Trust is earned. We need to open the records of past actions,
Prayer, as a state sponsored activity, has been held unconstitu-
tional. Any attempt to implement prayer in our school would be
divisive and destructive in terms of public trust and confidence
and costly in taxpayer dollars. Moments of silence, in my mind,
are an attempt to implement prayer.
Funding for building schools and expanding programs. Drilling
for oil at an elementary school. Charter schools and vouchers.
Prayer in schooVseparation of church and state. Making sure
the education system continues to meet the needs of all stu-
dents.a
We need more space. Within one to two years there will not be
any space left to accommodate new students. We need more
classrooms. Therefore, we need a bond. The board and adminis-
tration need to communicate and listen to constituents. The com-
munity must first be convinced the district has already done
everything it could to live within the budget. We should not be
drilling for oil on school property. I do not support charter
schools because they take state tax dollars out of the public
school.
I am comfortable with our current approach of separation of
church and state and do not approve of prayer in school. I do
Rapid growth, enrollment projections and lack of proper class-
room space. The effects and impacts of Proposal A. New gov-
ernment mandates, laws, repeal of our school code. Charter
schools and the impact on education.
As a district we need to educate all our attendance areas about the
needs of our students for a proper education and the concerns of
the district to be proactive rather than reactive in making future
plans. We need to educate the public about the financial impacts
of Proposal A on our district, the difference between bond and
millage monies and what they can be used for by law. Reevaluate
our bond proposals based on our students' needs, community
feedback and if needed offer a more segmented bond.
Our Constitution cites separation of church and state. Prayer
should be left in our religious facilities. I feel a voluntary mo-
ment of silence will also lead to religious impacts in our public
schools and should not be allowed.
Overcrowded schools. Parents not in control of local schools.
Support system for senior citizens in jeopardy. Shortages of
trained and educated youth for a service-oriented economy.
Form parent/school/community focused task forces to achieve the
following: Change the zoning laws to limit growth, increase the in-
volvement of parents and community members in local school de-
cisions and educate our students so they are qualified to meet the
needs of an aging population and a service-oriented economy.
The development of a strong belief system for our children is
the responsibility of the parent, not the schools. I do not want
my children controlled by a special-interest view of what consti-
tutes an appropriate content for a prayer or moment of silence.
Fiscal responsibility. Provide technology within the current bud-
get. Unite communities within the district and rebuild trust so a
future bond issue will pass.
Careful and respectful listening to the concerns of parents and
community members is critical. I have consistently raised this is-
sue. It's included in a Strategic Action Plan being developed. I
have also volunteered for special parent hearings (moving Maple
students to Meadow Lake) and will visit Clarkston all day kinder-
garten program with parents to facilitate this listening process.
I've been working with a community Strategic Planning Action
team. We've developed nine action plans to address these issues.
There should be neither prayer nor a moment of silence for
prayer in public schools. Students currently can and do pray
silently whenever they wish.
We are facing a millage renewal before the end of this year. If
this does not pass, we stand to lose 20 percent of our operating
budget. Overcrowding. Raise our district's MEAP scores. Divi-
siveness. Update and enhance technology.
We need to get out and communicate to the voters in the district
exactly what a millage renewal is and why we need to pass it. I'd
like to visit schools, subdivisions, retirement homes and religious
congregations to inform them of its importance. We need to come
back to the voters with another bond proposal to address over-
crowding. Teachers and administrators need to continue looking
into the concepts on the test and be sure they become part of the
curriculum. We need to bring everybody together to remind them
of our common goal: educating our children. New technology
could be achieved by renting computers and in-servicing teachers
on how to use technology.
Overcrowding. Psychological fragmentation of our district.
Build more schools. Leasing buildings from neighboring districts
is simply a short-term Band-Aid approach. Redistricting fringe ar-
eas will take a long legal and legislative process. As a board mem-
ber, I will examine all alternative means of financing and strive to
implement the most cost-efficient method to build new schools as
soon as possible. I'll explore all avenues to expand our communi-
ty's understanding of how our schools are run and financed. Hold
town meetings, allowing citizens an excellent opportunity to ex-
press their concerns at length.
Trust. Fiscal responsibility. Violence.
One of the biggest issues is growth and housing our student
population. However, a very important issue to the taxpayers of
Walled Lake is accountability.
providing indexes so anyone may examine the facts and figures
without any filtering. The board must trust the voters if the board
wants the voters' trust. Details of how the district is doing in
comparison to national and regional numbers. We need to have
peaceful conflict resolution taught in our classrooms. We must
record all acts and threats of violence. We must make this infor-
mation accessible to the public.
I feel some of the problems can be solved with full disclosure to
the taxpayers. The next couple of years are going to be challeng-
ing and it will take a lot of communicating and honesty on every-
one's part. With that said, we still must maintain high educational
standards for our students.
not think schools should conduct a moment of silence. That
does, however, not stop individual students from independently
praying or observing moments of silence.
While my religion is very important to me, I do not feel that
there is a place for it in the public-school system. Our Founding
Fathers provided for separation of church and state and I be-
lieve that it should remain separate.
I am very much opposed to school prayer and a voluntary mo-
ment of silence. I feel strongly that religious education is a par-
ent's responsibility and not that of our public schools.
It seems hard to believe that this has become such an issue. I
have always taught my children that if they feel a need to say a
prayer or take a minute for self-reflection, they should do it. As
for a voluntary moment of silence, I question what teacher
would not welcome that time.