The Livingston Post has put together a questionnaire for school board candidates running in the Brighton, Fowlerville, Hartland, Howell, and Pinckney districts. Every candidate in each school board race will be completing the same questionnaire.
An invitation to complete the questionnaire was sent to all the candidates on Sunday, Sept. 11, with a deadline of noon Sunday, Sept. 18, to complete.
School board races are nonpartisan.
We asked 14 questions that should will give voters a well-rounded picture of each candidate. Since the questionnaires are digital, there is no limit on answer length. All responses will be posted unedited, and we will group them according to the district in which the candidates are running. Everything will be posted in time for the arrival of absentee ballots.
In addition to a bit of personal information, we asked each candidate these 14 questions:
1. Why are you running for school board?
2. What is your vision for education in your district?
3. What are the three most-important issues facing public education?
4. Describe your view of the roles of the school board and the superintendent. What is the ideal relationship between them?
5. What is the process currently used in your district to choose curriculum materials, and would you change anything? If so, what would you change?
6. List your previous board experience and/or community involvement.
7. Serving on any board requires mutual respect and a commitment to teamwork. Give some examples of how you contributed as part of working as a team to solve a problem or move a project forward.
8. How does your school district address the unique needs of students with varying special needs and cultural backgrounds?
9. Have you had any school experience, either professionally or as a volunteer? List any teaching, volunteer or coaching experience.
10. If it was necessary, where would you make cuts to the school budget? What do you consider off-limits to budget cuts? Why?
11. What role do the fine, applied, and technical arts play in the education of our students? Is it important to educate for the “whole child,” or focus more on academics and basic skills?
12. Name the three things of which your district can be most proud.
13. Do you see a school board member as a representative of the community, or as a representative of the school district? Explain.
14. What is your perception of the current working and learning climate in your district? Do you have any ideas on how to ensure a positive working and learning climate in your district?
