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Board Member St. Charles Community Schools {_getChooseLabel(this.selections.length)}

Term: 4 yearsVote for not more than 4.

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    Jeff Cox
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Mike Goschka
    (NP)

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    Marcia E. Kendall
    (NP)

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    Shane Thurston
    (NP)

  • Candidate picture

    Stephanie Zelinko
    (NP)

Biographical Information

What are 2-3 strengths of which your school district can be proud? Why do you see these as strengths?

What civic organizations or non-profits have you been an active member of in recent years?

What particular skills and experiences do you have that would be beneficial for this office?

What are the most important challenges facing this office and how do you propose to address them?

Why are you running for office?

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Occupation/Current Position Legislative Director
Education Bachelors in Religious Education
Our District has remarkable school and community pride that is the envy of every other school district. We have community “closeness.” Our St. Charles School District is the Center of Community, and the overwhelming majority of our teachers are committed to meeting the needs of our students on a daily basis. All of this is the foundation of our Bulldog Pride!
I continue to work a full-time job, and I also serve on the St. Charles Board of Education and Brant Township Planning Commission. I have always been laser-focused on community service. I greatly enjoy giving back to my community.
I served 14 years as a lawmaker in the Michigan House of Representatives and state Senate. I have served several years as a Legislative Director, and I am particularly attuned to legislation that affects K-12 education. As applicable, I have been able to update our Board regularly on legislation affecting upcoming changes in the classroom as well as what to expect in our annual school budgets. Having served on our local School Board for nearly three years, I have been a strong voice in working toward improving academic standards, classroom behavior, and consistent discipline for our students. In particular, I have been a strong voice that we need to be supportive of our teachers, and to allow them to focus their attention on teaching.
Our most important challenges as School Board members are the issues of student proficiency in reading and math, consistent discipline, and providing our students with a clear path to success. Everyone connected to the School District must possess the mindset that our primary challenge is to do our best in reaching every student by instilling in them a genuine desire to learn. We have many students who have done extremely well, but some are falling through the cracks. These are our students! We first need to focus on literacy. Test scores show that in many of our classrooms, less than half of our students are reading at grade level. Proficiency in reading is where we need to start.
I am running for reelection because I care about my local School District and community. Michigan has performed poorly in reading and math proficiency, 44th in the nation, but as a local District, we can make impactful decisions that break us out of the “norm of mediocrity.” We can and must do better, and I am proud that I have been a strong voice on the Board to improve our school learning environment. We have instituted the toughest cell phone policy in the state, and we have established eligibility requirements for students to be involved in extracurricular activities. I am proud of these achievements, but we need greater focus on academics. At the end of the day, it is about the kids. I am respectfully asking you for your vote.
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