Meet Your 2014 Manchester Community Schools Board of Education Candidates
This coming election day (Tuesday, November 4th), Manchester Area residents will need to fill three seats on the Manchester Community Schools Board of Education. Each trustee will serve for a term of 4 years. There are three candidates on the ballot this year (as noted in last week's ballot review). But this year there is a wrinkle. There is an aspiring trustee, Jill Corwin, who failed to make it onto the ballot and is therefore running a write-in campaign. In order to give residents all the information, we asked all four candidates to submit a statement.
Below we have statements from Dara Psarouthakis, an incumbent trustee who is listed on the ballot; Rebecca Harvey, an aspiring trustee who is on the ballot; Michael Austin, an aspiring trustee who is on the ballot; and Jill Corwin, an aspiring trustee who is NOT on the ballot, but asking for supporters to write her name in onto the ballot. These statements were provided by the candidates at the request of The Manchester Mirror.
Dara Psarouthakis, Ph. D. (Incumbent, on the ballot)
As a current board member running for a second term, I thank you for your interest. The school board's primary responsibility is to work as a team to direct and monitor the functioning of the school district with regard to financial, academic and community goals. The current school board has worked hard to meet the challenge of academic excellence with limited financial resources. It seems that this trend will continue over the next few years as the state government continues to pass down mandates to local schools that are not properly funded. Some mandates we will be able to meet. Some will be challenging. The new board will have to work equally hard to creatively address these financial challenges while improving our academic standards, and at the same time not putting additional streses on our taxpayers.
For the new school board, I would like to see improved communication and collaborative process between all board members, as well as between and within the community.
I have lived in Manchester for fifteen years. My two children have attended Manchester preschool and schools. I have been active in the community in a variety of ways, as a school board member, volunteering for the school and community functions, community meetings, and as a consumer of Manchester businesses.
As a psychologist, working on child and family issues on a daily basis, I am an asset to the school board. I have the necessary analytical and collaborative skills. I also have a wealth of knowledge regarding human behavior, as well as child and academic functioning.
Rebecca Harvey (Aspirant, on the ballot)
My name is Rebecca Harvey and I am currently running for the Manchester Community Schools Board of Education position. I am originally from New York and moved to Michigan to attend the University of Michigan where I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in December of 1997. Falling in love with Michigan, I never returned to my native state. I took a short hiatus from school to earn and save enough money in order to pay for and continue my legal education. In 2001 I attended the Michigan State University College of Law where I received my Juris Doctor degree in 2004. I moved to Manchester after I graduated from Law School and was married to long time resident and Manchester alumnus Steven Harvey in April 2005. Since then we have had 3 wonderful children all of whom are in the Manchester School system.
In January of 2006 I opened my own private practice law office right here in Manchester. I concentrate mainly in the fields of Wills and Trusts, Estate Planning, Guardianships and Conservatorships, Juvenile Law and Family Law matters including Divorce, Custody and Parenting time.
I began attending school board meetings to become an active participant in my children’s education and to fully understand and be aware of the education my children were receiving in our school district. I believe it is the job of the school board to ensure that our children receive the highest degree of education possible while also being fiscally responsible. Unfortunately, in today’s times schools are given the responsibility of educating our children with less financial support. We all want the best for our children and want them to have every opportunity in the world, but that all costs more money than what is available to the school district. Therefore the school board needs to prioritize, make difficult decisions and balance all the aspects that will enhance our children’s academic education as well as ensuring our extracurricular activities and sports programs so that they remain progressive and successful. All of these areas are fundamental for children in their learning years. Every opportunity is a learning opportunity.
I am running for the Manchester Community School district Board of Education position because I want to be a part of the solution. I am driven by the desire to help all of our children succeed. I will help that our children have the resources and opportunities to achieve their goals. My goals are to enable our children to learn values, appreciate their school and the importance of a high quality education. My goal is also that these children learn respect for each other and the members of the community. I believe that all of these core values start in the home with family first but through education and the time spent in school they can be greatly impacted with positive outcomes.
The school board needs to assist and guide the principals and superintendent to ensure that all levels of education are covered for all students’ learning styles. Programs in need of school board support range from creating high achievement curriculum to students that need any support services including the Special Education Departments. Although there is already a federal mandate and statutory guidelines for “No Child Left Behind,” these are only minimal guidelines. We as a school district need to reach beyond the minimum and make sure that every one of our children gets the specific attention they need to be successful. We need to set goals above and beyond the minimum standards. We should never settle for minimum standards and always aim higher.
If elected I would like to get involved in the subcommittee dealing with school board and district policies including changes, amendments and updates. Our children may be minors, but they still have rights and they need to learn how to live, cope, manage and thrive in the adult world. Learning rules and discipline early on is the best way to help them in their futures.
As an attorney, I have been involved in many different types of legal battles and have been counsel representing different sides on similar cases. When a community member brings an issue to the board for their input and review, I believe my experience will help me as a board member in making decisions because I will be able to be impartial and see both sides of the story. I ask questions needed to obtain additional information. I will try to get to the root of the problem so that a fair and impartial decision can be made.
I welcome any questions regarding my candidacy and I hope that this community will put their trust in me to represent them as a member of the Manchester Community School Board of Education. If you see our family out in the community I will be happy to answer any question you may have. Otherwise, please feel free to contact me at law@rebeccaaharvey.com.
Mike Austin (Aspirant, on the ballot)
The job of the school board members everywhere is a huge responsibility, but pretty limited. A school board sets the goals and vision of the district and communicates that to the superintendent, makes school policy, sets the budget, and approves curriculum. And although the school board is ultimately responsible for the education of the students in the district, they are not involved in the district’s day-to-day operations. (For more information on the roles and responsibilities of a school board see my website: manchestermikeaustin.com)
One of the greatest strengths of the current board is their wealth of experience, some of the school board members have served many years in that position. That type of experience and knowledge of history is invaluable. Unfortunately that strength is also one of their greatest weaknesses. Having served for so long, they no longer have children in the schools and may be somewhat set in their perceptions or distanced from the current issues.
Two of the biggest issues I see the district facing in the next five years is insufficient funding and dwindling enrollment. We have very little control over the funding that comes from the state. As a school board member, we need to be advocates for changing how our public schools are funded to our representatives in Lansing. School of choice offers a great opportunity to bring in students from surrounding areas. We need to identify a trait or characteristic in our schools, something we do better than anyone else, and use it to our advantage to attract students and increase enrollment. We also need to do a better job of communicating what great schools we have in Manchester. Manchester schools should be the place everyone wants to send their child and everyone should know it.
I come from a family of educators and am the proud father of two daughters at Klager Elementary. I’m involved in the schools as a parent, I’m a local business owner and am active in a number of committees and groups in the community. I serve on the Parks Committee for the Village of Manchester, the Manchester Street Festival Committee, and on the Board for the Riverfolk Music and Arts Organization. This has given me first-hand experience in setting and working within a budget, decision making, setting policy, and handling responsibilities. It has also given me experience working on a team with a variety of personalities and also working independently to achieve group goals.
I am very passionate about education and make every effort to be aware of new and innovative ideas in education policy. I have taken the time to make myself aware of latest things happening in education, what is happening in the district and what is happening in Lansing in regards to education policy and funding. For the past three years I have had the privilege of being part of the District School Improvement Team for Manchester Community Schools. Serving on the School Improvement Team I have been afforded an insider’s view of what efforts are being made within our district to make the schools a better place and the challenges the schools face. I also have attended board meetings for the past year and am very aware of the challenges the district faces and the issues currently being discussed. In addition, I closely follow what is going on in Lansing regarding education. I feel that I can hit the ground running if elected.
All my experiences aside, nothing means more to me than my role as a father and wanting the very best education possible for my children. The focus should be on what is best for the kids, always.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Jill Corwin (Aspirant, Write-In Candidate for Manchester School Board)
What are the responsibilities of a Manchester School Board Member?
o In general a board member's responsibility is to manage the collective bargaining process for employees of the district, hire and evaluate the superintendent, adopt and oversee the annual budget and adopt policies that give our educators goals and objectives. The technical responsibilities all come down to one thing, the student. We should strive to give our staff the tools they need to provide a quality education in a safe, comfortable learning environment. A school board should be the eyes and ears for their community, ensuring that students get the best education for the tax dollars.
How can we be an effective school board?
o Providing strong direction for our staff and working as a team to develop policy and goals is a great place to begin. It's important that all board members hear the concerns of the community and not let gossip or a single individual motivate one board member to take action without the support of the entire team.
o It is not our job to be involved in management functions, but rather hold leadership accountable for the decisions they make or for the lack of decision making.
o My plan is to bring the information, ideas and concerns I hear from parents and community members to the board for discussion and move to carry out our decisions as a group.
o Sharing and defending my views will be on my agenda but also listening to the views of others. I will value the opinion of the experienced board members.
Experience
o Although I have never served on a school board in the past, I feel my lifelong love of this community will serve me well on the board. I attended high school at MHS and my husband Andy and I were determined to raise our children here. We have two sons Garrett (9 )and Andrew (11) as well as nieces attending Manchester Schools. I want the best for them as well as all the students in our community. I have served as Klager PTO President for two years and have been actively involved in many school fund raisers and community projects including; MAYS, Manchester Youth Football, Run Manchester, Relay for Life and am a member of Bethel United Church.
o I have been employed at Clark Professional Pharmacy since I was sixteen years old and have served as the pharmacy manager since I was twenty. I love my job and the people I work with. I am proud to say we have had many qualified Manchester graduates employed at Clark Pharmacy over the years.
Write-In Candidacy
o Due to some miscommunications and staff shortages at the county clerk building my candidacy could not be registered on time for my name to be on the ballot. That did not discourage me from running. I am here, and am confident I will have the support of parents in our community.
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