Nguyen describes himself as a Republican and political conservative who said his recent, first-hand experiences as a student in the Lakota system provides him with a range of perspectives needed on the governing board of the 17,000-plus student district.
“We need a conservative on the school board,” he said.
The teen, whose candidate petition has been filed with the Butler County Board of Elections, joins a current list of five other candidates who have filed for inclusion on the ballot in hopes of winning one of three open seats on the Lakota school board via the Nov. 4 election.
The stakes in this year’s Lakota board race are historically high, with a majority of open seats on the governing body that oversees Ohio’s ninth largest district and is also the largest suburban school system in Southwest Ohio.
And with three open seats on the five-member board open, a potentially new majority of members could develop after newly elected members begin their four-year terms on Jan. 1.
Other candidates listed as having filed petitions at the county board of elections seeking to be on the fall ballot are Alexander Argo, Kelley Casper, Elyse Jenkins, Melissa Meyer and Tommy Montoya.
Petitions for all candidates will be certified by election officials later this month.
Also adding significance to this fall’s election is Lakota’s two-part tax increase on the Nov. 4 ballot.
Voters will be deciding on proposed school property tax increases via a $506.4 million bond issue — 4.99 — mills on ballot along with a proposed .95-mill permanent improvement levy that would raise $4.98 million for renovation/maintenance of new and existing schools.
The school tax hikes would provide local funding — along with millions in state funding — to build new schools and renovate other existing buildings to enhance learning, said Lakota officials.
If both are approved by voters the total, combined millage of the two new tax increases would amount to a 2.66-mill jump in school taxes starting Jan. 1, 2029 due to the maturation and phase out of an existing bonds in 2028, said Adam Zink, treasurer of Lakota Schools.
The resulting 2.66-mill property tax increase would mean annual school taxes for the owner of a $100,000 house would increase by a total of $93.10.
Nguyen said he opposes both of the tax issues, saying Lakota’s current school buildings are not old enough to need some replacing and that local taxpayers in West Chester and Liberty townships are already taxed enough when it comes to their local public schools.
“This levy comes amid a broader issue: a property tax crisis pressuring homeowners across the great state of Ohio,” wrote Nguyen in a statement he recently sent to Lakota school board members.
“Additionally, school boards across the Buckeye state have abused their relationship with their districts’ taxpayers further antagonizing this problem. I wish for Lakota to abstain from joining a growing list of school districts across Ohio that view their taxpayers as pocketbooks.”
Lakota officials, however, contend the district is outgrowing some of its current school buildings and some others need renovations and modernization to improve their learning spaces.
“This is about investing in the academic success of the next generation of Lakota students,” according to a statement last month from Lakota Schools Superintendent Ashley Whitely.
“Modern, well-equipped learning environments play a critical role in raising student achievement. With this bond issue, we have the opportunity to reduce overcrowding, lower class sizes and create spaces that support rigorous instruction, innovative teaching and student growth — while continuing to be mindful of the financial responsibility we owe our community,” said Whitely.
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