School Board Candidate Questionnaire Below are responses, in alphabetical order, from the four candidates for school board. There are 3 open positions. Please be informed and VOTE on November 7.
Michael Follese
My service to the students of Lakeville have been extensive and include the following: A) Lakeville Education Foundation member and committee volunteer. B) Career mentoring with students in Chamber initiatives. C) 13 years of coaching soccer. D) Conducted in class education programming. E) Volunteered in several activities for Crystal Lake Elementary, Century Middle and Lakeville North H.S.
I see the role of gifted education as a very critical part of the development process for our students, but not just for the benefit of Lakeville Schools. The development of gifted students is vital for our country. We live in a time of great mobility and as we graduate students, we are presenting them to the world.
The progress in the AP curriculum has been a real strength as it has grown over the years. My 2006 graduate was an AP scholar and was in the talented and gifted program. The course offerings had a definite impact in getting her prepared for college. I believe AP can be and should be expanded with the hope that we can get more students prepared to participate. If elected as a first time board member I’m open to suggestions to help improve opportunities for LCGT.
I believe that acceleration is important for our gifted students. I personally had friends that were through their first year of college by the time they graduated from high school. The issue of grouping is less clear for me, my daughter who was in the gifted program was very unsettled in the role of high achiever and the recognition from other students inside and outside the classroom. So much to the degree she rebelled and for a period of time it affected it her school work. I tend to favor the students getting the curriculum differentiation, but still be contributing to the general student population.
Good question! If elected I will explore what I can to make that happen. Being a volunteer on the Lakeville education foundation, I’ve seen the data to support differentiation and have been very impressed.
Roz Peterson
I promote using technology to communicate via email, list serves and websites at the volunteer organizations I’m involved in such as the Lakeville Chamber, Orchard Lake PTO and Girl Scouts. I’ve volunteered in classrooms, participated in school fundraisers, started Lakeville Chamber Foundation, and supported our schools for 20 years through Lakeville Snyder Drug donations and sponsorships.
As an identified gifted student from the Wayzata school district I personally participated in advanced classes. I know these programs had a lifelong impact on me. Having good gifted programs allows these exceptional students to go to the next level. Gifted and talented students have different and special needs. In order for these students to have successful educational experiences, they need to be to first identified, and then have challenging curriculum with trained staff. I’ve always said, repeating the words from my grandfather “Don’t forget the gifted!” Gifted and talented student programs are critical for the learning success of these students. Many of our gifted students are BORED. They need to be challenged. I think they can be directed in ways that will benefit our schools (not by becoming the teacher), but by using their minds and energy to make our schools a better place. More partnerships can be formed with the businesses and advanced education establishments to supplement educational experiences. For example, business camps were sponsored and held at different colleges this summer. The students learned how to make a business plan, marketing plan and financial plan. The South of the River Gifted and Talented program partnerships with other school districts helps provide more classes with a wider variety.
I like how the South of the River Gifted and Talented partners with other school districts. My daughter enjoyed participating in their classes and it gave her a chance to meet other gifted students. The children I’ve seen involved in the Discover program are thriving. The fact that Advanced Placement classes are expanding at the high school level is GREAT, given the escalating costs of higher education and the opportunities it provides for the advanced student. I can see these classes expanding even more. Hopefully we’ll get support from our legislators so these programs can continue to grow. I value your opinion. Your input will help me know what direction you think gifted education should go for future needs.
Ability grouping and acceleration is already being implemented at the elementary level with programs like Discover. Studies say that students do better when grouped with same level of learning. The Smart Club study done at Lakeview Elementary also shows the rewards from grouping students. It is exciting to see the educator’s enthusiasm from the wonderful results of these programs. Grouping programs that entail more substantial adjustment of curriculum to ability have clear positive effects on children. In cross-grade and within-class programs that provide both grouping and curricular adjustment, pupils outperform equivalent control students from mixed-ability classes by 2 to 3 months on a grade-equivalent scale. Programs of enrichment and acceleration, which usually involve the greatest amount of curricular adjustment, have the largest effects on student learning, with talented students from accelerated classes outperforming nonaccelerates of the same age and intelligence quotient by almost 1 full year on achievement tests. Talented students from enriched classes outperform initially equivalent students from conventional classes by 4 to 5 months on grade equivalent scales.
I agree with the experts.
Yes, differentiated instruction is repeatedly mentioned as part of the goals, but apparently has been lost in the application. There are inconsistencies throughout the district. We need to have some accountability for this. Perhaps it is due to lack of resources or staff development initiatives. Whatever the reason, this needs to be addressed. I would start by asking the teachers themselves, and then find out what the reason is for not adding differentiation to the classroom. The next step would be to make an action plan and then implement it. I feel there would be more success having the teachers directly involved in this solution since they have the most impact, knowledge and control.
Jim Skelly
It has been my honor to serve as a School Board Member since January 2003. I pursued board service after working with the 2002 Citizens Vote Yes Committee to help secure the successful passage of the bond referendum for a second high school, additional elementary space at Oak Hills, technology funding and building maintenance needs. The passage of these referendums has had a direct impact on the quality of education for all Lakeville students. As a board member, I have worked to improve the quality of education for Lakeville students through the following activities: · Creation of a school district Strategic Plan which prioritizes district decisions and direction. The plan was created with considerable citizen input. · Strong advocate for student chemical health and safety issues, ensuring a safe and drug free environment at school. · Advocated for later and consistent school start times to ensure the highest probability of student success. Based decision criteria on scientific research for what is best for students. · Protected class size at the elementary level to the extent possible. · Personal involvement as a Wordmasters parent volunteer for three years.
Gifted education plays an important role in fulfilling the school district mission and is necessary to “assuring the successful educational experiences for all students”. All students can benefit in a school district where academic achievement is embraced as a cultural expectation.
Strengths a. Created and maintained Gifted Education specialist positions at elementary schools and middle schools. b. Improved opportunities for high school students through a growing number of challenging, rigorous Advanced Placement Courses. c. Dedicated parents and staff who advocate and are involved in improving the climate for gifted students and all learners in the district. Future Needs d. Current staffing does not meet demand for service. More resources will need to be added to allow more widespread participation. e. Policy direction and decisions on how to best balance the needs of middle school students versus the “house system”. f. Evaluate the level of coordination at the district level versus the direct instruction provided for students. Consider additional resources for district administrative functions to ensure needs at all district facilities are met.
Students should be placed in programs, classrooms and/or situations that helps them succeed. It does not make sense to keep a student below achievement level for the sake of the “system”. Students need to be motivated by school, not bored with it. My position supports ability grouping and acceleration in principle.
Any change in district practice on differentiation would need to be recommended through the Gifted Education Advisory Committee and brought forward through the appropriate channels as a recommendation for board approval. It is my experience that this is the only way to have a true impact on district procedures and ultimately provide the proper level of instruction to students. Michelle Volk
Over the past 6 years, I have attended various elementary PTO meetings across the district, as a guest, to listen and learn about the concerns of each building. I have brought that information back to the rest of the school board. Also, I use that same information in making decisions on issues that come in front of the school board. When I first came unto the school board, we would receive a report from a curriculum task force at one meeting with a recommendation and two weeks later vote on the recommendation. While, I respect all the hard work the staff had done to get to the recommended action (usually a yearlong process), it was difficult to ascertain how they came to their conclusion. Ultimately, the school board is responsible for the final decision and I don’t take that responsibility lightly. I requested that the school board have periodic updates during the course of the task force’s process. The school board and the public now have a better understanding of the direction a committee is moving towards and are able to give some input, if necessary, during the process.
Our mission statement starts with the word “partnership”. We all have a responsibility in helping our students receive a quality education. The Lakeville Council for Gifted and Talented Organization is a great example of the partnership stated in the district’s mission statement. Your members have volunteered to be on our district’s Curriculum Advisory Council. The input received has resulted in additional programming for gifted students, an understanding of the gifted student’s needs in curriculum decisions and the formation of the district Gifted Education Advisory Committee. A gifted education program is essential in fulfilling the mission statement’s result – “learning for a lifetime”. We need to ensure our gifted students stay engaged in their educational experience through rigorous curriculum.
Our Discover program continues to be our greatest strength at the elementary level. In my opinion, only in the last several years has the district been able to address the needs at our middle and high school levels. We added a full time gifted coordinator, advanced 8th grade English, and strengthened our Humanities programs at each of our middle schools. We have added and are adding more Advanced Placement courses at the high schools. We need to continue to look at adding advanced courses at our middle level in the area of science.
Personally, I believe in ability grouping and acceleration because of my own experiences as a student. Education goes through many trends and ability grouping and acceleration fell by the wayside, along with retention. As a parent, I have had to endure educational trends that I disagreed with, such as OBE, and the initial Minnesota Graduation Standards. Those initiatives are what got me involved in my children’s education. I became a member of the district’s Curriculum Advisory Committee, testified on proposed legislation at the capitol, and eventually ran for school board.
The hardest part of being a school board member is having patience. Differentiated instruction requires effective assessment tools and Staff development. Last year an Assessment Committee was formed. The charge of the committee was to recommend a clear plan that evaluates educational programs, provides data to impact student learning, meets districts needs and stays within budget, supportability and sustainability parameters. This year our Assessment coordinator is working with our staff on how to interpret the data to impact future learning. Our staff is working hard, but it will be some time before differentiation is a reality throughout the district.
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