One incumbent school board member has a challenger, the other does not in the May 3 election. Two seats need to be filled.
Newcomer Steve Lawless and current Lake Orion School Board member Jim Weidman are both seeking a four year term.
Bill Walters, who was appointed to fill a vacant seat last fall, has no competition for a partial term that will end June 30, 2006.
Candidates were asked to reply to a questionnaire sent out by The Lake Orion Review.
STEVE LAWLESS
Lives On: Aldrin Drive
Family: He and his wife Darlene have six children, Scott, Daniel, Jeremy, Todd, Sarah and Susan. They’ve lived in Orion Township for 12 years.
Age: 45
Education: MS in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon University
Occupations: General Motors (21 years) janitor, draftsman, designer, manager, engineer
Clubs/Organizations: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Boy Scouts of America, Clinton Valley Council (15 years), LO Band Booster, LO Boys Baseball coach, LO Girls Softball League Commissioner
Reasons for Running for Office: Lawless says the school districts facilities are first class and the teachers who have taught his children have been exceptional, committed and giving.
Now Lawless wants to challenge the board and administration to raise the bar. ‘Let’s strive for educational excellence by knowing, measuring and improving our educational processes and methods,? he adds.
He says he has the right skills to make a difference on the school board. Skills Lawless offers include real-world disciplined problem solving, skills in parenting and leadership.
Important Issues: ‘Our schools owe parents a quality product. Providing an educational environment is fine but Lake Orion Community Schools? mission should be to deliver a world class education.?
Lawless believes teaching programs and methods must be objectively judged on how well they produce the finest education. ‘If a program or method works, use it everywhere. If a program doesn’t work, replace it with a proved method. Don’t do educational experiments on children.?
Lawless also says dedicated teachers are a school’s great asset and the school district should invest in the best teachers and the best educational process.
BILL WALTERS
Lives On: North Washington Street
Family: Walters and his wife Cynthia have two sons, Chris and Ken. They have lived in Lake Orion for 30 years.
Age: 55
Education: BS degree in Education
Occupation: Began teaching in Rochester in 1975 and retired from that school district last year.
Clubs/Organizations: NA
Why Running for Office: Walters says he has two grown sons who had a successful experience in the Lake Orion School system.
‘I believe I bring a balanced perspective to the trustee position. I strongly believe in the importance of public school as an integral part of a community and as such it’s an indicator of the well-being of the community.?
Important Issues: Walters believes the most significant challenge facing every school district today is financial. Rising costs, particularly in the area of health care coupled with reduced funding have generated significant cutbacks in school districts.
‘We will need to continue our examination of spending while seeking to improve revenue stability over the coming years.
‘I believe we will have to work more closely with state government to achieve a stable revenue stream.?
Equally important to Walters is the process of educational change.
‘No Child Left Behind and the Michigan Report Card affect the delivery of educational services. The changing demands of federal and state government drive a constant renewal process.
Lake Orion schools have a number of school improvement procedures and polices in place. I will continue to support the excellent work of our staff and administration.?
JIM WEIDMAN
Lives On: Browning Drive
Family: Weidman and his wife have Cathy have four daughters, Kiley, a Lake Orion graduate, Kelsey and Kaelyn, attending LOHS, and Julianne at Stadium Drive. They’ve lived in the Lake Orion School District since 1978.
Age: N/A
Education: BS in Education, University of Detroit; graduate work in Administration, Michigan State University.
Occupation: Weidman’s career has been in three areas. He first worked in education as a teacher, coach and administrator; second as a healthcare administrator and currently as regional manager with a national management company.
Clubs/Organizations: Weidman was co-chair of the successful bond election in 2000, the citizen representative on two superintendent search committees and one high school principal search committee.
He has served on the boards of Ronald McDonald House of Detroit, the American Heart Association of North Oakland and the Oakland Mediation Center.
Weidman received the Volunteer of the Year Award from Orion Township Library.
Why Running for Office Again: Weidman has seen many changes to the community and the school district since he came to Lake Orion. He believes the school district has developed a unique partnership with families, staff, administration and the board of education that isn’t found in many communities.
‘Through the efforts of all of these groups, LO Community Schools have become a beacon school district in Michigan. With the coming changes in administration, keeping the current board intact will be important to maintain continuity with current operations.?
Important Issues: Weidman believes school financing continues to be a challenge to all school districts. ‘It will be important for Lake Orion to continue to focus on short term, as well as, long-term strategies. The partnership between trustees, administration and staff over the past four years has positioned the district very well to achieve district financial goals.?
Weidman says, as a trustee, he will continue to focus on this area, as he has been done for the past four years.
‘As there are a growing number of unfunded mandates from both state and federal government, trustees will need to work on a larger scale with legislators to understand the impact of these mandates.?
He feels it’s important to have a smooth transition as the school district welcomes a new superintendent, assistant superintendent and two new principals.