LAS Board of Education Candidate Q&A: Priorities

Each Thursday, Lowell’s First Look is sharing a Q&A with candidates for the LAS Board of Education. Responses are shared exactly as provided by the candidate.

Here’s what we asked this week, followed by each candidate’s answer. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

What do you see as the 3 biggest challenges facing Lowell Area Schools and how do you propose that each should be addressed?

Jessica Curtis

1.) Attracting and retaining quality teachers and staff at Lowell Area Schools. Most agree that effective teachers are the most important school-based factor in improving student outcomes. To attract new teachers to our district, we need to work closely with increasing and closing the gap on beginning teacher pay. To maintain our current staff, we must continue to listen to their needs and support them best to avoid teacher burnout.

2.) We must continue to provide our students with a first-class education and the life skills needed for their future. With recent funding changes, we must continue to find ways to save money in the areas that least affect our staff and students. Our district has done a great job of fiscal responsibility and planning. However, we still need to find ways to reduce spending wherever possible to prevent drastic cuts that could be detrimental to our student’s academic achievement.

3.) Our students and staff need mental health support. The demand for mental health services remains high, and with state funding being reduced for resources in this area, LAS will need to seek cost-effective avenues of support for our students and staff. One way to address this need is to form partnerships with telehealth services to support our students and staff and work with Gilda’s for students and staff dealing with grief.

Brian Krajewski

1. Prioritization of programming based on scarcity of financial resources. With a declining population, and funding tied to student count, we need to have the ability to have processes in place that allow for us to leverage data and information to provide the best and balanced needs of our students and community. We need to continue to think “out of the box” on ways to deliver education and experiences that continuously improves our students helping to create “Red Arrows for Life”

2. Technology – the rapid pace of technology is a blessing and curse. We need to be at the forefront of how to use and safeguard technology for our students today AND tomorrow.

• Blessing – Technology today provides opportunities to not only help in the process of learning, but also needs to be understood as to how technology will be used in the future so that our students can be prepared to leverage it.
• Curse – Today we are left to deal with the impacts of the introduction and evolution of social media (without guardrails) introduced to our children (and society) over the past 2 decades. We have an obligation to help our students, teachers and families navigate the positive and negatives of social media. We need to learn from the past (social media) and begin preparing for the future (AI along with future unknown technologies).

Ways to address (1 & 2) – Continue and enhance the data that we get, and develop the best practices of turning that data into information that can be acted upon. We need to also continue to leverage ALL of the resources at our disposal to “pilot” new programs, implement best practices and pivot / replace programs and processes that do not yield optimal results.

3. Safety and security.

• We need to continue to develop facilities and processes that help enhance and protect the safety of our students, teachers and school community. Safety and security is not just about facilities within our school system it requires All of Us working together. We need to continue to leverage People, Process, technology and Culture to strive for perfection in this area as one failure is to many. I would be remiss to not include mental health and safety into this bucket. We need to continue to prioritize mental health and making it mainstream and a priority, not a stigma.

Laurie Kuna

1. Safety. Since this is one of the specific questions asked below, I’ll go into detail there. (Editor’s note: School safety will be addressed in next week’s Q&A.)

2. District Accountability. Helping our students become positive contributors to society is our stated district goal. (Learners Today. Leaders Tomorrow. Red Arrows for Life.) We achieve that in part through giving students the academic and problem-solving skills to seek knowledge independently, and in part by giving them the social and communications skills to become positive contributors to their families, their communities and to society at large. And while that challenge extends to keeping up with societal changes to the extent that they impact that development, there’s no need to chase every new trend (What public school district could afford that?). We must be cognizant of what we’re doing right in meeting the goal of producing well-rounded citizens and lifelong learners and what we need to improve.

We can address that to some extent through standardized test scores, but book knowledge doesn’t meet all the criteria necessary to being a well-rounded individual.

The KISD’s Student Perception Survey, which has now been re-envisioned as MI Student Voice due to increased school district participation state-wide–is a great tool for districts to evaluate the “soft” data, like how students feel about their education, themselves, others, etc. It also provides resources to districts to address their concerns/deficiencies in these areas. At the start of this initiative, LAS did not participate in every yearly survey offered. It is my goal to make sure that we participate in every subsequent one.

LAS can use this data, as well as our district and building-level teams’ data and anecdotal information from our teachers and counselors, to examine how current programs such as DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion), SEL (Social Emotional Learning) and PIBS (Positive Intervention Behaviors and Support) are helping our students achieve the district’s goal of producing well-adjusted and well-rounded people.

Because society is diverse, it’s the district’s obligation to help students realize that not everyone is like them, and that this isn’t a bad thing. It’s through our diversity that we are strong as a society and as a nation. Just as every athletic team needs the different skillsets of its members to be successful, the ability to recognize the advantages of diversity makes us stronger and more able to weather adversity.

3. Fiscal Responsibility—It is the duty of the Board of Education to steer the district toward delivering an exceptional education while maintaining a fund balance that keeps us safe from deep budget cuts and staff/program reduction. We’re a financially conservative board, which helps us carry out our responsibility to district taxpayers to make sure the doors stay open, and the lights stay on.
I believe the Board has done an outstanding job of using taxpayer money wisely. We will rely on Superintendent Fowler and CFO Sonia Hodge, as well as other administrators and department heads—along with the knowledge and experience of Board of Education members—to continue to do so.

Sharon Shah

1. Enrollment Nosedive: The district has seen a 30% drop in student enrollment. This directly impacts our budget, current and future funding. The area has significantly grown in population and still the school is faced with this upset. I believe I can help guide the board to keep schools neutral. This will create a “safe place” for parents to send their children.
2. Transparency: As times change, the need for transparency grows. I’ve seen the board and schools make efforts in this area, but there’s an ongoing need for improvement. We must ensure there are no closed doors, no parents left in the dark, and no hidden agendas—just full access and accountability. This creates a safe space where community members feel heard, valued, and confident in sending their children to public schools. One specific area that needs attention is the lack of cataloging in classroom libraries, which limits parental access to information. I will work tirelessly for healthier school for our families
3. Higher Education Standards: Lowell Area Schools are excellent, but we can absolutely do better! We need to focus on collecting data that genuinely helps us measure progress. If the current data isn’t yielding useful results, we must find solutions that meet benchmarks in clear, tangible ways, rather than relying on hearsay. Too often, the outcomes are unclear or undetectable. One way to improve the learning environment is by encouraging students to set good examples in their studies for peers and underclassmen. This will foster healthy social engagement and initiative in their education. This low-cost initiative would encourage upperclassmen to mentor younger students, supporting and motivating their success. Fostering these relationships would greatly benefit the overall development of our students.

Annie McMahon Whitlock

I have been attending Board meetings, talking to school administrators (including Supt. Fowler), and joining parent groups to listen to different perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in LAS. Based on this, I think the following are challenges for the district:

• Declining student enrollment. This is a challenge for all schools in the area, but that means we need to celebrate what we do well in academics, athletics, and the arts to get our name out there and build on our reputation. I would also explore ways the district and community can work together to support growth. When the community grows, LAS grows.
• Addressing the teacher and staff shortage. Overall, LAS has been blessed with minimal teacher turnover. However, this could lead to a sudden influx of retirements at the same time. For example, at the end of last year, there were 11 retirees in teacher and support staff positions, not including those who resigned their positions for other reasons before the school year began. With fewer applicants nationwide and statewide, the teacher shortage could impact LAS in the near future. We can address this by cultivating a supportive environment where teachers are treated as the professionals they are and encouraged to grow their craft through professional development. I would be interested in pursuing LAS participation in university “grow your own” programs that encourage support staff who are interested to obtain their teaching certificates if they commit to working in the district. Of course, raising salaries overall for teachers and staff will send a statement that LAS values the education profession.
• Cultivating a sense of belonging. I learned that cultivating a sense of belonging is an important focus for Lowell Area Schools this year and moving forward. When students feel like they belong in school, they are able to learn to their full potential. As a board member, I will promote a culture of inclusion, kindness, and commitment to equity and justice. Belonging also extends to the community at large. As a board member, I would hold regular interviews or focus groups to hear from those who may not be able to attend a board meeting or don’t feel comfortable doing so. I will make myself available for informal conversations, such as setting up in a local coffee shop, visiting parent groups, and listening to student representatives.