All five candidates for Clarkston Board of Education agree technology upgrades and student achievement are important goals for the district.
The school board’s role in achieving those goals is a point of disagreement. Incumbent candidates Elizabeth Egan, Steve Hyer, and Rosalie Lieblang, and challengers Donald Deering and Kelli Horst shared their opinions at the candidate forum, Oct. 16, hosted by League of Women Voters and Clarkston PTA. Three, six-year seats are open in the Nov. 4 election.
When asked who runs the district, the superintendent or school board, Lieblang said the school board sets vision and goals and administration carries them out.
To make sure, the board created a strategic plan and is working with Superintendent Dr. Rod Rock and administration on an annual plan of specific action items, she said.
Hyer said the board’s job is not to set specific objectives for administration.
“The board has no specialized training ? administration is trained,” Hyer said.
Egan, Deering and Horst agreed.
“The school board creates policy and the budget,” Egan said. “Dr Rock runs the district.”
Deering said the school board’s role is to oversee the district, but empowers administration to perform day-to-day operations.
“I favor administration running the show, quite frankly,” Deering said.
The school board provides values and community aspirations for the district, but administration runs it, Horst said.
Asked about their two most pressing issues facing the district, Egan said district funding and advocacy by board members to state and federal legislatures.
“We need to be the voice of the community to Lansing and Washington,” she said. “We need to go in with data ? let us decide locally how to use money locally.”
Horst said one of her top two priotities was reassuring teachers and employees, they are as valued and respected by the school board as by administration.
“Repairing that relationship, making sure they get same sense of appreciation and morale from the board,” she said.
Competition for resources and students is also important, Horst said.
“We’re all looking for resources and students ? but schools of choice, I’m not sure that would be right for Clarkston,” she said.
Hyer said student achievement and continued innovaion were the two most pressing issues.
“There are so many innovative things in the district,” he said. “We’re not good at communicating them.”
Lieblang said the single most important issue was student achievement.
“That’s what attracts people to the district,” she said. “Make sure students are prepared, make sure they can be successful.”
The budget is her second issue.
“We have to have a budget to do those things,” she said.
Deering said his two top issues were the budget and communication.
“If we have the money, the ability to communicate would get a whole lot done,” he said. “Communication seems to be lacking ? frankly, I’m an expert.”
The candidates were also asked about the $20 million school bond vote for technology in 2012, which was defeated by voters, 5,755 to 2,945, and possibly a new bond.
Deering said he would support a bond if it would help teachers get the job done.
“I’m absolutely pro teacher. I’m a teacher (professor at Oakland University),” he said.
Egan supported the school bond effort, and the district’s technology problems are a consequence of the “no” vote.
“I accept the results (but) we need new networks, we need software upgrades,” she said.
As a result of Proposal A, Clarkston receives lower per-pupil funding from the state than surrounding districts, she said.
“I don’t think that’s fair,” Egan said.
Horst also supported the school bond.
“It was very enlightening as a parent and taxpayer,” she said. “Unfortunately, it became more divisive as it went on.”
Two years later, many of the items the bond would have funded are still on the critical list. But another bond would require support of the entire school board, she said.
“We can’t go to voters if the board is not of like mind ? to go into the community and advocate for it instead of againt it,” Horst said.
Hyer favors evaluating what a future bond would look like, but doesn’t favor increasing bond rates right now.
“The state must provide inflation increases,” he said. “We must continue to advocate and lobby ? put kids ahead of special interests.”
Lieblang was not in favor of the 2012 bond.
“It was trying to do one size fits all ? every child gets certain equipment,” she said. “We really needed a plan we could communicate to voters, what can we fund ? toclearly identify what the plan is, what we can do,and the limits of what we can do.”
To view the forum online, check out “CCS Board Candidate Forum 2014” on Independence Television’s Youtube channel.
Check next week’s Clarkston News for more information on the school board candidates, as well as candidates for Clarkston City Council and other local races.