Three candidates seek two seats on Beloit school board
CLINT WOLF Editor Mar 21, 2024
Note: this excerpt from the Beloit Daily News article covers only Tom Hankins’ interview with Clint Wolf . The entire article can be read here.
Tom Hankins, 65, is a graduate of Beloit Turner High School, but he said he has attended nearly all the school districts in Beloit, including the School District of Beloit.
He and his wife, Joelle, have a son, Chase, and a daughter, Chelsey, who have attended School District of Beloit schools. Hankins attended UW — Stout and graduated from UW — Whitewater with a bachelors degree in business management. His minor was in economics. He was owner and operator of the Suds O’Hanahan’s Irish Pub in downtown Beloit from 1995 to 2019. He currently is retired. Hankins was active as a member of the Downtown Beloit Association and he served as chair of the Downtown Beloit Association Board of Directors.
He said he decided to run for the board of education because he wanted to stay involved in the community. “I want to help the community. My first thought was to run for city council, but. after consideration and talking to several people, I felt the school needed more help,” Hankins said.
He said he has attended some school board meetings and he has studied schools in other communities with demographics similar to Beloit. Hankins said because of poor student performance figures for Beloit from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, as well as concerns about safety and student behavior, the community has a general negative perception of the district. This has caused many parents to take students out of School District of Beloit schools.
Hankins said he would like to see perceptions about the school district changed and he would like to look to other school districts for solutions to problems in the district. Regarding the operational referendum for the School District of Beloit, Hankins is taking a neutral position. “My job, (if elected) is to served the public. I will serve whether it passes or fails,” he said of the referendum. “It is for the voters to decide.”
He did say the school district must adjust its finances and recognize the shifting trends in the district. He noted that declining enrollment has been a trend for several years. He also said the ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds, which the district has been relying on for the last few years are about to be depleted and the district should adjust its spending to deal with the imminent loss of this funding source.
Hankins said he would like to see the school board and administration look at other schools to help plan out its structure for the future. He said one factor to look at would be how the administrator-to-student ratio in Beloit compares to other districts of similar size and demographic make-up.
He also would like to study curriculum standards and who is held accountable for meeting standards.
“I would like to see a quality environment for all our students,” he said.