On May 15, Jamesville-DeWitt School District residents will elect three members of the board of education, to serve three-year terms beginning July 1. Seven candidates have filed to run in the election: Paul Gratien, Michelle Kielbasinski, Joshua King, Joshua D. Mele, Wendy Rhodes, Juanita Rivera-Ortiz and Mark Shulman.
All seven candidates were sent identical questionnaires from the Eagle Bulletin. Five of the seven candidates responded; their responses are printed below in alphabetical order by last name.
Paul Gratien
What are top three issues the district faces, and how would you address these as a board member?
The top three issues that I would like to address as a board member are school safety, special education and personalized learning, and communication with parents.
I believe the board is making great strides in school safety and I will continue to push for an aggressive agenda to insure that our children are safe.
In the area of special education, I would fight to make sure that the current programs are maintained and more services are provided for families with special needs students. Students IEP’s need to be followed and 504 plans honored. I would also like to see a personalized learning program implemented in the district to insure every student’s needs are met regardless of their academic level.
Lastly, I’d work to insure better communication from the top down with the parents. Our schools need to be a welcoming environment to the students as well as the parents.
How do you feel about the district’s current and planned procedures for maintaining and improving school safety, and why?
I am happy to see that the district is taking school safety very seriously by adding a resource officer in the high school, adding a psychologist and counselors in all schools and taking protective measures to limit the points of entrance to the buildings.
I also support the recommendation to install state of the art video monitoring systems, and having access badges for all staff and guests. I believe the guest badges should be integrated with an ID scanning system to verify the identity of the visitor. This is a standard system in most local hospitals.
In addition, I think it is imperative that all staff engage in a rigorous training program that would help identify problems before they arise. This should include a comprehensive anti-bullying curriculum.
Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for your consideration of my membership to the Jamesville-DeWitt Board of Education. If chosen, I will do all that I can to insure that my children and yours will have a safe and effective education that will prepare them for all future endeavors.
Joshua King
What are top three issues the district faces, and how would you address these as a board member?
Student success is only measurable based on the individual, which becomes contingent upon more than just academics; making issues like representation, diversity and inclusion paramount to all students’ educational processes. I embody diversity and understand fully the adversity thereof.
As a member of the Jamesville-Dewitt school board, I will work hard to ensure that students and families are supported in the classroom and the community through leveraging partnerships and community engagement in strategic planning, training/capacity building, as well as empowerment and self-actualization opportunities.
How do you feel about the district’s current and planned procedures for maintaining and improving school safety and why?
Personally, I am more concerned about the internal structure of our district than the consideration of outside factors. Safety begins with meaningful relationships and an environment that is firmly rooted in community. Our district’s response to the issue of safety has been reactive, only becoming concerning as it relates to specific events.
While I am encouraged by the proposed increase of mental health professionals, we need to develop a comprehensive strategy that includes improved emergency procedures for each building, as well as in the event of a community crisis. I believe that this conversation is multi-dimensional; therefore, much consideration should be given to this process, and all stakeholders need to be participatory.
Anything else you would like to add?
This election is not about winning, rather it is about making effectual change that will take the JD district from being great to becoming excellent. We have the capability of transcending the way we think about education, and ultimately improving student outcomes, self-efficacy and community.
Wendy Rhodes
What are top three issues the district faces, and how would you address these as a board member?
The top three issues the district faces are safety, transparency and equity.
As a board member, I would advocate for meaningfully and measurably improving safety in our schools, including nurturing a strong and inclusive community where students are less likely to be isolated or bullied; increasing transparency and communication throughout the district in a real effort to engage parents, foster dialogue and positively respond to issues; and ensuring all students, including students of color and students with different abilities, are treated equitably and are equally able to take part in the excellence for which the Jamesville-Dewitt district is known.
How do you feel about the district’s current and planned procedures for maintaining and improving school safety, and why?
I support school safety and am impressed with the addition of counselors in each school. I support many of the planned security, entry and emergency measures. We need to do more work finding safe ways for the school buildings to remain part of our community activities and ensuring safety measuring are welcoming to all parents and students.
I strongly oppose the addition of a School Resource Officer. I agree with Superintendent Kendrick’s data-supported view that building good relationships with students is the most effective way to prevent violence and that having an SRO might work against the district’s safety goals.
Anything else you would like to add?
I bring an extensive background in non-profit leadership, financial management and educational advocacy. I am running for school board to ensure that the district seeks innovative solutions to challenges; offers transparency in its operations and decision-making processes; builds a safe and welcoming community in all schools; and promotes equity for all students, including students of color and with different abilities.
We have much to be proud of, and much work to do. Together we can ensure J-D is a center for academic excellence, a supportive learning environment, and an equitable and inclusive community where all children are valued and can succeed.
Juanita Rivera-Ortiz
What are top three issues the district faces, and how would you address these as a board member?
The top three issues facing our district are school safety, school achievement and school funding. I intend to bring a fresh and reaffirmed approach to governance and oversight that will help leverage diverse thoughts in problem-solving with collaboration, not confrontation.
My vision is to bring a lens to the board that filters our fear and focuses on data-based, expert-advised and community-driven solutions. Two overarching, yet foundational, solutions include communication systems that are effective and timely and a re-cultivation cultivation of civility, kindness and the welcoming reputation that our JD has held for so long.
How do you feel about the district’s current and planned procedures for maintaining and improving school safety and why?
Our community deserves a safety plan that will address the realities and risks that our students and staff are dealing with today. Our children are facing physical, emotional and mental violence by drug abuse, online gaming addictions and mishandled anxiety.
We need a full and ongoing safety risk assessment advised by experts such as first-responders, school safety experts, mental health professions, students and staff. We must thoughtfully apply solutions that balance impact and likelihood and consider access for programs that encourage community and parental engagement (scouts, sports, concerts, voting, room parents, lunch parents, PTG and more).
Anything else you would like to add?
I’m energized by the number of candidates that have come to the fore with a passionate and purposeful intent to shine a light on diversity, equity and inclusion. To achieve true collaboration, we must intentionally strive to understand each other.
We are fortunate to have a rich kaleidoscope of cultures, backgrounds and perspectives in our district. The focus on understanding the needs of each student in our community to bring them the best experience possible is what our JD is all about.
Mark Shulman
What are top three issues the district faces, and how would you address these as a board member?
- School safety is the top priority of the school district. See below for more on school safety.
- Building the budget for the district is a challenge every year. State aid is unpredictable. Expenses such as health insurance and pension costs continue to rise. The school board’s goal each year is to maintain all of the programs the district offers while staying within the two percent tax cap.
- The district is currently discussing the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. I am serving on the district’s Steering Committee that is exploring these important issues.
How do you feel about the district’s current and planned procedures for maintaining and improving school safety, and why?
I am a member of the District Wide School Safety Team. The safety team has made recommendations to the school board and the school board has accepted those recommendations. They include adding additional counseling staff, adding and upgrading cameras for buildings and buses and hiring a School Resource Officer.
The district is taking many steps to tighten security measures in all of our buildings. The safety of our students and staff is my number one concern.
Anything else you would like to add?
I am currently president of the JD Board of Education. I have served on the board for nine years, making me the second most senior member of our board. It is important to have experienced board members to help mentor the newer board members.
My wife, Diane, and I are both JD graduates. Our son, Hal, is a 2017 JD graduate. Our son, Max, is in 11th grade. I bring to the school board a lot of valuable experience with the district. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to represent our school district on the JD Board of Education.
