Position paper: Green Local Schools Board of Education
Connie Leonard vs. Victor Pinheiro
vs. Nancy Pruneski (incumbent)
Voters living in the Green Local Schools District will vote for two candidates for the two open seats on the Board of Education during the Nov. 6 General Election.
Editor’s note: The answers to the following questions are provided as submitted. Candidate Victor Pinheiro did not submit information to the following questions by the stated deadline.
Why do you think you are the better candidate?
Leonard: Living in Green for over 25 years, I’ve seen the change from farming to a suburban community while schools doubled in size. As a former district educator, I’ve helped in the process of transforming schools to classrooms for the 21st century.
Children must come first! It’s not about schedules, adults or buildings, but what’s necessary for our students to graduate prepared for college or work and to be good citizens in today’s complex world.
I have a Masters in Education Degree, am licensed and experienced in teaching students in kindergarten through eighth grade, special education and gifted students in kindergarten through 12th grade. My career has been working in public education.
I have served on several boards, the Otterbein College Board of Trustees for 20 years and Green Schools Foundation Board since its inception being two of them. Working cooperatively with others to make improvements for students is a strong component of my history and my belief system.
Being the curriculum director in Green before I retired enables me to know the district, state standards and expectations, to understand testing and data. I also know the district’s strengths and areas for improvement and could assist this fine district move forward.
Pruneski: I think I am the better candidate because I have four years of experience as a school board member. During these four years I have learned quite a bit about school funding, school policies and the crucial role we play as school board members. I have been a part of the hiring process of two superintendents. I feel the board along with the input of our administration, staff, community members and students have chosen a superintendent that will be actively involved in our community as well as take Green Schools to the next level in education.
I have strived to make communication between the board and the community better. We now have e-mail access from the school Web site so anyone can share their comments, questions or concerns with us.
I am actively involved in many community and school organizations and feel I have a real sense of the community’s view of the school system.
I will continue to listen and learn from parents, teachers and this community to be the best school board member possible.
What do you think are the two most important issues facing the district and how would you address them?
Leonard: Major issues: 1) building communication and trust within the district and with the community; 2) supporting teaching and learning, and appropriately challenging all students, regardless of ability.
This school year is off to a good start! The new superintendent is doing very well with issue one. Staff members are encouraged through his leadership. His communication efforts and that of other school personnel must be supported as they work with staff members and the community. We have wonderful citizens in Green who want to feel a sense of common ground with the schools and school board. We need to work together toward common goals that will benefit our students.
In recent years the Ohio Department of Education published Academic Content Standards in major curriculum areas. All students are expected to master these standards and in many cases go beyond them. That means a teacher is to teach a lesson and assess to see if students have mastered it. She must re-teach those students who have not mastered it and extend the lesson for those who have. This is a complex way of teaching and requires that teachers work together. This type of instruction allows every student to learn and be appropriately challenged.
Pruneski: School funding is always at the fore front. While there is no easy answer to this issue which has plagued just about every school district in the state of Ohio, we are constantly looking at ways to save money in the district. I believe the board as a whole has been fiscally frugal with the district’s funds in the past few years. We will continue to work on ways to get the best bang for the district’s buck and continue to look into ways to take the responsibility of school funding away from the homeowners in Green.
Trust and Communication is the
other issue that has been facing the district. Our new
superintendent is working closely with the Board to
break down the barriers
that create the mistrust and open the lines of communication.
I am extremely confident that this will be an issue
of the past in the coming years. I believe it is important
to address concerns rather than brush them under a rug;
because we all know when they finally get out from under
the rug they are much uglier and harder to address.
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