On June 10, Union will vote for one of two candidates to serve on the Regional School Unit 40 school board. RSU 40 comprises K-12 public schools in Friendship, Union, Waldoboro, Warren and Washington.

PenBayPilot.com has circulated questions to both school board candidates, Erik Amundsen and Tim Wood. Here, Erik Amundsen responds.

Please provide a short biography.

I was born and raised in southern Connecticut. I went to UConn where I received a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After working as such for two to three years, I took over my family boat business. I spent 30 years operating the boatyard. I also designed and built a 50-slip marina and small office building, and started an outdoor activewear business selling snowboards, sailboards, skateboards and clothing.

All that time I was involved in many volunteer organizations, Civic Center, business associations, town committees, and was an elected official in town government. I sold my businesses and properties over a period of 10 years, and moved to Maine.

I purchased and restored a 1777 farm house in Union, the seventh oldest house in Union and an active farm for almost 250 years. In Union I ran the capital campaign to build the new Vose Library. I became a realtor, and as such I helped the Food Pantry buy its location on Common Road, and also helped the Maine Farmland Trust buy the blueberry buildings for the local farmers market. As a realtor, I listed and sold the old Clark building to Steel-Pro, plus the field to the Pullen Fund for recreation for the Town of Union. I charged no commission for some of these sales.

I have been on the school board for about 12 or 13 years.

What do you hope to accomplish as a public pre-K-12 school board member for your town?

In the future I would like to see the school district expand the pre-K program and continue to repair and modernize the seven school buildings of the district. School board members are voted in by their town, however the mandate is to make the district better for all the students in the all towns.

Which committees would you seek to join and why? 

I have served on most of the board committees over the years. I am currently on the Transportation and Facilities and Finance committees.

What is RSU 40’s number onestrength or asset? How should the district protect and expand on this strength? 

RSU 40 is lucky to have five towns all with a mix of people and ideas and needs. This leads to a rich interchange of concerns and how we as a board can address them as a unified group.

What is the number one challenge facing RSU 40? How should the district handle this issue? 

One challenge RSU 40 faces is the reduction of enrolled students. This is led by many students and parents choosing homeschooling instead. There is a side effect to that. Costs per student go up while the public demands a reduction in the budget. Other education options such as charter schools or vouchers, which some in the public are proposing, would put more financial pressure on our district and limit the district's ability to meet its mandates.

How do you view the role of public education in the U.S., in Maine, and in the RSU 40 towns? 

What many forget is that the public school system started in the United States and has for the past 250 years or so created the most educated and best workforce in the world, and the most productive, and the envy of the world.

Does the curriculum adequately teach all students about their role in a participatory democracy? 

All public schools, including RSU 40 must expand our teaching of fact based history, and how a democracy works. Time and technology is always advancing and we must keep up, however human behavior does not seem to change. We must learn from History before we repeat it.

Should schools adopt a phone-free policy?

Cellphone use and the effects of social media have taken a toll on attention spans and one to one interaction. Somehow this needs to be addressed.

Is the free meal program worthwhile, i.e. should local taxpayer support increase to replace any lost federal funding? Are enough local fresh food from area farms being integrated into the meal program?

There are many families in our district that suffer from low income and poverty. It is imperative that the free lunch programs continue. Children can not learn when they are hungry.

What is your opinion on banning books from public school libraries? Are there any books you want pulled off the school library/classroom shelves? 

Knowledge can be gained from a broad selection of reading material. Parents should and do have the right to limit what their children read but not limit what other children read.

Do you support or object to current state law which prevents discrimination based on one’s gender identity? Would you attempt to change RSU 40’s current policies and procedures regarding transgender and gender expansive students?   

I support the State and Federal laws which prevent discrimination. The district follows those laws and I support them as they stand now. We need to remember that all people, regardless of their differences, are human beings, who deserve our respect and support.