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. Mike Merrick. 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. Though I am not one of them, my reading of the educational research literature suggests that days in school, consistent family engagement, committed teachers, and equitable resource deployment (where its needed most) are four variables that can contribute to improving student achievement. For our students, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach that invites the community to be a part of reducing disparities in learning outcomes and restoring much needed public school services to families, such as before-and-after school-based childcare. A strong board of education can greatly affect student achievement. First, and most important, we must improve academic performance by Ann Arbor students. An unwillingness to be uncomfortable for change to occur. He is a scientist trained in biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics who has been working in health care research and development to discover new medicines for patients. Im running for this position because I want to help all kids thrive. One of my priorities that I plan to address as a Trustee include analyzing and addressing opportunity gaps in education. First and foremost, I want to institute an equitable covid safety policy (you can read the full policy on my website), which must include masking during times of higher community transmission, free high quality masks and testing for students and staff, HEPA filtration units in each and every classroom; and a return to free school meals for all. That would have included me as a child as I was an English language learner and had a single mom who worded outside the home. Nothing can be done without 4 votes. My goals are to 1) do all that I can to keep the public school system focused upon educating children in the skills of reading, writing (including script), mathematics, history, geography; and 2) to see that public education stays within its lane and that a clear line is drawn in delineating what the public school and its agents are and are NOT allowed to do under the auspices of education.. But that doesnt mean that we here in Washtenaw County need to give up on it. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. For example, we are building new schools in an environmentally sustainable way. This is best for the safety and success of all of our students. We then have parents fighting the use of digital devices. Stop confusing our kids. 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. See school board candidates for Washtenaw Countys main school districts, including Ann Arbor Public Schools, here. Baskett is the owner/operator of a licensed day care home, specializing in caring for children with special needs. Election results and vote counts for candidates for office, ballot questions, and party enrollment and voter registration and turnout statistics. Paulette Metoyer. School must be safe, and all our students deserve to feel like they belong, full stop. Donate. 3. Learning to sustain a district post-pandemic. The savings in energy bills along will result in millions in the operations budget. As the pandemic recedes, we still see students who still have needs related to crises that were exacerbated during the worst of the COVID outbreak. 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 . Putting capitalism /Ego/Prestige and Optics above our children and their future. Students thrive when they are safe, healthy, free from harassment and can see themselves reflected in the curriculum. I would like to see a strong free tutoring system in place for eligible students, i.e. I can teach a few lessons on how to develop a strong and cohesive school board. Find creative ways to make PTO and PTO-like funding more equitable across our district. 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. I also want to foster more transparency and stronger communication between the Community, Staff, Administrators and Board Trustees. The Board of Education will need to prioritize recruitment and retention of high quality educators and continue their work to create a professional learning environment where these educators can grow and develop. Keep our kids in school whenever possible so they are engaged with educators and peers. Paulette M. Metoyer, MD earned a degree of a Doctor of Medicine . For example, students at Pathways get the old Chromebooks while students at Skyline get newer ones. My experiences and expertise will be an asset to the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education. If I am unable to accomplish these goals, It wont be because I didnt have the will to get it done. https://www.communitycenteredcandidatesforaaps.com/. 4. I think this will allow us to each exhale, reflect and re-commit to our community. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. We need to look at our budget in a way that prioritizes the social emotional well being of student; that is the balance that our budget needs to meet the needs of our children. Dr. Paulette M. Metoyer has 14 years of experience in internal medicine. Meeting with people impacted by virtual-only school and hearing their stories has made it clear that we need to improve how our board of education operates. For a district that very vocally prides itself on equity, choosing to allow the federal program to expire with no backup plan, giving families only a few days notice that school would start without the meals theyd relied on for 2 years was a shocking choice. 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 supports and 4) Remain committed to providing and expanding before and after-school care. She received her medical degree from University of California (San Francisco) School of Medicine and has been in practice for more. Through my service on the AAPS board I want to continue to advocate for students, families and those that educate our children. As a single mom with a full-time job outside the home, Ive experienced firsthand the frustration of not having the time or resources that other families have to be the squeaky wheel to get their students needs met. 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. Her age is 74. Many people do not live up to the values they espouse. County Treasurer's Office Phone Number: 734.222.6600 County Treasurer Email Address: taxes@washtenaw.org County Treasurer Website Property Tax and Assessment Statistics Tax Rate History (Millage Rates) Pay Property Taxes Online Customers have the option of making one time payments online with no registration required. Public school as an institution is under threat. I am surprised at how many people are eager to fight against keeping children safe, learning actual history, or reading diverse books because they personally find the safety plan or lessons uncomfortable. Washtenaw County treasurer Catherine McClary (Dem) Paulette Metoyer (Rep) District 1 county commissioner Jason Maciejewski (Dem) Rod Anderson (Rep) District 2 county commissioner Sue. We are also trying to increase student achievement, to bring it back to pre-pandemic levels. We live in Anns Arbor. Our kids are our future. The Board of Education must sustain a political will to allocate the necessary resources so that each child may learn in the best proven way. 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. My goal is to make each child feel that going to school is a safe haven where they see endless possibilities for learning and growing academically, socially and emotionally. To be clear, this doesnt mean Im trying to speak on behalf of BIPOC families; I plan to intentionally listen to their voices, and bring their issues, opinions, and suggestions to the board. 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. 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. Information on other state, county and local primary races can be found at Vote411.org. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Each candidate was asked to outline their stances on a variety of public policy issues listed below. It means that we properly screen and support learners that struggle or learn differently. Ann Arbor Public Schools have many strengths that other districts do not have, and that includes the diverse representation of people and expertise, the strong teachers and staff, and the strong academics. Feb. 5, 1975: At a county board meeting, county clerk Robert Harrison acting as the board's parliamentarian refuses to recognize McClary in the roll call, charging that she "violated her oath of office" by participating in a local lottery that had a pound of "Colombian Gold" marijuana as its grand prize. Addressing the labor shortage which has been a national problem for a long time. My lived experiences have shown me that systemic racism is still harming Ann Arbor students. I believe my experience, knowledge, energy and advocacy skills can be a positive influence on the boards collaborative process so that the decisions made will result in creating a school district that continually strives for that goal. Setting this foundation starts with clarifying current goals already in progress and what a school board trustee can and cannot do per state law and work that has already been done. 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. Her birth date was listed as 31-03-1948. Board chair Meri Lou Murray removes Harrison as parliamentarian and replaces him with Robert Guenzel, who served as the county's corporation counsel at the time. How can one of the best school systems in the State of Michigan, have such a shockingly high percentage of students non-proficient in math and reading? The AAPS general budget is balanced; I dont expect that to change and would not support moving to a deficit budget. My goals is to get a real equitable plan for AAPS, one that states /define the problem,has measurable outcomes, SMART Goals, and objectives with assigned accountability. We are confusing our children, and schools have been part of this process. Ann Arbor, like many districts, will continue to face the challenge of staffing their schools with highly qualified teachers and support staff. Nov. 5, 1996: Wins first election as Washtenaw County treasurer for a four-year term, after defeating Republican Lawrence Gass. Nov. 4, 1986: Defeats Republican David J. The things I will consider as I prioritize budget items include: -Does the expenditure forward the mission of giving each child the education and support they need to be successful? As a life-long educator, I have advocated for children and adult students my entire adult life. Ensure we optimize the opportunities provided by the 2019 bond that our community provided to our schools.I believe the above goals are backed by common sense and hard data proving their importance. In my personal anti-racism work, Ive learned that the best way to fight this racism is to get involved at the local policy level. For example, in order to know what is needed, each student must be fairly assessed. Free Income Tax Filing Assistance Available Sign up starts January 19 Read on. This will provide immediate results toward improving student achievement. School boards cant and shouldnt micromanage education, but they should set clear priorities and demand year-over-year improvement in outcomes. She had run unopposed in the Aug. 3, 2004 Democratic primary. Except where otherwise noted, this content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. An unwillingness to set down the ego in order to actively listen and to find out of the box solutions to real ongoing problems. 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. 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. The board will also be challenged to improve transparency and two-way communication with the entire community related to bond expenditures, policy decisions and issues that our learning community cares about. I am not a one-issue candidate. I want schools to stop teaching critical race theory, and start teaching kids how to critically think. Giving each child access to a free high quality public education is a human endeavor. The public schools, under no circumstances should feel that they have the right to interfere with anothers respiratory function by mandating the use of unhygienic masks that forces the wearer to violate OSHA clean air standards, and place others at risk of becoming ill. The achievement gap is really an opportunity and resource gap. This money could then be used to increase teacher and staff salaries, increase invest in university wide SEL curriculum and staff (e.g., social-workers and para professionals). We must lower the non-proficiency levels in math (50%) and reading (30%). Theyll also decide 12 local ballot proposals. It is the perfect place to build community, compassion and empathy for ourselves and each other. I love the city of Ann Arbor, and want to give back. Meet the candidates running for the Dexter School Board in November, Ann Arbor Democrat faces Ypsilanti-area Republican in Michigan Senate race, Saline has 5 choices for 3 City Council seats. The school board was hit with some unnecessary nastiness that should to be addressed before we can comfortably come together. 7th Congressional District representative, 12th Congressional District representative, University of Michigan regents (two seats), Michigan State University trustees (two seats), Wayne State University governors (two seats), Dexter City Council (three seats, nonpartisan), Saline City Council (three seats, nonpartisan), Ann Arbor Township Board of Trustees (four seats), Augusta Township Board of Trustees (four seats), Dexter Township Board of Trustees (four seats), Lima Township Board of Trustees (two seats), Northfield Township Board of Trustees (four seats), Pittsfield Township Park Commission (five seats), Scio Township Board of Trustees (four seats), Superior Township Board of Trustees (four seats), Sylvan Township Board of Trustees (two seats), Webster Township Board of Trustees (four seats), York Township Board of Trustees (four seats), Michigan Supreme Court justice (two seats). My priorities in general for our district will be teacher compensation, high-impact use of the 2019 Bond for upgrading school facilities, finding more equitable ways to ensure our PTO and PTO-like organizations are adequately funded across the district, and activities that enhance our students experience in our schools. In addition to this just being the right thing to do as a district that prides itself on equity, there is significant evidence that adding HEPA filtration units to each classroom and ensuring that children are fed during the day has a significant, positive effect on educational outcomes. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Susan . Schumer worked in public schools for 23 years as a clinical social worker, working with children with emotional and behavioral problems, as well as students with educational disabilities. Most importantly, a learning environment must be created that values each child and their needs. 6. Mott Childrens Hospital that are AAPS students. If it was not for the public schools, especially the teachers, I would not be where I am today. This influenced my choice to become a teacher to make sure every child has access to a quality public education. 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. I am passionate about addressing the issues facing our city and public schools, especially surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism, transparency, community engagement and curriculum assessment. Additionally, there is significant evidence that student who face discrimination at school struggle with both their mental health and academic achievement. McClary gets 5,335 votes (53.01%) compared to 4,729 votes (46.99%) for Byrnes. Paulette Metoyer ran for election for an at-large seat of the Ann Arbor Board of Education in Michigan. What should be done to improve student achievement in Ann Arbor? An unwillingness to make the changes. Nov. 4, 1980: Wins election for a two-year term on the Washtenaw County board of commissioners for District 15 in Ann Arbor, with 4,004 votes. $25,000 in Housing Assistance Available Additional Info. 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. 4. Motto: If the mall is open, schools are open. Salaries and benefits for our staff is a large portion of our budget and will continue to be. Equitable access to high-quality affordable education is essential to addressing inequality in our communities and to close the opportunity gap. This will take many discussions and forgiveness. The Board will need to think ahead on processes to enable rapid shared understanding of challenges and how to move forward. I also have a goal of advocating for an updated curriculum that includes Social Emotional Learning as well as Restorative Justice . 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. 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. Why/how did this happen? 2. One issue I particularly care about is literacy equity. Treasurer Vote for not more than 1 Nanette L. Havens Trustee Vote for not more than 2 Dale Luick Re-establishing relationships with other key stakeholders in the community. After this election, the newly elected trustees will be inexperienced to the actual work (vs. campaign promises) and to working together as a team. And we need to trust our teachers to do their jobs, while giving them the autonomy to deliver an outstanding education in the way that they know best. This can be difficult to do when loud privileged people are working against this. The expected price of renting a two bedrooms in the 48105 zip code is $1,480/month. Students need to see these aspects of themselves celebrated and reflected in curriculum materials and in classroom and extracurricular activities. I see my role as a School Board Trustee as ensuring that the district prioritizes success and happiness for ALL students. Treasurer News & Announcements Stay informed and connect with the Treasurer, Catherine McClary Treasurer's office closed for inclement weather The Washtenaw County Treasurer's office will be closed at 4pm on Friday, March 3, 2023 Read on. She had also run unopposed in the August Democratic primary. Spencer attended public school, was raised by two public school teachers and is a parent of public school students. Metoyer lost in the general election on November 8, 2022. Retain power at all costs. She was 22 years old at the time. 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. Re-electing me will provide for proven leadership and institutional knowledge providing stability and continuity. Do you have an issue you especially care about? A self-described queer, Puerto Rican Jew, Wood said her life experiences have shown her the ways the districts public commitment to equity and belonging falls short in practice for marginalized families. I am the only incumbent running for re-election. They are all strong enough to get through and grow in the process. A commitment to equity, making sure the children who need the resources, such as tutors, reading specialist, mental health support, get the help they needed to enable them to feel that school is a safe place to make mistakes and learn from them. Prior to her election as Washtenaw County treasurer, McClary worked in the private sector as a stockbroker and investment advisor. 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. Lets start by developing a strong sense of community to solve these issues, with students, parents and teachers. Just as important is making sure all students have strong foundational literacy and math skills. . LocalWiki is a grassroots effort to collect, share and open the worlds local knowledge. As a child of refugees whose family struggled, Mohammad said she has been dedicated to addressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, including opportunity gaps and curriculum assessments. It is amazing to see all the different representations of people, from refugees to people of color to various religious groups. Gets 6,731 votes. What are your goals should you be elected and how will you work to accomplish them? She has been a communications professional in health care for nearly two decades. 467 Dhu Varren Rd, Ann Arbor, MI is the residential address for Paulette. Start Date: End Date: Type: Title: Contributor: NEWS: Date: Category: Headline: Article: Contributor Treasurer/Washtenaw County Paulette Metoyer Clerk & Register of Deeds Gary Greiner Washtenaw County Commissioner/1st District Rod Anderson Washtenaw County Commissioner/2nd District Scott Inman Washtenaw County Commissioner/3rd District Ken Seiler Washtenaw . She said her perspective as a refugee, person of color and growing up in poverty and her experience as a scientist, educator and healthcare worker qualifies her for the board. We expect them to be adults at 18 and we have done nothing to help them in adulting. Having watched my father prepare for board meetings so many times over the years, I know that serving on the AAPS board will take a lot of work. We have to give them every opportunity to succeed academically, and in life. 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). 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%). I know if we elect enough people brave enough to make the hard right choice, we can make a real difference this year. Paulette Margaret Metoyer, MD is an internal medicine doctor and primary care doctor who practices at Richard J Foster D O P C located at 250 E Michigan Ave in Saline, MI 48176 (Washtenaw County). Publication of candidate statements and opinions is solely in the interest of public service and should NOT be considered as an endorsement. I am passionate about addressing the issues facing our city and public schools, especially surrounding diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism (DEIA), transparency, community engagement and curriculum assessment. 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. Academics should be no different. DATE? The district needs to find ways to retain the amazing teachers we have, and keep them from burning out or going elsewhere. Lapham is a single parent who has been a registered nurse for 16 years, working as a school-based nurse practitioner in adolescent health for the last six years. This is a committed value that may initially cost more but in the long term, reduce some of our energy costs in the future. One day a week on virtual school especially disadvantages kids without adults at home during the day to assist them, kids with unreliable housing, and kids that need the support of the school community. ask force on sustainable housing; the Adoptive and Foster Parents Support Group; the Government Finance Officers Association (former member of its executive board); the Michigan Government Finance Officer Association (former board member); and the Michigan Association of County Treasurers (former board member). Even before the pandemic, they were being asked to do more and more work, while not getting the step increases they were promised. I am running to continue to keep our students and staff safe and successful. Our staff needs to be compensated justly, as they provide the social emotional and mental health support that our babies need. Join Facebook to connect with Paulette Metoyer and others you may know. The newness of the Board itself. What is motivating you to run for the school board? Further progress for our district on reducing the number of days our students miss school for any reason. If we are serious about improving academic achievement, we must broaden our scope to include the ways we are inadvertently damaging student capacity for achievement through our inaction on social issues like racism, queerphobia and ableism. Pandemic impacts aside, AAPS students are academically very successful. 1/5 (2) 250 E Michigan Ave Saline MI, 48176 Show map . Before making cuts to the budget, we focus on generating revenue instead of making cuts, i.e. 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. I know the board will face a lot of push-back reversing course on its abandonment of covid safety from those whod rather sacrifice the safety of others for their own comfort, but its the only right choice. Communication will be a major part of my service as I will make myself accessible to all stakeholders in our school districts learning community. McClary had run unopposed in the Aug. 5, 1986 Democratic primary. Washtenaw County Critical Incident Stress Management Team Lisa Lewis, Treasurer Phone: 734-482-6099 Fax: 734-482-3842 Email: llewis@superior-twp.org Office Hours - Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Since a majority of the board will be overturning this year ensuring stability is the biggest challenge and is of upmost importance. We need to retain the teachers we do have through continuing competitive salaries, and we need to stop underresourcing them. -Are the materials or training being purchased evidence-based and grounded in peer-reviewed research? The current plan is unsustainable. All of these kids and the many more we dont know personally are doing their best to grow up and be happy. WHEREAS Governors, mayors and county sheriffs across the nation are declaring states of emergency under the guise of protecting the public from the coronavirus, Do you agree with opening the Ann Arbor School system, or not? The pandemic did not bring out the best in people or organizations. Paulette Metoyer is on Facebook. 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.