questions answered!

What in your education and experience makes you the best-qualified candidate for this position?

First of all, let me say how appreciative I am that you are visiting today. I appreciate of the opportunity to reach community members in Saline who, regretfully, I may not have been able to reach during campaign season to introduce myself. There are 23,000 voters in Saline and I believe that a strong school system is important to all 23,000 of us.

To answer the question… I am a dad. There is nothing more important to me than Graham (16) and Bryce (13). Nothing. I believe that as a dad I have a “boots on the ground” perspective about educational matters in Saline. I want my children to have an extraordinary school experience. I recognize that every person who has a student in Saline loves their child as much as I do. And I want to serve them!

What qualifies me to serve the students of Saline? For 20 years I have been a dedicated educator at Manchester Jr/ Sr High School.  I understand the challenges that educators encounter every day. I also understand how the decisions of the School Board impact the educational environment for our teachers, support staff and administrators, and in turn, affect our students whom we care about. As a board member, I think my educational background is of assistance, as we (the entire board) make decisions, and as we guide the vision and focus of the district. I know what good instructional practice looks like. I know what good structures and supports look like that will support all students in our schools. I also think my background as Treasurer, Finance Chair, educator and as a lead contract negotiator, helps guide the financial decisions we make to support students.  There are times when we have to make difficult financial decisions and we will have to have priorities as we “live within our means”.  I also have a coaching background. As a youth coach in our community, I believe I know what motivates and is important to our children. I am invested in our kids! Lastly, the board of education oversees one employee… the superintendent. I have a strong relationship with Dr. Steve Laatsch.  Dr. Laatsch is an outstanding superintendent!  I have been an active participant in evaluating the work of the superintendent in a real and objective way. Together with Dr. Laatsch we work tirelessly to maximize outcomes for our students and to provide top level programs.

In summary, at the end of the day… I will listen!  I will work together with all stakeholders to support our students.  I have an acute knowledge of school funding (Proposal A of 1994, Headlee Rollback, bond money limitations, etc).  I possess the desire to do the work.  I will participate in professional development sessions with the MASB (Michigan Association of School Boards) and in policy creation utilizing NEOLA. I want to partner with our community!  I will show up! I will hold myself and those around me accountable.

What are your goals should you be elected and how will you work to accomplish them with currently limited resources?

It may sound corny… but I think my biggest goal is to be a good listener and to maintain stability!  To make good collaborative decisions that are rooted in expertise.

Saline has gone to great lengths to recruit and hire top-notch employees.  Our employees, led by our superintendent,  will guide our decisions as they tell the board what they need.  The community will tell the board what they want to see in our schools.

All of our students are important.  I want our students to know that Saline is a place where they will be safe and where students will feel supported. This is why I’m proud of the difficult discussions that we are having, and need to continue to have, around diversity, equity, and inclusion. I also want to state definitively, that it will be my goal to listen to all voices who have a vested interest in our public school.  While I’m at it, I also want to acknowledge the tremendous work that was done in our community this past Spring on behalf of diversity, equity and inclusion issues, and I want to acknowledge the work of the organizers as well as our service organizations who supported this work.  Thank you for keeping us safe in Saline and reminding us what a tremendous community we have.  We still have work to do. I am optimistic that we will get it done.

As for limited resources, we do have to make good financial decisions.  We have to balance fund balance and financial health with the need to reward our dedicated staff with good salary and benefits, while also maintaining high-quality facilities and providing tremendous resources and high-level co-curricular experiences for students (arts, athletics, community education, etc).  

Literacy continues to be a focus of mine. The ability to read and write (also coupled with numeracy) are essential skills to build lifelong learners and informed citizens.  Our (Saline) staff have done a great job the last few years. While I am grateful that our scores have stabilized and that we have been able to get our students in front of our incredible educators again, I am still aware that there are still some learning gaps, particularly in literacy, for students.  Over the past few year we have hired a number of literacy experts who have individualized learning needs and provided targeted interventions.  We will continue to dedicate financial resources to get this right and I will advocate for that as a board member.  If not, we could fail our students for a lifetime.

What should be done to improve student achievement in the District?

I’ve spoken previously to the importance of literacy and making sure that individual student needs are supported. Reading and writing are important to the education of K-5 students, but also literacy is important to 6-12 students as well. The focus just changes to reading comprehension and language/ vocabulary development. Reading is more than just cognition. I want to empower teachers and support staff with evidence-based instructional methods that will support literacy. 

To improve student achievement we also need to make sure that we are individualizing education to the greatest extent possible.  As a board member, and moreover, as a dad, I want to see class sizes where teachers can provide targeted instructional support to students.

I applaud the Saline Area Schools for embracing standards-based grading. My background as an educator has taught me that educators will do tremendous work when they are given the time and the resources to do the work. I believe that utilizing standard- based grading will have a positive impact on student achievement. I recognize that for our educators, this is a heavy lift. As a board member I want to support our educators as they continue this ambitious transition. We (the district) have to commit to it and stay the course. Staff members need time to change over and implement standards- based grading, and to analyze the results as they personalize student learning and develop learning targets for students. Standards based learning will identify learning gaps for students. These gaps can be targeted and addressed in real time, and the data provides specific areas of opportunity for learners. Parents and guardians know the specific content standards that require remediation. Using the data, learning can continue until learning targets are met and/ or mastery is achieved. As a board member, I want to support Superintendent Laatsch as he leads our staff down this road. As we progress over the next four years (my term), I will also ask him to provide the board with data and evidence that demonstrates the impact of standards-based grading on student achievement to ensure that district resources are being properly allocated.

Lastly, let’s talk about DEI and student achievement. I want all students to be supported in our schools. That said, there are biases, assumptions, language barriers, etc that must be uncovered so that we can reach students in a way that reflects our collective life experience. I want to validate every student for who they are. Right now, if we are being forthright, we must be increasingly aware of marginalized and under-represented populations. As such, we need to recruit and hire employees that further diversity our staff and make sure we reach all of our students. My experience as an educator has taught me that being inclusive and cognizant of all students and their collective needs, INCREASES educational outcomes for ALL students.

What are your priorities in balancing the budget? What should be cut first? What should be cut last?

This is simple for me… the priority is the classroom, the classroom, the classroom.  

The total education of students is so important.  Especially when we think about the mental health of students. There are students whose connection to school is rooted in pride for co-curricular activities (sports, arts, drama, clubs, organizations, etc). As a dad who recognizes the intrinsic value of these offerings and programs, when financial decisions need to be made, I will be glad to support them through pay to participate fees and fundraising efforts. Though admittedly, like any other household, I wish my dollars could stay in my bank account.  Furthermore, we need to be mindful of any equity barriers that participation fees create. I want all students to feel connected and have pride in school. Pride for school and school connectedness is shown through studies to enhance the mental health of students. This is why we need to think longly before cutting these items.

Bottom line, if I have to choose between Spanish textbooks and volleyballs, I will choose the Spanish textbooks. We will find another way to provide volleyballs. I believe that.

So, what should we cut first? I don’t know. As a board member, I shouldn’t be in the game of making those recommendations. Please let me explain. I believe that directly engaging with individuals who are the most impacted by decisions is paramount in organizations that contain strong culture and have established strong decision making hierarchies. I believe in collaboration. As a board, we will recognize the need for financial cuts through our budget discussions with Ms. Miranda Owsley. Boards of education are required by the state of Michigan  to pass initial and amended budgets throughout the school year. If cuts are necessary, the board will then direct the superintendent to make budget recommendations. Mr. Graden will work collaboratively with the talented administrators, staff members and support teams around him, to figure out areas of opportunity. I’d trust those individuals to make the best decisions for the school district. Frankly, I would trust them to do their jobs well and to prioritize those items that are most important. From there, I am hopeful that Superintendent Graden will provide the board with options that reflect the amount required for financial adjustment.  From there, I will work together with other board members to analyze and engage with the community to figure out what priorities exist, and where we should allocate, cut, or reallocate district financial resources. That is when I will get involved in making decisions about what should be cut first and/ or last.

What effect have charter schools and or Schools of Choice had on the district, if any?

I support strong public schools!  Educating young people is not a business. That said, to educate kids at the optimal level (as determined by good studies and research) requires a financial commitment from the state.  When making a decision about kids, we need to prioritize the actual needs of the child… not how much money we think a child is worth.  For profit education, ie some charter schools, threatens the fabric of neighborhood schools. The State of Michigan is failing our students with the current funding system and with the current per pupil allowance. I will use whatever cache I possess as a board member (and moreover as a teammate of seven board members) to advocate for greater school funding.

Funding schools is complicated. Not all dollars are equal. For example, according to the Michigan Education Study of 2016, at risk and ELL students require additional funding in the weighted amounts of 0.30 and 0.40 respectively.  In layman’s terms this means that more money is needed to provide a high quality education to these students. The Saline Area Schools belong to all students. This includes students who have a “normal” experience and those who require additional need. Dollars are attached to individual pupils. This hurts schools in two ways. First, charter schools and Schools of Choice students who are not present in the school, reduce the overall financial health and resources available. Moreover, charter schools and School of Choice districts don’t have to be inclusive of all learners. This affects the budget of the Saline Area Schools. It also makes a stronger school system, in my opinion. But it takes money to provide services.

Ultimately, I think Saline could be a Schools of Choice winner. Saline is an attractive school district. That said, as I spoke earlier about, we need to allocate seats in a way that doesn’t negatively impact the personalized education we seek to offer. If we have smaller class cohorts (for example: grade “X”) then perhaps we can look to use schools of choice to make numbers more robust and on par with other cohorts. Saline’s per pupil allotment of $9,608 (NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!) and 20 school of choice students, could allow for an influx of almost $200,00.  This COULD help us balance budgets, maintain programs, hire additional resources, etc. 

What is motivating you to run for the school board? Do you have an issue you especially care about?

I care about Graham and Bryce. I care about their friends and classmates. I care about students. That motivates me to run for school board.

I care about a great number of issues.  I care about the challenges schools face currently in the state of Michigan, namely learning gaps and mental health and well-being of students. I care about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and making sure we provide for the layered needs of our students. This includes physiological needs of food, water, shelter, warmth; proceeds to include safety and security; ensures social/ emotional health (relationship building, friendship); promotion of self esteem and accomplishment; and providing for self-actualization so that all students’ can realize their maximum potential.

That’s what motivates me!  I care!  I will listen!  I will do what I think is right!

Thank you for this opportunity.