By Matt Mackinder
Clarkston News Editor

Cheryl McGinnis earned the second-most votes in the Nov. 8 Clarkston Community Schools election for two board of education seats, thus staying on the board for another six-year term.
Newcomer Amanda Love picked up the most votes in the election and will be a newcomer on the board.
For McGinnis, she said first and foremost that she wanted to thank all those that voted for her.
“As we settle in from the results of the election and all its preceding activities, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to members of the Clarkston community for electing me to the board of education,” McGinnis said. “There are too many people to thank by name, but I’m confident that each of you know that I know who you are and know that you made a difference. I am looking forward to working with administration and my colleagues on the board to continue to bring forward educational opportunities for all students so that they can reach their greatest potential.
“Our No. 1 goal must be to provide each student with what they need to achieve their dreams.”
McGinnis added that she has a list of items to accomplish in the next six years.
“I’d love to see a marked impact that Orton Gillingham can bring to our students with reading disabilities,” said McGinnis. “The largest group of students with an IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) are in the category of ‘Learning Disabled.’ I know the difficulties these students have with reading, specifically encoding and decoding words. I have seen firsthand the tremendous progress students can make when using this tool. I spoke at the candidate forum about this, and I have seen students go from Es to As in spelling, specifically my own child and others. To this end, I will encourage administration to have more teachers trained in this approach as I believe it will prevent many struggling readers from falling behind and needing an IEP.”
At the end of the day, McGinnis said serving the school district always comes down to the students.
“My No. 1 priority is always student achievement,” said McGinnis. “We are always working to find the right connections and support for all students so that they can reach their greatest potential.”