What is your position on social promotion?
Never place a student where they can't be successful. This question goes straight to my platform: "Children Are Our Future." If a student can't succeed where they are, why move them. Let them find success where they are, and then move them on.

How important do you believe getting the teachers a new contract is?
Not settling the contract divides our community. This school system needs to get back in focus. Teachers can't do their best teaching when they are worried about the status of their health care, insurance, and payment of their bills. As a school board member, I want to give administrators the tools they need to do what's best for our school district.
The central administration needs to sit down, settle this contract and move forward. They also need to negotiate in a timely manner.

Will you vote to extend Michael Harding's contaract when it comes up for a vote again?
No. Right now, all three of the school unions are screaming that they want respect, communication and cooperation from central administration. It continues to fall on deaf ears. If the leadership is unwilling to become more involved with its people, unwilling to give respect, communication and cooperation to their people, then it is the school board's responsibility to change the leadership.

Do you support the Strategic Plan?
The strategic plan has a lot of MERIT, it has some very good POINTS; but there is very little ACTION. Also, what about accountability--is it successful? How are we measuring the success of the strategic plan? One thing is certain, the MCAS are way behind on it being deliverable.

Do you believe the size of the administration to too big or OK?
Currently there are 21 central administrators that I know of; and I understand another is being hired as I write this. Once again, we have lost our focus. Is this the best we can do for our kids? I don't think so; and if I'm elected to the school board, I will push to streamline central administration, and use the money for our kids.

Did you support the two new school building projects?
I don't have enough information to answer this question. When I've asked for opinions, I've heard both positive and negative comments.

How would you try to build bridges between the community and MCAS that have been burnt; for example the girls basketball academy.
The school board's major purpose is to educate our kids. Currently, we are failing in that area. Our children's education is where the school system should be focused. I'm not against outside groups using school facilities; but either every group has access, or no groups have access. Having successful feeder programs can only enhance our schools and our kids. But another issue I have is the money the school system loses by giving facility usage to others (heating/cooling, custodial, wear/tear, etc.). If all these outside groups come in, are you willing to take $100,000 out of the budget that should be geared to educating kids?
What I would really like to see is getting the school system, the Park Board, and the City to work together to build a community center for all of our MC community. This center would build those burnt bridges, give all of our kids activities to do, as well as a positive social outlet, develop a feeder system, and save the MCAS a lot of money that could be used for educating our kids.

Do you believe no pass/no play should be extended to the middle and elementary schools?
I believe in extra-curricular activities for students. Sometimes, it's the EC activities that keeps a student in school and passing. Once again, is this in the best interest of the students.

Have you researched the new bus routes being added, and do you support them?
I am not familiar with what is being done. But, again, is this in the best interests of the kids? Do we buy extra buses, or do we have our students on the buses for a longer period of time?

I applaud your concern for the education of the MC Youth. I agree that the primary focus should be educating the children and that all secondary decisions should be based with that in mind. I do have a couple questions, if you don't mind my asking:



Building improvements are necessary to provide an up to date learning environment. Sometimes projects are unnecessary at the time and can be saved for a future date to allow money now to be spent in other areas. Taking all of the current needs of the MCAS, do you feel the building projects are necessary at this time? If not, what would be your alternative choice and why?




What do you think? More buses and drivers, another mechanic, and higher insurance premiums, or longer time for students to ride the bus, having to get up earlier in the morning and arrive home later in the day?

Thanks for your answers Yok!

You're exactly right, Ang. Take Pine for example: It is my understanding that TWO years ago MCAS put in all new windows for energy reasons. The Pine gym, I understand, is less than 5 years old. Pine School definitely had problems: not hanicapped accesible, some rooms not conducive to learning--ie-no water in the art room; BUT when I talk to people in construction, they believe that those problems could be easily resolved using much less of the taxpayers dollars. On the Mullen issue, I know that the open concept was not conducive to learning. But could a more financially responsible decision been made? Again, when I talk to people in construction, they believe that different financially responsible decisions could have been made at that building.
It is also my understanding that money built into the budget for buildings can only be used for buildings. It cannot be put into other areas that would support our children.

On the bus issue: It is not in the best interest of our kids to be on the buses for extended periods of time. I know of students that were on the bus by 6:05 a.m. and did not arrive at school until 7:05. That's a long time on a bus. If these same kids could have driven to school, they would have been at school in 10-15 minutes. I'm in support of making it better for the kids.

Thank you Michele. I appreciate your answers. As I've said before, if I could vote in this election, it would be for you. I'm with you in spirit and I wish you good luck in the election.

I feel I need to reply to this post, because it is full of misinformation regarding Pine School. Pine was constructed in 1948 and built in sections to accommodate the growth of the nearby community. It is constructed of cinder block perfect for a fallout shelter, but not for a 21st century education. It has a myriad of problems. As an example, conduit runs along ceilings and walls and one floor has a drop off. Some of the classrooms have mold and leaks that they don't even know where the water originates. The school is built on many levels that would require 3 elevators to make it ADA compliant. I have actually seen a grandmother being pushed across several hundred yards of grass and up a hill to have access to the office.
I am someone who feels that a building doesn't make an education, but it comes to a point where a building is so outdated and has routinely been bandaged that it has outgrown its usefulness. One only needs to step into any of the other buldings in the school system to see that Pine is truly from another century. I have heard one parent say that the school looks the same as when she attended more than 30 years ago.
Here's where the misinformation lies. Pine recieved new windows nearly ten years ago and a gym and new entrance more than 25 years ago. The newest enhancement to Pine is an RO system, because the ground water is contaminated and not suitable for drinking.
The only way to resolve Pine's problems is to build a new facility. The teachers, staff, students, and taxpayers of Pine township deserve a new, healthy building. I for one am glad that they have finally received what they have so deserved for years.

Welcome to the board Magnolia. Thanks for the info on the building. I haven't been inside Pine school in 37 years when I attended kindergarden there. I imagine if the facility is that old it really IS time to replace it all together.

CBTL members,
After sending in the answers to your questions last night, my life has been pleasant and uncomplicated until 5 minutes ago when I realized that I did not fully answer the question about the Park Board. I completely forgot about the Park Board's contract with the MCAS. Below is the rest of my answer to that question, with my apologies. This was way too important to forget.

Here goes:

With that being said, I want to address the contract that the Michigan City Area Schools (MCAS) has with the Park Department. I don't know all of the details of the contract; but the MCAS needs to sit down with the Park Board and hammer out the details of that contract, live up to it, or mutually agree to changes. It appears that what MCAS is doing to the Park Board is exactly what they are doing to the Michigan City Education Association. Ignoring groups that you are supposed to be working with must be stopped.

I appreciate the information. It sounds like you know exactly what you're talking about. Thanks.

I used to be a part of facility scheduling when I worked for Plant Planning, and up until Harding came into the picture, the "agreement" was that P&R got second priority for facility rental. They did not have to pay the hourly rental fee, but they were responsible for custodial fees and the cost of any damages done by one of their groups. This agreement was not a "free ride" for the P&R to use the facilities at their whim. In my experience, they have been respectful of the facility and other groups that might be there at the same time and whenever there was a problem, Joe Doyle and Darrell Garbacik after Joe, addressed the issue immediately and took action against the group causing the problems. Additionally, P&R has provided adequate documentation for the nature of the groups and carried their own liability insurance. If a group came in that was not geared toward children (men's basketball for example) they paid the required rental fees without hesitation. MCAS and P&R had an excellent relationship. So, what happened? Michael Harding is what happened.
And Michele, again you are on the money with the last sentence of your above post.

And might I point out, very against the Strategic Plan which is given lip service in such high regards by the upper administration.

I invite all the Gentle Readers to go to the MCAS website and look up the Str Plan, open it up, and see what is there, and see what is missing. then report back to the mb

I tried that once and it was so full of gobbledy-gook I got a headache. I think I'll pass this time Rog, but thanks for the invite.

Amen to that. Again, I ask, where are the deliverables and where is the accountability with the strategic plan?