So I'll be honest. I didn't expect it by any means but figured after the interview (which I thought went well) and the fact I have a teacher as a wife I might get an endorsement. I'm pretty sure I run to close to the middle. Now the question is: is it good that I didn't get endorsed?
I'll be curious who they recommend in the end. My guess is the questions are not secret (hopefully they aren't because I'm posting them right now). Here is what I answered to them. Below are the questions and the notes I typed up for the 25 minute interview I did yesterday.
DJ
1. Why are you a candidate for school board and what are your qualifications?
I am running for school board because I believe I can make a difference in the Robbinsdale School District. What I learned during my 10 years of working for the district is that strong leadership on the school board can be a beneficial tool for helping shape policy within the district. The challenges that the district will face in the coming years will affect not only my children but those of my neighbors and friends and the community at large. My hope is that I can provide assistance and guidance through those challenges.
Unfortunately there isn't a test or process one can take to determine if they would be good at being a school board member. Instead, one must look at their past actions and determine if they believe they would be a good fit. I believe that my history with the district, the relationships I have built and continued to maintain over the years, will prove beneficial to me. Additionally, my background in debate, teaches one to question assumptions and to look beyond the surface of problems. Lastly, debate teaches you to keep an open mind, listen to the arguments of others and then react based on all of the facts. These skills I believe would help me as a board member.
2. How have we improved the public education system in District 281? What challenges remain?
Specifically within the district I believe several wonderful improvements have been accomplished over the past years. Some of the highlights have included:
- Improved communications from district staff
- Increased and well defined program choices (IB, AP, Extra Curricular Activities, etc.)
- Continued improvement in test scores and AYP measurements
Although the district has seen improvements in many areas I believe there are some areas that are and will be challenges in the future. Including:
- Communication with a new and more diverse parent and student groups
- Equity in test scores
- Teacher retention and burn out
- Increasing funding difficulties from state and local organizations
3. On which district and building committees have you served on?
Throughout my time with the district I had the opportunity to serve on several different internal committees including the Communications Committee (looking at different mediums to reach parents/students), Technology Committees and even as part of the Reorganization Process.
After leaving the school district I helped during the Vision Statement process and volunteered at various events at Robbinsdale Cooper and Forest Schools.
4. During a time of tight revenue, what solutions would you propose?
First, strategies for increasing revenue must be found. These include working with local cities to help encourage new families (creating more student), determining strategies to slow open enrollment of students outside of the district to crazy ideas like advertising on school buses.
The problem is trying to find solutions that do not negatively impact student learning which is difficult when nearly 85% of the budget comes from salary and benefits.
Once we explore strategies for revenue increases we are forced to look at non-critical cuts that can take place. The district must stay on course to consolidate programs and dispose of unused and expensive buildings. We should look for opportunities to outsource redundant and expensive processes if it makes financial sense. Also, the district should continue to find ways to reduce costs with the use of technology whenever possible.
5. How do you believe District 281 can meet the challenge of attracting and retaining quality employees?
This I believe is one of the most important issues that faces the district in the upcoming years. As the district continues to retire employees and takes on newer and younger teachers it is becoming increasingly important to make sure we find and retain our teachers.
Attracting teachers is done by offering competitive salaries, benefits that compare with other districts and providing a positive work place. That starts with ensuring proper funding for schools, creating a positive message for the district so the community respects both the teachers and administration and providing the tools to succeed.
Retaining quality teacher's falls into two major categories - economic and social models. Understanding the economic model of retention is pretty straight forward but are often difficult to implement because of cost. Models include some sort of bonus system, stipends based on performance and other benefit package systems. Social models are often more successful in retention but can be difficult to implement because they lack a specific process. They involve teacher mentoring programs, support by administration and the general perception of the school and district by the community.
6. What do you see as your role in directing administrative staff, including the
Superintendent?
I believe the role of a school board member is to work for what is best for the students in the district. This means that a board member must do more than simply rubber stamp administrative decisions. Instead, they should question the assumptions they make, challenge the decisions and make sure that those decisions line up what is best for the students.
7. What role did you play in representing our district at the legislature this past year?
My role in terms of legislative agenda has been more of a participant and not a leader. Over the past years I have taken my opportunity to reach out against legislation that would be harmful to school funding.
8. Would you support contracting with outside providers such as Teach for America to hire classroom teachers?
No - not as Teach for America is currently set up. They take jobs from qualified individuals and instead are replaced with good-natured people who simply do not have the qualifications to teach. If the program was more structured like a college program and actually spent more than 6 weeks training it may be something I would support. Six weeks isn't long enough to teach someone how to teach.