are real and breathed the air we breathe (though probably cleaner) and walked the ground we walk. If Andre was asking about my application of bible teachings, I would encourage you to listen to some of the audio on the website he referred to(http://www.mdchurch.org/home ) (please remember this site is not quite finished and won?t be “officially released” for another week or two).  I do not apply Old Testament events to 21st century living. My daughter is safe in my hands. I pray that nobody ever takes her from me. I am pro Jesus of the Bible. I interpret the Bible as a story about God and his heart for the whole world and its people. It begins with creation by a God who wants to be loved and honored by His creation. Much like a father or mother who desire the same from their children. God and His people were eternally separated by sin. However, this did not end His love for them, He has always loved them and still desires for them to love Him regardless of the choices they have made. He merely wants them to return to Him. His plan for atonement is and was the incarnation of God as a human in the form of Jesus. Jesus would usher in His plan for redemption of mankind that involves the participation of all who submit their lives to Him and follow Him (Jew, Greek, slave, free, etc) to reach all people to the ends of the earth.

I don?t get uptight about issues of doctrine. I look at these issues in two realms. One is a closed fist that I hold tight and are not negotiable. Things I would put in this realm can be found in the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. The rest is in an open hand that I trust God to work out but am not certain how He does it. He is God, I am not.

For religious issues we hear people argue about, I am more concerned about the sin and brokenness of my heart than the sin in others. I need God to change my heart just as much as the next guy. I struggle and fail the same as any other. My participation in His plan is to be faithful and live my life in such a way that others will notice I am different in a good way. Some days I am ok at this, other days I suck at it. Whichever it is I will take responsibility for my actions and seek forgiveness for my deficiencies.

There is a lot of conclusion jumping happening here in respect to Mr Fassett’s beliefs and affiliation. How we get from a question on safe-sex teachings and pro-homosexuality groups in schools to people asking Mr. Fassett if he would sell his daughter into slavery or kill people who work on Sunday is beyond me. The jump is ridiculous and inflammatory. And just for the record, evolution IS a theory: Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. There are FACTS that support this THEORY...but none of US were there to know for certain.

Let’s jump to Jay’s concerns of “being up front,” “transparency about my beliefs” and “being straight with people.”
Missio Dei Church has been prayerfully and generously supported by many individuals and organizations. The “support” has been there because of people that believe in a vision God has given us to serve Him here in Portland. Just because many have supported us, in no way means we are affiliated with any. In the same way I personally support the United Way via a weekly payroll deduction, I bet they would not say they are “affiliated” with me. The only thing we have committed to in return is that we will always support planting new churches that we believe in. There are no strings, no outside authority. We turned down anything that had strings attached. We moved here because we believe that God wanted us here, not because man lured us here. The closest thing one could interpret as an “affiliation” to us is the Acts 29 church planting network. The biggest thing they have provided is encouragement and other church planters that we can journey with for support. Angel just went to a conference in New York last week. Again, I re-iterate, they have no say in what we do and how we do it. They are simply a network of people and families doing the same thing we are doing. We also participate and try to support the larger “Church Body” in Portland and the world. Still, as I said previously, there are no direct “affiliations.”

As for “taking down the website,” I did not ask anyone to change anything. In fact, I was surprised when I went to show the mannequin graphic to my wife and a friend at my house and it was gone. Angel did it in response to Andre’s feedback. He understands that the nature of people is to interpret through their perspective. He removed it so that people would consider listening to the Malachi audio instead of making judgment based on the sermon series art. (if people are interested in seeing the graphic, I can probably get a copy and post it). Thanks to Andre for offering a perspective we had yet to hear. I think passing on Andre’s comments are consistent with my promise to listen and represent perspectives that differ from my own.

The concerns about my email address are a non-issue. I intentionally used it instead of because I want people to have my email address so they can contact me and feel valued. It is my own personal address. My email address was also on my initial campaign flyers. I use that email for everything except LL Bean correspondence. I did not feel a need to change that on this blog site. Feel free to misinterpret this act in whatever way you choose. On my website I mention starting a non-profit organization because a school is also obviously non-profit. The experience is relevant. The fact that I am in leadership and started a church is not (in my opinion) unless it is a required of all. What church ties do my opponents have and does it matter in the election? Jewish? Muslim? Christian? Buddhist? Jehovah’s Witness? Mormon? Other? (no need to answer, I am making a point not really asking a question)

Hi All...I’m going to back out of this discussion until after the election. It is much like trying to lasso a cloud. If Kendall is more comfortable answering questions at that point he has my private email.

That should about solve that, one candidate answers your questions or gives you direction to find answers while the other quietly leaves the discussion. 
Great explanation Mr. Fassett and maybe people can get back on topic.

I need to address the issues of “safe sex” materials and gay-straight student groups. Honestly I don’t even know the details of these. I am sorry to disappoint. I spoke with Ms. Dolly last year to find out what they are teaching the 5th graders related to sex. I am not sure if this is what you are referring to, but I covered what I thought were the necessary parts with my 5th grader. In the discussion they will field and answer all the kids’ questions. I am ok with that, I am sure Joseph will come home and have some related questions for me.

Currently I have no issues with what is being taught or created via student groups. I am not even sure how that works. I look forward to being educated if this comes up. My expertise is finance, organizational management and moving teams toward workable solutions.

Personally I try to discuss age-appropriate issues of any topic with my kids in case a conversation happens at school (you can speak with Ms. Dolly to confirm this). I feel that it is my responsibility. I am not threatened or outraged at what is taught. I understand why schools teach certain things that I am careful to discuss personally with my kids. I teach my kids to be kind and respectful in any conversation that they find themselves in. I also teach them that it is ok for people to disagree on issues and regardless of others’ behavior, they are to be respectful.

As I said earlier, I am not the morality police. I do not intend to raise any of these issues as a member of the board. If issues of this nature are brought to the board and they make sense from a 21st century American culture, my focus will be on the when and the how.

first of all, thanks to mr. fassett for taking the time to talk about his church and his views.  i really appreciate that and i will say again that i did not and do not have anything against him or his church. mr. fassett, thank you for clarifying things a bit.  to g. stone in regards to what i wrote previously, obviously i know that mr. fassett would not sell his daughter into slavery or kill his friends who work on sundays… that was a rhetorical question based on things that are written in the bible.  a lot of people say they take the bible 100% literally but in fact they pick and choose which things they agree with and which things they think do not apply to modern life. i was simply trying to make a point, which is that the bible has some things in it that nearly all of us, even devout christians, would consider whacky and strange and even immoral.  sadly there are some other whacky and strange things in the bible that some evangelical christians do choose to agree with and i wanted to get a grasp on whether mr. fassett agreed with those things or not.... e.g. gay people are evil, “safe” sex is a crime against god, etc.  these are things that do apply directly to our school system and how our kids are educated.  not an unfair question to ask i dont think.  in fact it would be awesome if ALL of the candidates could state their positions on those subjects.  mr. allen already stated his so he can sit this one out

p.s. i think it is HUGE that mr. allen and mr. fassett have made themselves available to answer questions directly from the people and have done their best to be straightforward and give real genuine answers. It is also clear that both of them are very dedicated fathers and really care about kids in general. My decision in the school board race has gotten a lot easier thanks to these two men, and I’m looking forward to voting for them on the 4th.

This entire “discussion” is exactly why I have had some success bringing people together to solve problems. When I am unclear about something, most times I try and ask thoughtful questions to understand the facts. I prefer not to accuse and leave the responsibility in their court to explain my misrepresentation. I have said before, I don’t have all the answers but I hope to ask some good questions, so that I can have thoughtful discussions and input for important educational decisions. Being civil and promoting healthy conflict and collaboration are things I value. I will do my best to represent perspectives that are different than my own to the whole board. I am a little concerned about Jay’s ability to do this. since he doesn’t seem open to collaborating on perspectives that conflict with his “version of right and wrong.” Maybe he can speak to this when he returns to lasso clouds after the election.

In closing I will say that my faith is about the orientation and integrity of my own heart toward the rule and reign of Christ in my life. I desire to live in submission to Him. I hope this is reflected in my character and interactions. This does not mean that I am not to be a healthy, disciplined, considerate and fun member of this community. In fact, I believe it means exactly the opposite, despite Christian stereotyping. So, you might see me in a bar having some drinks, playing poker with the guys or enjoying R-rated movies, football on Sunday and UFC fights. If you have any concerns, I am happy to address your thoughtful questions and invite your perspective into my life and database.  (if I missed anything I am really sorry, there were a bunch of questions and accusations.)
peace out…

Kendall.....If you really want me back in this discussion I would be more than happy to participate. Your sudden willingness to answer questions is admirable. How about this....we’ll alternate questions.....you can go first.

I will pass. If there are citizens that have remaining questions, I will answer those. Otherwise I prefer not spending time with our own personal debate for a limited audience that has already heard enough (in my opinion). Good luck.

Mr. Fassett, just to clarify, when a gay student is bullied to the point that he wants to either drop out of high school or (God forbid) commit suicide, and a parent stands before the Board to seek your assistance and guidance, what will your position be?  Will you agree that all children are entitled to an education safe from harassment, or will you condemn the parent/child for immoral behavior?
Thank you.

I’m quite confident in saying that Kendall would find any abuse of children, gay or straight, in the school system unacceptable and take immediate steps to rectify the situation.....as would I.
It is only after the child has graduated from school that our views would become markedly different. Admittedly those have very little to do with the school board so I’ll leave it at that.

Thanks for the thoughtful question. My heart breaks just thinking that there may be students being harassed in this way. My position is this… I would be outraged if any student reaches this degree of harassment. What is wrong with people? If there aren’t already sufficient processes in places to protect these students and all students from any bullying or harassment, then adults haven’t done enough and our Board and administration need to deal with this now. I am assuming this is hypothetical and expect the Board and administration have done a fine job. If not, I want to know and I will have an agenda. I would love to have any parent contact me personally long before it gets to this point and we would address the issue immediately.
In John 3:17 we read that Jesus came to save NOT condemn. What place do I have to condemn anyone?

Kendall...I feel compelled to point out that I offered twice in this thread to take our conversation private.
To sum up what we’ve learned:
1. You are concerned that I won’t be collaborative if elected.
2. I am concerned that you have an inability/unwillingness to answer direct questions.
That said...I think you are a bright guy who will do a good job on the school board as long as you can leave your fundamentalist views at home.
Whether you believe this or not...I really do hope you get elected. We, above all else, need motivated people on the school board. There is no denying your level of motivation.

Jay, at this point I would appreciate if you would stop speaking for me. Your interpretations are way off and are frustrating.
For the record, my position does not change with people of any age.

Kendall.....So you’re saying that this gay child, after reaching adulthood, would be invited into your church to get married?
That is the difference I was speaking of. I believe gay people should be allowed to marry. In order of important issues for me it almost doesn’t register. I couldn’t possibly care less if Steve and Joe want to get married.

As always I ask this question in a collaborative way seeking to better understand your beliefs and find common ground on which to build a more productive working relationship.

one thing we can all agree on is that its very easy to get heated and emotional when discussing politics..... and it’s even easier to get heated and emotional when discussing religion.... put the two topics together in one discussion and you’ve got a recipe for disaster! after all this is the stuff that people fight wars over.  i am nothing short of amazed at how civil this discussion has been and i think its a testament to how level headed and thoughtful mr. fassett and mr. allen are.  they may not agree with each other on everything but thats ok and theyve made it very very clear that they want to bring civil and thoughtful debate to the school board and do whats best for the kids, while being understanding of the community at large. what more could we ask for? thank you gentlemen!

just an fyi… for those that were following this conversation, the new Missio Dei Church website is up and running ( http://www.mdchurch.org ). It’s a pretty sweet site, check it out.