VOTER

Recommendations

Info

Page 50 2016 Voter Guide League of Women Voters Village of Milford Village President (One 2-Year Term)........................Jerry Aubry Village Council (Three 4-Year Terms)....................James Kovach Dave Thurau Kevin Ziegler City & Village Elections (Cont.) Question 1 (150 Words or less): Please provide biographical information and explain why you are running for School Board and relevant qualities and skills you would bring to the position that you are running for. Village of Ortonville Village President (One 2-Year Term).................. Wayne M. Wills Village Trustee (Three 4-Year Terms)..................... Debbie Baker Mark Butzu Dan Eschmann Courtney McClerren Bernard A. McHugh Karen Sleva James A. Webb Village Trustee (One Partial Term Ending 11/19/2018)..Keith Dylus School Board Races Village of Oxford Village Council (Two 4-Year Terms).....................David Y. Bailey Rose Bejma D. Erik Dolan Village of Wolverine Lake Village Council (Three 4-Year Terms - One 2-Year Term) Patrick J. Nagy Brian T. Nedrow John H. Scott Ed Sienkiewicz Question 2 (150 Words or less): What are the top three (3) Priority Issues facing your school district and what actions would you take to address them if elected to the school board? ALMONT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER - TWO 6-year terms - Vote for no more than TWO MICHELLE DUPUIS-WANGLER 7807 Linden Dr., Almont, MI 48003 ANTHONY MEDLEY 245 W. Winds, Almont, MI 48003 JENNIFER L. MITCHELL 4848 Sandhill, Almont, MI 48003 LAURI PELKOWSKI 78973 Harvest Ln, Bruce, MI 48065 MICHAEL SULLIVAN 5649 Sandhill Rd., Almont, MI 48003 GEORGE TENCZA 15946 Tubsprings, Allenton, MI 48002 DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION DID NOT RESPOND IN TIME FOR INCLUSION AVONDALE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER - THREE 4-year terms - Vote for no more than THREE KAREN DAVIES 3447 Columbia Dr., Rochester Hills, MI 48307 Born and raised in Michigan, I graduated from Clarkston High School and have a BS from the University of Michigan. As a stay-at-home parent of two young girls, I learned that every child is different and it requires creativity, collaboration and lots of listening to best serve each child. Once my children began school in Avondale I developed relationships with their teachers and administrators and made myself available to help wherever needed. I worked with other elementary parents and administrators to solve some of the problems we experienced in kindergarten, including re-establishing a kindergarten screening to ensure a good balance of students in each kindergarten classroom, and advocating for lower class sizes in lower elementary. I was also fully involved in the district’s strategic planning process for Avondale 2020. As a School Board member, I will bring the elementary perspective, and will help ensure the integrity of Avondale 2020. DONEARL L. JOHNSON 201 N. Squirrel Rd., #911, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 My top 5 StrengthFinder themes are: Learner, Connectedness, Responsibility, Achiever and Activator; these strengths can be an asset to our district. I currently serve in the capacity of a Senior IT Project Manager and understand that technology will be instrumental in developing creative and engaging learning experiences for all. I had the distinct privilege of honorably serving in the US Navy for 8 years. I was awarded with 3 Navy Achievement Medals for extraordinary service. This experience provided the opportunity to work with a very diverse group who would not allow personal differences to interfere with obtaining the mission at hand. I have a strong passion and commitment for education and excellence. I am an effective communicator and understand the value of community. I personally believe in the Avondale School District and desire to be a vital part of why our district will be a model for others to emulate. 1) Declining enrollment is putting our district at risk. We can no longer be Oakland County’s “Best Kept Secret.” Our parents and administrators must work together through district-wide events, word of mouth, and local real estate agents to share the great accomplishments of our students. 2) Disparity between elementary schools creates unnecessary competition. We will collaborate between buildings to share ideas and discover great new ways to provide the best learning opportunities to support every young student. 3) We must support the families of our students. We will establish a Community Room to provide a safe place where parents can get tools on how to support their child’s learning at home, where students can identify their passions and find the activities in the district that support those interests, and where we can better identify and provide access to agencies that support the social, emotional and special needs of our families. Addressing the “Achievement Gap” is a top priority. A part of our mission is to engage all students and in pursuit of this, a creative and proactive approach is required to ensure that all students are engaged, supplemental educational needs are met, strategic partnerships are created and a strong bond between parents/caregivers and teachers is fostered. Secondly, I believe that we should strengthen the sense of community and embrace a shared culture. I will work to bridge gaps, listen and effectively communicate to diminish any impression of “Us vs. Them.” Finally, there is a notion of being the “Best kept Secret”; however our school district should be renowned for the richness of our diversity, the quality of the innovative and challenging curriculum and for the world class leaders that we develop. This challenge can be addressed by embodying the “One Avondale” Spirit via an effective internal and external marketing strategy.
League of Women Voters 2016 Voter Guide Page 51 Question 1 (150 Words or less): Please provide biographical information and explain why you are running for School Board and relevant qualities and skills you would bring to the position that you are running for. WAYNE M. KAKUDA 693 Hathaway Dr., Auburn Hills, MI 48326 I am running for the Avondale School Board because I want all children to have enriching and fulfilling education. I will work with stakeholders not only to build a brighter future for our children but also a stronger community. Visit www.kakuda.org. I believe my passion, work ethic, fiscal responsibility and leadership skills will help Avondale develop and implement strategies. List of achievements: 1. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT – Initiated and co-leading innovative student focused activities: a. Gift of Giving (www.giftofgiving-mi.org) - a 501C3 that supports Avondale youth b. Beans To Bags (www.beanstobags.org) - Provides Avondale youth an opportunity to run a coffee roasting business. c. Moments Photography (www.momentsphoto.org) - Provides Avondale youth an opportunity to run a photography business. 2. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE – Experience in Leading and Contributing in Transformative Projects: a. Founding Partner of BMK Solutions (2001-current) b. Management Consultant (1997 - 2001 ATKearney) c. Engineer (1990 - 1997 Ford Motor Company) NICHOLAS KALTSOUNIS 3364 Empire Dr., Rochester Hills, MI 48309 I’m a proud parent of two daughters in the Avondale School District. Both daughters attend Avondale Middle School. I have served my community as a member of the Planning Commission of Rochester Hills for over 10 years. Also I am a long-standing council member of my local church, where I have also served as past president. I have a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I current work in the high performance engine group of a local auto manufacturer. Through my experiences I’ve learned to listen, and make the challenging decisions with a sense of urgency that has positively affected our community. I hope I’ll be able to use this experience to make the same positive effect as a member of the Avondale Board of Education. Question 2 (150 Words or less): What are the top three (3) Priority Issues facing your school district and what actions would you take to address them if elected to the school board? AVONDALE SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER - THREE 4-year terms - Vote for no more than THREE (cont.) Top priority is to deliver enriching and fulfilling educational experience by: (Please visit www.kakuda.org) 1. Set high expectations for ourselves and our students - Set high expectations for ourselves and our children. Inspirational people in my life work tirelessly to become better, selflessly help others, and never blame others. 2. Inspire our students - Inspire our students to be intellectually curious. We need to develop students who can see problems and become intellectually curious to develop innovative solutions. 3. Develop innovative teaching methods - Continuously evaluate our methods to make learning engaging and satisfying by integrating real world problem solving into our approach. 4. Verify we are achieving student growth - No matter where the student starts or ends, we need to demonstrate and verify continual student growth. 5. Continuously look for improvement opportunities - Develop a culture that always evaluates what we are doing and looks for improvement opportunities. --Perception, District rankings among new home buyers, and Finances. The Avondale School District is a great school district with many good things happening at each school. Through communication and word of mouth we need to help our parents sell these strengths to the community to positively affect our perception outside of the district. --Rankings among new home buyers is low, and therefor enrollment has declined. --Finances is the result of the first two issues. Unfortunately today we face several tough decisions that will require us to possibly right size the district so we have can have a future. BERKLEY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER - THREE 6-year terms - Vote for no more than THREE Unopposed on the ballot: MITCHELL MOSES - SHERYL STODDARD - MICHAEL TRIPP BERKLEY SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER - ONE partial term ending 12/31/18 - Vote for no more than ONE Unopposed on the ballot: KEITH ALLEN LOGSDON BIRMINGHAM SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER - TWO 6-year terms and TWO 4-year terms - Vote for no more than FOUR LORI AJLOUNY 1898 Pine St., Birmingham, MI 48009 I’m a life-long community member of Birmingham. I was hired right out college by Birmingham Public Schools where I have taught for over 30 years. I have served in the district in multiple roles; administration, committee chairs and curriculum development. I have an undergraduate degree & Masters plus 30 additional credits in education from WSU. I have a husband & four children. I plan to use my knowledge as an experienced educator to support the needs of all children, build relationships with parents, teachers and administrators and the community. I will build morale among teachers and administrators, maintain community spirit by representing the school district. I will consider all issues with objectivity, honesty and integrity, I have been given the gift of a quality education growing up in Birmingham, I want to continue this trend for all our children. DOUGLAS ARCEO 1990 Pembroke Rd., Birmingham, MI 48009 My name is Douglas Arceo and I am running for the School Board for Birmingham Public Schools. I have been a resident of Birmingham since 2000 with my wife Karen and our 8-year-old daughter who attends Harlan Elementary. The skills that I bring to are the understanding of technology, the impact that technology has on our children and teachers and the relative costs of the technology. For the past 20 years, I have worked for several Global Technology companies in various roles from being a Corporate Trainer, Systems Administrator, Data Center Manager, Consultant and Sales. I am committed to our district through my volunteer efforts in my daughter’s Brownie troop, the Harlan PTA and coaching softball. Being on the School Board will allow me to further this commitment while allowing my background to provide the School Board with the understanding and perspective necessary as the District invests in Technology. Issue one, 3rd Grade Retention Bill. There are two versions, the bill in the Senate is the one Birmingham should support. This version puts the control of a child’s education in the hands of the parents and educators making informed decisions rather than the House’s blanket bill of retention that wouldn’t allow any opposing or circumstantial evidence. Research points out that retention doesn’t help with reading. It is reading programs that help children with reading. Next, there is a brand new bill which would provide funding for safe schools and safe technology. It is funded by McCready money, set aside for schools to update security and technology. The bill should be supported by Birmingham however, I would carefully watch the wording for strings attached that would limit the multiple possibilities of the funding. Thirdly, a perception of disconnect with administration, teachers and the community. Birmingham Public Schools recently passed a $66M bond that included Technology upgrades (which I 100% support). The top three Priority Issues facing our school district are centered around technology. 1- Continue to invest in our student’s future. We need to ensure we have a continuous technology improvement plan that enables our students to have the skills to be competitive in the workplace of tomorrow. 2- Continue to invest in our teachers. We need to invest in our teachers to ensure that they have the best training and support in the classroom. 3- To ensure that the Technology investments that we make, are in the right areas, at the right times and at the right costs. Focusing on these three issues, we will continue to be a top school District in the State that attracts the best teachers and administrators. This commitment will provide a competitive advantage for our students.
Page 1 and 2: League of Women Voters Oakland Area
Page 3 and 4: League of Women Voters 2016 Voter G
Page 49: League of Women Voters 2016 Voter G

VOTER

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?