Author: StgCoach

Since early in this campaign, I have been emphasizing three themes: Commitment, Service, and Leadership. On Friday I wrote about Commitment; yesterday I wrote about Service; and today I’m taking up the third theme: Leadership.

When I attend a meeting of the State Board of Education, it seems clear that the people there–appointed and elected, Republicans and Democrats–are trying in their own ways to do the right thing for Ohio’s kids. They are generally conscientious and sincere.

But that doesn’t mean that they’re right. As Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” And some positions taken by some State Board of Education members are simply wrong.

The State Board of Education can play a role in upholding what works best for schools and kids. We can’t get there by talking only with people who agree with us. We need to point out when members are mistaken, persuade those who are persuadable, and unite those who advocate for responsible positions; and those are leadership skills.

My work as a leader of educators has taught me to work with a very diverse membership, the public, and lawmakers, and to reach across organizational divides. Fifteen months of observing State School Board meetings convince me that the Board needs those skills, and I look forward to bringing them to Columbus.

With the proper leadership, the State Board of Education can lead the way for things we know work for kids: consistency; patience; high expectations; and respect for learners, educators, and learning itself. And if we can do that, all of us will benefit.

This post originally appeared on the website of my 2016 campaign for State Board of Education, http://bill4board.us.

Since early in this campaign, I have been emphasizing three themes: Commitment, Service, and Leadership. Yesterday I explained what I mean by Commitment, and today I’m writing about Service.

I believe in the power of people to get things done when they work together, and as a result I have worked in a wide variety of religious, musical, civic, educational, political, and professional organizations. Those experiences have taught me how to turn good intentions into concrete steps that can help get things accomplished, and some of those steps apply to the work of the State School Board.

State Board of Education District 11 includes 27 K-12 school districts. Over these past months I have reached out to all of them to introduce myself, both to open communications and to learn about them in order to represent them effectively.

Generally, they have welcomed this outreach, but they have also been a bit surprised to be getting this kind of attention. That’s because I offer a much higher expectation of the service to be provided by a State School Board member. I offer two main ways to raise the level of service, and both ways are grounded in my organizational experience.

• First, I will provide a monthly report on actions of the State Board of Education. This simple step seems so basic to good representation that I am surprised that previous SBOE members haven’t done it. It’s what I did as a union representative, and it makes sense to do it as a State School Board member.
• Second, upon taking office I will immediately begin scheduling community outreach sessions to meet with residents and learn their observations on how Ohio’s schools are serving Ohio’s kids. I’ve learned that you don’t get far sitting around waiting for people to come to you: you have to go to them.

My vision of Service is based on my experience of service to the community, the education profession, and my church. I look forward to providing a radically different level of service to the communities, educators, and families of District 11, for the good of Ohio’s kids.

Tomorrow, the third theme: Leadership.

This post originally appeared on the website of my 2016 campaign for State Board of Education, http://bill4board.us.

The voters and residents of our district have my commitment to three critical issues in the campaign for the State Board of Education. I summarize them as Overtesting, Underfunding, and Privatizing.

Let’s review:

• Overtesting: Parents, teachers, and community members ask more questions about this topic than the others combined. That’s not surprising, since this issue directly affects children. Quite simply, we are using too many tests, frequently the wrong tests, and we are using them for the wrong reasons. While the State Board of Education can’t end high-stakes testing, I am committed to holding the line on reasonable use of those tests, including the setting of “cut scores.”
• Underfunding: More spending won’t solve all the problems of schools; but many of those problems are aggravated by Ohio’s unconstitutional  school funding system, which relies too heavily on local property taxes. While the State Board of Education doesn’t have authority over Ohio’s budget, I am committed to working with legislators of both parties to find a solution to this problem.
• Privatizing: Ohio’s kids have a constitutional right to a “thorough and efficient system of common schools,” and school choice shouldn’t be used to dismantle that system. Ohio’s charter schools are protected in law, but I am committed to making sure that the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Ohio Department of Education do their jobs to make sure that charter schools are held accountable.

There’s more, of course. but these three examples make a good start in identifying my priorities. Commitment is the first of three themes that I have emphasized since early in this campaign. Coming up in these final days are the other themes: Service and Leadership.

This post originally appeared on the website of my 2016 campaign for State Board of Education, http://bill4board.us.