Retain power at all costs. The Board of Education must have the sustained political will to address the achievement of ALL students. 1/5 (2) 250 E Michigan Ave Saline MI, 48176 Show map . I will push the school district to doing more to help all those students who have fallen behind in their learning due to zoom school. Paulette Metoyer's activity stream. What could we do better? I think its time to take a step back and ensure that we are looking at the whole child, improving material conditions and removing proven sources of stress will have a dramatic effect on the quality of education our children receive. 2. As a life-long educator, I have advocated for children and adult students my entire adult life. The district needs to find ways to be more competitive, to retain the amazing teachers we have, and keep them from burning out or going elsewhere. Im committed to reviewing current district policies and consulting with families to determine which policies are most helpful in supporting equity, and which ones are harmful. Its time our spending aligns with the districts stated values of equity and belonging. For the 2020 election in Michigan, the primary is Aug. 4 and the general election is Nov. 3.Milt Klingensmith | MLive.com. LaphamI would pursue a balanced approach that would include more equitably rethinking existing resources, identifying and eliminating structural inefficiencies, and securing and prioritizing equitable distribution of new revenue. This influenced my choice to become a teacher to make sure every child has access to a quality public education. I believe that we are not preparing our children for adulthood and the world that is so different from the one we grew up in. Im running for this position because I want to help all kids thrive. Im worried that the teachers will be blamed (rather than the pandemic) and Im concerned that this will be added to teacher performance measures that are already inaccurate and ineffective. Finally, we need to improve public trust by having the board provide more communication direction and leadership to the Ann Arbor Public Schools superintendent and administration. https://www.communitycenteredcandidatesforaaps.com/. Our staff needs to be compensated justly, as they provide the social emotional and mental health support that our babies need. Paulette Metoyer commented on Contact 2020-06-22 11:50:16 -0700. . Facebook gives people the power to share and. ANN ARBOR, MI - While three members of the Ann Arbor School Board whose terms expire at the end of the year have opted not to seek re-election, there is no shortage of interest from the community in filling those seats, with 13 candidates vying for four seats in the Nov. 8 general election. Second, I want to help the Ann Arbor Schools move towards an open school system. I would like to see a strong free tutoring system in place for eligible students, i.e. The pandemic school closures made these persistent disparities even worse, and we have to act. . Susan . Paulette Metoyer ran for election for an at-large seat of the Ann Arbor Board of Education in Michigan. Some of these will be both critical and urgent in terms of needing to be solved. We have an opportunity to used the $1Bn AAPS infrastructure bond to invest to invest in: improving building efficiency using LEED green standards; renewable energy sources like solar and geothermal; and to transition the transportation fleet to electric. Addressing the labor shortage which has been a national problem for a long time. Earns designation as a Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO). Addressing inflation and staffing shortages -- which includes addressing teacher pay, satisfaction and well-being -- must be a priority. A community in which privileged families could choose in-person learning while families that depended on public schools could only choose virtual was against every progressive value I know. My wife and I have two sons that attend AAPS, and she has many, many patients that see her at C.S. Also my lived experiences have shown me that systemic racism is still harming Ann Arbor students. Keeping our public schools in person will require continued investment in smart approaches to public health and addressing staffing shortages by truly listening to our AAPS employees about what they need. Through my service on the AAPS board I want to continue to advocate for students, families and those that educate our children. Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. If it was not for the public schools, especially the teachers, I would not be where I am today. The alteration in body chemistry from CO2 (the same CO2 that the environmentalists abhor) that results from these masks is extensive but the long term consequences are currently unknown, as this has never been done in the history of the world. But Id like to see more of a focus on our neuro-diverse and non-traditional learners, as well as a commitment to obliterate the opportunity gap also known as the achievement gap that exists for students in traditionally marginalized populations. How do we make it better?- that aids in teaching ac-countably, Mental Health and Social Work support, Skill Trades, Teacher Autonomy to do the jobs they went to school to do, and teaching our children to respect and honor our environment. My family struggled and we have lived through tough financial, social and emotional struggles, including racism and poverty. Free Income Tax Filing Assistance Available Sign up starts January 19 Read on. All responses in the voter guide were submitted directly by the candidate and have not been edited by the League of Women Voters, except for a necessary cut if a reply exceeded character limitations. The general fund, the majority of which covers teacher salaries, has limited flexibility is rightly spent cautiously on District priorities. For example, we are building new schools in an environmentally sustainable way. Van Havermaat to win re-election to another two-year term on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners, representing District 9 in Ann Arbor. Further progress for our district on reducing the number of days our students miss school for any reason. Start Date Candidate Category Ad Tone Lng Title Run Time Contributor Locally, at the board of education level, our challenge is to build back confidence in our public schools, show that we can raise learning achievement for all students, provide wise oversight of public funds, and create the broad community support we will need when some of the current local bond funding the Ann Arbor Public Schools rely on comes to an end. Preparing AAPS students for a modern global workforce by engaging stakeholders to craft, high-quality, student-centered systems for AAPS. 2020 Nov 3 :: General Election :: County Treasurer :: Washtenaw County. He is a graduate of Washtenaw Community College and Wayne State University, with two masters degrees from University of Michigan. County Treasurer Vote for not more than 1 Catherine McClary Democrat Paulette Metoyer Republican Water Resources Commissioner Vote for not more than 1 Evan N. Pratt . Washtenaw County treasurer Catherine McClary (Dem) Paulette Metoyer (Rep) District 1 county commissioner Jason Maciejewski (Dem) Rod Anderson (Rep) District 2 county commissioner Sue. As a member of the AAPS Board, Id like to help the district revisit the way in which its existing systems and processes perpetuate inequities between schools. The local interpretation of state law is up to us on that, and we need to take a closer look at the way we are implementing it here in AAPS, and think outside the box about ways of implementation that will actually *increase* equity between schools. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Prior to her election as Washtenaw County treasurer, McClary worked in the private sector as a stockbroker and investment advisor. I would also engage the educators, parents, the business community students, and everyone with a stake in public education to collectively determine a plan for funding and implementing the strategies from the Launch Michigan Framework (www.launchmichigan.org; the National Center of Educational Excellence and the Economy (www.ncee.org); Detroit Disability Power (https://www.detroitdisabilitypower.org); Center for Disability Justice (www.disabilityjustice.org) and the Therapist Neurodiversity Collaborative (www.therapistndc.org).Detailed policy proposals including how to develop Effective Teachers, Principles, and Administrators are available at: www.jeremylapham.info. Providing them with the best public education and learning environment we can is an important aspect of their daily lives.Growing up, my familys dinner table conversations were most often about life in and around public schools. One issue I particularly care about is literacy equity. She has been a communications professional in health care for nearly two decades. Candidates for the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education include: (top row, left to right) Barry Schumer, Jacinda Townsend Gides, Alex Wood, Paulette Metoyer, Jamila James, Leslie Wilkins and Andrew Spencer; (bottom row, left to right) Jeremy Lapham, Rima Mohammad, Kai Cortina, Susan Baskett, Lena Kauffman and Susan Ward Schmidt.Photos provided. First, and most important, we must improve academic performance by Ann Arbor students. The achievement gap is really an opportunity and resource gap. If elected, my process for building consensus on the Board will include evidence-based justification for why to tackle an issue and how the issue can best be solved or improved. Candidates in this contest and votes received: Catherine McClary (72.6%), Paulette Metoyer (27.4%), Rejected write-ins (0.1%), Unassigned write-ins (0.0%), Undervotes (6.6%), Overvotes (0.0%), Invalid Votes (0.0%), Total Votes Cast (0.0%), and Total Ballots Cast (0.0%). It does not mean another $10 million in technology funding on more apps and devices, some of which are hardly used and parents dont want. In addition, I predict over the coming year the Board will become aware of challenges (some pandemic related, some not) that are currently hidden or havent been brought to the Boards attention. In order to achieve an equitable public-school system the district ought to implement a comprehensive DEI strategy with quantitative measures of equity. Although the Ann Arbor Public Schools are known for excellence, there has been little progress on improving the education outcomes for minority, low income and special education students. A strong board of education can greatly affect student achievement. As a veteran teacher my top priority has always been to make sure my students felt the classroom and the school was a safe place. The first four goals are: 1) to hear from our community 2) Enhance our work on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility 3) Continue to enhance academic, social, emotional and mental health. Equity, equity, equity. I will work with administrators and principle to increase access to our schools to civic organizations, leaders in business, education, labor, and parents to ensure high quality offerings to AAPSs students. While there has been a lot of great work on behalf of students, families, teachers, educators and communities across Michigan there is still much that remains to be done, and I am up for the challenge! Prior to her election as Washtenaw County treasurer, McClary worked in the private sector as a stockbroker and investment advisor. Literacy equity means that ALL children have the right to receive effective instruction grounded in educational research so they develop strong foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics. 5. 3. School boards cant and shouldnt micromanage education, but they should set clear priorities and demand year-over-year improvement in outcomes. Too many schools and teachers have supported the use of a new language with the goal of weakening boundaries, and weakening parents influence over their children. Mott Childrens Hospital that are AAPS students. Mohammad has experience as a clinician, educator and researcher. She is a member of Ann Arbor School Parents Intent on Racial Equity, the Skyline PTSO, PTOC and Washtenaw County Equitable Engagement Steering Committee. We then have parents fighting the use of digital devices. Predicting the future is tough. Election results and vote counts for candidates for office, ballot questions, and party enrollment and voter registration and turnout statistics. Special education is also something we need to ensure is prioritized. What are your priorities in balancing the budget? The school board was hit with some unnecessary nastiness that should to be addressed before we can comfortably come together. Terms of Use | I am motivated by the encroachment of the public school systems into the practice of medicine and psychiatry, and the failure of the current leaders to appreciate this. (The county board had been reconfigured into new districts following the 1980 census.). Also, access to the arts reinforces positive mental health. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. DATE? I love the city of Ann Arbor, and want to give back. We need to protect what make our community so special. Lets ensure teachers love being at AAPS and want to stay. The treasurer's primary responsibilities are to safeguard public funds and to collect and account for the revenue used to operate programs for county residents. AAPS succumbed to the temptation to follow populist opinions rather than following the science - a cardinal mistake with negative consequences for many students, specifically those with minority background and those living in poverty. Students need to see these aspects of themselves celebrated and reflected in curriculum materials and in classroom and extracurricular activities. I will accomplish this by being vocal about the needs of the most vulnerable and encouraging my fellow trustees to support my goals while engaging our Superintendent. As a board member I pushed to disarm the SROs in the Monroe County schools, and when the Indiana state legislature passed a bill allowing school districts to join social justice education with curricula, I very quickly wrote and passed our districts resolution to do so. Dr. Paulette Margaret Metoyer M.D. Policies and strategies I would pursue include: Identify and implement research-based modalities for improving social, emotional and physical needs of students; Improve services and implement evidence based strategies to help children struggling with mental health; Ensure that teachers, students, and administrators, and para-professionals are supported. Ann Arbor MI 48105 (Photo from The Ann Arbor Chronicle.). I want to keep public schools in-person, address the harms to learning outcomes many students experienced during virtual school, and improve clear and transparent communication about district decisions. Putting capitalism /Ego/Prestige and Optics above our children and their future. MLive/The Ann Arbor News partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide candidate information for readers. I will work to accomplish these goals by first meeting with each trustee to lead a clear understanding of what can and cannot be done by a strong, well-trained and cohesive board of education. Re-establishing relationships with other key stakeholders in the community. ANN ARBOR, MI In addition to helping decide the nations president for the next four years, Washtenaw County voters will decide dozens of contested races for local, state and federal offices in the Nov. 3 election. She also has served as president of the Head Start Parent committee, as a room and band parent and has completed Diversity and Inclusion training including Unconscious Bias and You. She was in her early 20s at the time, and served in that part-time role through 1988. Find creative ways to make PTO and PTO-like funding more equitable across our district. When one school isnt performing as well as others, all schools arent performing as well as they could, and at the root of many student achievement problems are inequities that are made worse by misallocation of resources and systematic segregation of students by race and socioeconomic status. Wilkins has degrees in both music and psychology from the University of Michigan. I know if we elect enough people brave enough to make the hard right choice, we can make a real difference this year. Were finally recognizing the importance of having mental health resources available for our teenagers, but I want to work on ways to increase those resources at the elementary level now, too. Analyzing DEIA needs and implementing sustainable interventions to ensure these needs are addressed. The challenges facing Ann Arbor Public Schools are around issues surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism, transparency and community engagement, opportunity gaps, and learning and curriculum assessment. And who once said give me a child for 4 hours a day over 4 years, and I will have them believing anything I want them to? If not, you are nothing more than a hypocrite. Public school administrators are acting out of their realm of expertise in issuing such mandates and they are physically and emotionally harming children. This, in the same school district, is unacceptable. I plan to analyze and address opportunity gaps in education to ensure consistency throughout the district. Baskett is the owner/operator of a licensed day care home, specializing in caring for children with special needs. Lets remember that the ultimate responsibility of schools is to create adults who are literate in reading, math and sciences, and who can critically think, enabling them to be part of our great American civilization. Analyzing and addressing opportunity gaps in education to ensure consistency in education throughout the district. Students thrive when they are safe, healthy, free from harassment and can see themselves reflected in the curriculum. In-person quality public school is simply essential and cant be compromised. In Michigan, the largest share of funding is determined by the state and follows student enrollment. Dr. Paulette M. Metoyer is an internist in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Additionally, there is significant evidence that student who face discrimination at school struggle with both their mental health and academic achievement. I think this will allow us to each exhale, reflect and re-commit to our community. MLive has partnered with the nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Michigan to provide information to voters. He said he wants to work on solving the districts hard problems, aiming to find solutions that work for the entire community. 6. We need to ensure that staff positions (e.g., the senior high school counselor) are paid competitively to similar positions at UM so that we retain our paraprofessionals. A students ability to learn is determined by a number of factors outside of the classroom (e.g., hunger, homelessness, poverty, violence, mental health, and unsafe environmental conditions); therefore we need a comprehensive approach to ensure that students have access to high-quality health care, financial support, and out-of school opportunities that support their success. Nov. 4, 2008: Wins re-election for a fourth four-year term as Washtenaw County treasurer. Once assessed, a teacher needs to develop an individualized learning plan. Establish a merit based program and abandon the focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, which rewards those who have not achieved and punishes those who have by denying them the fruits of their labor. 4. She was one of the founders of Ann Arbor Reasonable Return - a grassroots advocacy group that describes itself as dedicated to an evidence-based approach to pandemic school reopening.. Coming from a home where my father did not graduate from high school and my mother was raised in an orphanage, I learned the importance of an education. I will request for more support for teachers and staff which includes increased salaries, more manageable workloads, increased resources, and dedicated time for other activities, such as committee involvement. The Ann Arbor Public School system seems to have no problem with the over representation of certain groups in sports teams, why is there a problem for academic achievement? She also has served on other nonprofit boards for the last nine years. One major priority that I have is around making sure that we have counselors, special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and specialized teaching consultants to make sure that all learners, elementary students in particular, are learning to their maximum potential, particularly in reading and writing. The board of education needs to get back to business at meetings, not promotional videos, and keep the community informed about progress on these challenges every step of the way. I am running to continue to keep our students and staff safe and successful.