MAT-SU — After a crowded election on Oct. 6, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board will be filled with at least one new face.

Three seats are up for election this year, and 10 contenders have thrown their hats in the ring. Following, there are brief profiles of each candidate based on their answers to questions posed by the Frontiersman. Their complete responses can be found at www.frontiersman.com.

In Seat A, current school board president Jim Colver is not running for re-election. Voters will choose one of four candidates to replace him. Neal Lacy is a retired vocational teacher and product of the Mat-Su schools. He wants to ensure students get the same education he got and thinks the borough should build one new school every year to keep up with growth. The schools get just enough funding, he said, but it is not always spent in the right way.

A long-time advocate for special education issues and rights, Jamey Duhamel is raising four children in the school system. The district should be preparing for expansion now, rather than waiting until the schools are overcrowded, she said. She is a three-year volunteer on the budget advisory committee and understands where the money goes and just how thin it is stretched.

After 24 years working for the Mat-Su Borough Correspondence Study School and owning his own educational consulting business, Michael Dunleavy has experience in every aspect of running a district. He will focus on bringing students back into the district and said charter schools, correspondence programs and vocational training could do this without additional buildings. Schools should focus on meeting the needs of children first, and then fit their resources to meet these needs.

Adam Boyd has three children in the district and will focus on the making decisions based on facts and improving the educational experience of students. The district has the right number of schools now but need to be looking toward future expansion, he said. More funding would be ideal, but he will work to secure the maximum amount and distribute it wisely.

Dean Baugh has dropped his name from the list of candidates.

Incumbent Sarah Welton will have to hold off two competitors — Robert Doyle and James Tapley — if she is to retain Seat B.

Welton has worked with the district in psychology and mental health issues and has worked toward a strategic plan while on the school board. The borough is already looking for new high school locations down Knik-Goose Bay Road, she said, and focus should also be placed on replacing old schools in the district. The schools are not getting enough funding, she added. Federal stimulus money is helping, but it will run out next year.

Doyle has worked for Alaska’s schools for 31 years. His priority on the board would be to adequately fund the teachers and programs to extend learning. Iditarod Elementary needs a new building, he said, and spending should be focused on improving student learning first.

Tapley is running for school board to create a better learning environment for students. The borough needs to assess the areas of growth and plan for new facilities accordingly, he said. Tapley said schools get enough funding and an assessment should be done to determine the financial need of each school.

Erick Cordero was appointed in April to fill a vacancy in Seat E. He faces a re-election challenge from Julie Collins and Dave Anderton.

Cordero is married to a public school teacher and has a student in the district. He is reading articles and talking to educators, trying to gain as much knowledge as he can. The borough will have the need for new schools, but now it needs to focus on maintaining the ones it has, he said. He believes a lack of funding is the biggest issue facing the district, a problem that starts at the state level.

Collins has a master’s degree in education and is currently teaching algebra at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The slowing of growth coming with the current recession will give the district time to study if and where new schools are needed, she said. Collins thinks funding has been cut to the bone and there is no room in the budget for programs like art, music and leadership.

Anderton has been a cooperate trainer and oversaw the custodial contract NANA Management Services had with the district. He said board members are not responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the district and should focus on setting guidelines and oversight.

The district needs more schools now, and the schools will always need more money, Anderton said. Instead of asking for more, they should look at allowing unused funds to roll over to the next year.

The complete answers from each of the candidates can be found at www.frontiersman.com.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.

Questions from the Frontiersman to the candidates for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough school board.

1. What is your background in education?

2. Why are you running for the school board?

3. Should the district welcome and support charter schools?

4. Do you think any areas of the district need more schools now? Or will they in 10 years?

5. Do the schools get enough funding? Is it being properly spent?

School Board Seat A

Neal Lacy

1. I am a retired Vocational teacher from the Mat-Su District

 

2. I am a product of the Mat-Su district and I want our children to get the same good education as I got. I believe we can do this without raising property taxes.

 

3. Yes as long as they are open to all who want to attend.

 

4. The Mat-Su is the fastest growing area in the state. We should be building one new school every year. We will need more schools north of wasilla.

 

5. We get just enough funding. Things the district cant budget for are fuel and heating cost, this will always be a problem. The money we do get is not always spent with the best judgement.

Jamey Duhamel

1. I have worked with the school district on special education issues since 2006 when I joined the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) of Mat-Su.  I chaired that committee for over a year and spoke on behalf of concerned parents and teachers to the school district and school board re: matters important to the education of their children.  I joined the Board of Directors for LINKS, Mat-Su Parent Resource Center in 2007 which is a local non-profit that serves parents of children with disabilities within the Mat-Su Borough school district to understand their rights, access IEP services, and get information about other resources in the community.  I have served as President of this board for about 1.5 years now and we work very closely with district administrators and teachers to not only provide needed trainings re: disabilities but also to make sure each child's educational needs are being met.

 

As a former employee of The Children's Place, I co-created a curriculum called WISE Kids to teach elementary school children about sexual abuse prevention with local child therapist, Lori Houston, and pediatric nurse practitioner, Marg Volz. We taught this curriculum in elementary schools when requested and also trained community volunteers to teach the class in order to meet the demand.

2. As a mother raising four children in our community, I have a vested interest in the quality of education provided in our schools.  As a child advocate, I understand the impact of education and believe it is a reflection of the priorities of our community as well as a possible indicator of future social conditions and standards of living.  I have spent the last 10 years working, volunteering, and providing leadership for many social services in our state and borough.  I intend to use my experience and passion for child advocacy, as well as my experience as a mother, to uphold the mission of the school board.

3. I think the district would be remiss not to welcome and support any educational program, service, or alternative delivery system that has proven to be effective at educating children.  Our children are not cookie cut-outs.  Families come in all forms and should be allowed the benefit of choosing the educational path they determine is right for them. 

 

4. As everyone who lives in the borough is aware, we are growing quickly.  In 10 years, we will need more schools in many places but the trends of growth indicate that the Knik-Goosebay area will need the most attention.  It would behoove the district to look into land purchases in that area soon, before we find ourselves with severely overcrowded schools and a possible time and money crunch that will force hasty decision making.  In other words, let's plan now to avoid a crisis in the future.

5. I have volunteered my time with the school district as a community member for the past three years by serving on their Program Based Budgeting (PBB) advisory committee.  Because of this experience, I have gained intimate knowledge of how school budgets work and the constraints put upon them each year as they strive to serve children's educational needs without sacrificing quality.  With 90% of the district's budget going toward personnel, even the slightest decrease often means the loss of jobs.  Very capable school administrators do everything they can to make sure each penny is spent appropriately and is serving the best interest of the students. 

 

As I understand it, the Assembly chooses not to fund the district to the cap.  There is very little wiggle room in the school district's budget.  This means not having enough money with which to try new programs or be innovative with curriculum. This hurts the district's ability to serve all educational needs and to tackle important issues such as the high school drop out rate and national performance standards. 

 

Michael Dunleavy

1. I have been in education for over 24 years as a teacher, principal, superintendent, administrator for the Mat-Su Borough Correspondence Study School, and owner of a statewide educational consulting business. I have knowledge and experience with budget development, fiscal management, personnel management, grant writing/implementation, instructional program development, capital projects/ major maintenance, lobbying and funding acquisition. I will focus on meeting the educational needs of each individual child through allotted resources in a targeted and efficient manner.

2. I have been a resident of Alaska since 1984 and a lifelong educator. I have been married for 21 years to my wife Rose, a lifelong Alaskan, and have three children who attend our valley schools. I think the school district does a good job with the majority of our students. However, I think we can do better. Although the district educates thousands of children, and many of those children go on to have successful lives, there are still thousands more who reside in the borough and do not currently attend our schools, who we need to pay attention to. Many of these students have dropped out of the system. There is a need to bring these children back into the district and educate them. In addition, not having these children enrolled in our district represents a loss of thousands of dollars in state and federal funding for each child that would otherwise be directed to our borough schools.  Instead of asking residents of the borough to pay more in taxes to support the district, enrolling these students in meaningful programs will result in additional state and federal funding. As a parent, a quality program is important to me. The bottom line is I am running to help each child in our borough receive the best education possible.

3. Yes. Any program that assists children in attaining a quality education should be part of the school district’s opportunities.

4. If the question is asking whether the school district needs new school “buildings” this remains to be seen. It will depend upon where the growing population centers occur within the borough. I do believe the district will need to continue to develop a number of educational opportunities and programs for all students that may not need large school buildings. Programs such as charter schools, expanded correspondence offerings, more vocational training, and increased college course credit could be added without the need for additional buildings.

5. There is always a debate surrounding this issue. Given rising costs, the current economic situation, and the discussion of additional taxes in the borough, I believe this issue needs close examination. We need to focus on what the school district’s core mission is and whether it is realistic to try and be all things to all people. We will need to focus on the educational needs of the child first, and meet those needs with our available resources, before we look at funding additional aspects of the school district program.

Adam Boyd

1. I have three children in the public school system and have had many family members serve in the school district past and present. Until now I have just been a parent, with a concern for my children’s future.  Now I would like to use the experience that I have gained in my professional life, for a cause that I am passionate about. 

2. I have a vested interest in the education system, being that I have children currently enrolled in public schools. I care about the education they are receiving not only now but in the future as well.  Our children are the future of our community, so let’s invest in them. If I can be a part of improving the Matanuska Susitna borough’s education system, then by all means, I will put forth every effort to do so.

I possess a talent to stick to the facts. The decisions I make in my life not only on a personal level but on a professional level as well are made according to the facts and what effect they will have on the people around me. 

3. I support Charter Schools and love to see the parent involvement that they have a standard for.  I think that greater parental involvement will create a situation where parents are more accountable for the education of their children.

4. Currently I do not think that our borough needs additional schools but in the future more than likely we will.        The Valley has been and will continue to be the bedroom community for anchorage, so we will only continue to grow. With the overcrowding in our classrooms and the No child left behind act, it is important to assure that our teachers are supported but not overwhelmed.

5. Can you put a price on our children’s education? Of course more funding would be ideal, all we can do is secure the maximum amount possible and then distribute it strategically and wisely.

School Board Seat B

Sarah Welton

1. I have a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology and am currently beginning the research phase of my PhD in Organizational Psychology. I have worked in the Mat Su School District as a mental health clinician based at Big Lake Elementary School under a contract with the community mental health center for a year and a half beginning in 2000.  I am an adjunct instructor at Mat Su College and have taught courses in Early Childhood Education and Psychology since 2003. As a member of the Mat Su School Board since 2003, I have served on several committees including the Professional Development Design Team which was put in place to help teachers become highly qualified and meet the high standards for teaching that our district requires. I was involved in the inservice presentations for the introduction of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in our district. I worked with the administration to bring about a strategic plan for the district during my time of service on the board.

2. I am running for school board as a way to give back to my community. In understanding the idea of public service I look at what I can do for the community not what the community can do for me.  I believe that I have gifts and talents that relate to critical thinking, working with people, and developing policies that reflect the vision of the district.  The school board is given the task of directing the school district through policy and statute. I believe that I have the ability to listen, deliberate, and make thoughtful decisions.

3. Charter schools are part of the current system of schools of choice in our district. We currently have four. Historically we have had two failures of charter schools. One charter school was actually up and running but failed to be accountable in several ways. Another school could not show accountability in leadership, curriculum, or financial areas and therefore did not open.  I believe that the school district should welcome charter schools but also be diligent in the process of vetting the schools. This is to ensure that what is being proposed and what happens are supported by academic criteria, best practices for staffing ratios, financial solvency, and “what’s best for children” being the ultimate goal.

4. The school district is already planning for more schools in the district. During the past 5 years the district has grown about one elementary school each year and planning needs to address this growth. The growth in the valley is purported to show signs of moving down Knik Goose Bay Road. The borough is looking at trying to locate property in this area for another high school and possibly another middle school. Where a new school will be in the district does depend on the economy and where the population is settled although some areas do grow up after a school is put in place.

Mat Su Career and Technical High School was built with the idea of future additions. There is the need to look at permanent buildings for Pathways, Academy Charter School, and the Mat Su Day School. Correspondence School has also outgrown its space. The district will need to address a new elementary school in the Wasilla area replacing Iditarod as the building is “tired” and renovating this building would be more expensive than building new.

5. No, schools do not get enough funding. When constituents are asked “What do you want to see in our schools?” the answers include: more sports, classes in film production, radio and TV, robotics, more emphasis on the arts in elementary school, a lower pupil-teacher ratio, and a return to swimming as a required class (and therefore more pools), more emphasis on a “classical education,” and more experiential educational opportunities.

As it stands now, schools are close to being “adequately” funded this year due to stimulus money allowing the district to provide some services and programs that would not be possible otherwise. The district still eliminated some teaching positions, coaching positions, nurses, and administrative personnel. The way the district receives money from the state is peculiar and is based on making an accurate guess by December of one year as to how many students are in the schools taken as an average of 20 days in October the next year. The borough also weighs in and has not funded the district to the cap in many years. Next year there will still be some stimulus money but the year after that it will be gone and then programs and services will be lost. The district has made preparations to be ready for the changes due to the loss of revenue.

The administration, with the Programmed Based Budgeting (PBB) process, is far more transparent than it has ever been. Involvement in the PBB and reviewing the yearly audits provide the oversight that reports that the money is properly spent. The district spends most of its funds on personnel. Teachers are the most important piece in the education process. The connection a student makes with a teacher has been shown, in scientific studies, as essential for a student to be successful.

Robert Doyle

1. I graduated from East Anchorage High School in 1972, and after getting a bachelors degree at the University of Oregon I worked for the next 31 years in Alaskan public schools from Anchorage, Sitka, and Mat-Su.  My two children graduated from local high schools and were successful in college.  My wife was born and raised in Alaska, and she is working as a teacher in our school district.  I received a Masters Degree in Public School Administration from UAA.

 

2. The first and foremost priority of each school board is to seek and obtain funding and provide support that allows classroom teachers to improve student learning.  Each board member should adhere to the approved funding priorities developed under Program Based Budgeting whether funding is scarce or abundant.

 

We can reduce the drop-out rate.  We can improve learning for all students including special populations, minority students, and students from less affluent families.  Board members must focus on proven methods of closing achievement gaps including early intervention, before and after school programs, extended school years, and low class size especially when teachers have been trained in differentiated and individualized instructional planning.    Principals must ensure that the learning environment is conducive to student learning at all times.   We must ensure that all students can read by the third grade.  Even with NCLB, students should not be deprived of extended learning programs, career and technical education, history, world languages, arts, music, and co-curricular activities.  Schools are a special place where one generation supports the development of the next, and Americans do it because it is the right thing to do.  Public schools are essential to our democracy.  I have 1.7 million reasons to ask for your vote.

 

3. Yes, charter schools have been very successful in our district.

 

4. Iditarod needs a new facility.  We will eventually need additional schools at all grade levels as the borough continues to grow.  I would like to see the quality of our  school facilities compare to the ones built in Anchorage.

 

5. Yes and No.  It is not always how much you get, but how well it is spent.  We need to focus our resources on improved student learning.  The educational needs of our children come first.  We need to do whatever it takes to ensure high quality learning for every child.  We can do better than we are doing today.

James Tapley

1. My background in education I have a high school diploma, auto mechanics diploma and some college credit.

2. I am running for school board seat to help create a better learning environment for our kids.

3. We should support and welcome charter schools.  Some children benefit from smaller class sizes, enriched teaching methods, and opportunities to participate in activities not offered by public schools.

4. I believe areas of the borough should be evaluated and assessed for growth.  This is an ongoing process.  It is obvious there is growth throughout our communities.  We should prepare for the future.

5. I believe our schools get enough funding.  It is the primary part of the Boroughs’ budget.  We need to insure that our taxes for schools are properly allocated.  An assessment should be done to determine each schools’ financial needs.

School Board Seat E

Erick Cordero

1. I am currently a serving school board member. Before that, my background has been limited to that of a parent of children attending our public schools and spouse to a public school teacher. We have experienced amazing teachers at our neighborhood school. Our school administrator makes great efforts to communicate with the parent community and supports her staff. There are many programs offered by teachers for students before, during, and after school.

2. I admit that there is a lot I still don't know about being a school board member but I am becoming more prepared every day. Once elected, I will make efforts to stay connected outside of the district in order to know what is happening elsewhere. It is very easy to lose perspective when you sit in one place too long. I have long been studying the policy and procedures for our board. I am also reading articles, talking to educators, and following the media closely in order to learn everything I can about the current issues in education. As much as there is to learn from reading, I still find the best information comes from people.

The way that I am preparing myself for the school board is the same way I will function as a board member. I will continue to learn everything I can about the issues affecting our district. I take very seriously a board member's responsibility to the community, consequently once elected that is where I would go for much of my information. Whom that community was comprised of, would depend on the issue. For example, I could not imagine voting on new curriculum without talking to teachers that had been part of the pilot. If we were looking at a school closure, I would want to go into the school so I could meet those involved to fully understand the impact. An individual school board member has no individual power so I understand how imperative it is that I am able to work with the other board

members, the superintendent and district employees; and the associations that represent the district community.

3. I support the idea of alternative forms of education that operate under the public school model. I like the idea of giving students, teachers, administrators, and parents the option to explore other ways to educate kids. I don't have an agenda to bring charter schools to Mat-Su, it is just something I support as a viable education option.

4. The borough has already estimated the need for several new schools in many locations. Mat Su continues to grow in population size; more schools will eventually be needed. However, we need to spend time and resources maintaining the ones we currently have.

5. I believe that the number one issue facing the Mat-Su School District is the lack of funding. Without adequate funding, it is difficult to address any of the other issues we face. Until the state is able to come up with a consistent way to fully fund the programs and class sizes needed for districts and teachers to successfully meet the needs of students, I do not see a resolution to this issue. I will continue to work with legislators to express my concerns over education funding and encourage others to do the same. As a board member, I am interested in joining forces with other districts in hopes of creating a louder, more influential voice. Locally, I would work to remain fiscally responsible while staying focused on meeting the needs of our students.

Julie Collins

1. I have the Master of Education, Master Teacher degree. I have been teaching algebra for UAA since 2005, and taught Russian and other topics during 14 years of military service. I am involved in the national movement to improve relevance in college algebra and quantitative reasoning curricula. My current focus is problem-based and project-based mathematics learning. Also, our children attended Mat-Su Borough schools, so I have a parent’s perspective on education.

2. My life has reached a place in which I have the time, experience, and education to make a useful contribution. I love teaching and working with students. I’ve learned how important good educational policy, management, and support are during my mathematics reform work. The M.Ed. program proved its worth by helping me clarify my thinking, giving me a view of the big picture, opening my mind to new possibilities, and demonstrating the importance of fact based decision-making.

I do not view board membership as a launch pad to other elective office. Improving and supporting the schools, with a focus on openness and community involvement, is my goal. If I am elected, residents can count on me to serve out my term in an honorable and approachable fashion.

3. Of course! Charter schools meet the needs of diverse groups, and they provide excellent testing grounds for new methods. I would like to see some key charter methods moved into the regular public schools. Contrary to some complaints I’ve heard, charter schools do not -- and may not -- discriminate against low income or disabled students. Our borough policy and charter contracts are harsher than what is expected under state law. It seems likely that some restrictions, such as the Mat-Su expectation that charters will lease their land and buildings, actually limit and damage charter schools’ chances of success (the state’s Sec. 14.03.255 para 14d anticipates use of district owned facilities). Another frequent complaint is that only the lucky can get in because of the lotteries. State law says, and I’m paraphrasing here, that if excess enrollment applications come in, the district shall attempt to accommodate all students by providing extra classroom space and teachers, if possible. Only if that fails should a lottery be used. (See Sec. 14.03.265 para 3b). Our local policy completely skips the district’s obligation to try to offer more space and teachers before instituting lotteries.

4. The recent addition of new schools gives us an adequate supply numerically, but their locations are oddly placed in comparison to the populations they were originally intended to serve. Settler’s Bay thru southern Knik is our fastest growing area, and I expect that it will still need a local elementary school.

As for 10 years down the road, I’ve seen dueling demographic projections. One forecasts a need for at least one high school, one middle school, and several elementary schools by 2020. Another says that our explosive growth is over. I suspect that the current recession will slow growth for a few years, giving us time to look at the situation and plan accordingly.

5. School funding has been cut to the bone. Schools do not have money to offer enough art, music, physical, leadership, cultural, and citizenship education. To cover costs, we charge fees for language and other non-core academic classes. We charge fees for field trips, which are becoming scarce. We charge fees for athletic sports and co-curricular events. Elementary students are expected to bring supplies to share with the class. We charge so many fees that one might wonder if we’re still providing the “free public education” required by law. So no -- schools aren’t getting enough funding to cover everything that they are expected to do, in the ways in which they are required to do it.

The district is spending the money properly, given the existing framework in which national, state, borough, and board decisions redirect money in ways that may not meet district educational needs. A recent local example is the board’s last minute decision to bring custodians back onto the district payroll without adjusting the custodial budget. It was clear by the board’s next meeting that the reduced custodial staff is unable to clean the schools adequately. It appears that money for more custodians will be taken from the district’s already devastated supplies, training, and per student discretionary funds, and from a short-term stimulus program dedicated to creating educational excellence.

We should revisit the ways in which revenue is raised and work is done. Charter schools allow parents to do many tasks that other schools must contract out, hire for, or do without. Let’s bring some of that community spirit to the regular schools! Once the strength and intelligence of our citizens are brought to bear, we will find creative solutions.

Dave Anderton

1. I have a BA in Education from Columbia College and a MA in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.  I have been a corporate trainer for multiple organizations and have been in Human Resources for the past 16 years. Until recently, I spent the past three years as the General Manager for NMS overseeing the custodial services in the Mat-Su Borough School District. I have had three children in the public school system with one presently attending High School in the valley. 

2. For the past three years I have sat at MSBSD board meetings and have found that the direction the board has taken in the last year to have gone off course of what they should be doing.  Some members of the board have decided that they should manage the day to day business of the district and not listen to those that they pay good money to advise them.  I feel the board needs to focus back on its true objective of setting guidelines and ensure compliance to policies rather than acting as a manager of operations. We need to refocus the board and get back to providing oversight and direction and not be stuck in the day to day operations of the district.

3. Charter schools can provide a wonderful addition to the school network and if set up correctly should be welcomed and supported by the district. Each charter school should be individually evaluated to see how the service they provide or will provide fits into the Mat-Su Borough. If a charter school can provide a better or different way to educate the youth then it should be looked at and helped to accomplish that task of educating. If on the other hand, they simply are looking to provide the same service already in existence and do not provide a better way to educate our youth, they probably should not be started or continued because they most likely would not receive the support they would need to exist.

4. According to growth statistics presented at a recent school board meeting the Mat-Su Valley is growing and has a present need for schools.  With the projected rate there could be a possibility of needing multiple schools in the next 10 years.  If we don’t closely look at our schools now and plan for the future we will fall behind in buildings and never be able to keep up.  Just looking around the district and seeing students in portables should be proof enough that there already is a need for schools in the correct locations.

5. The school district receives a lot of money to provide a good well rounded education.  Unfortunately, no matter how much is given, more will be needed. Therefore, everyone needs to look at how to stretch our educational funds further.   It will become even more necessary to look at ways to keep money in the classrooms while keeping the classrooms in good condition. There are always ways to improve the spending of our tax dollars through tightening the management of those dollars. It is usually fear of not having the funds in the next year that causes the unnecessary expenditures and not always the wise investment. We need to improve the way we are able to roll funds over to the next year and keep working on the PBB process. Money spent on education is very necessary to ensure the future of our children and their children to come.