On Nov. 8, voters in the Farmington Public Schools district will choose one person to serve on the school board for two years. Voters will also choose three candidates for six-year terms.
School board members oversee the district and is the body Superintendent Christopher Delgado reports to. The school board does not run day-to-day operations; that is the role of the superintendent.
Hometown Life sent each candidate a questionnaire on their ideas and the state of the district today. Particularly long answers were shortened, which is indicated with an ellipsis.
Michelle Bushey is a teacher and first time candidates. Her volunteer experience includes work with her church and the WoodBrooke Hills Swim and Tennis Board.
Claudia Heinrich is running for a second two-year term on the board. She is retired, but spent her career as a math teacher. Henrich has also been active in community groups like the PTA, Jaycee Women and Girl Scouts.
The district also has one person running as a write-in candidate: Carl Mintz. Mintz was also sent Hometown Life’s questionnaire, but Mintz did not return answers.
Bushey: I hold a BS in elementary education and a Masters Degree in Special Education, I have been in the field of education for over 20 years as a teacher in many grade levels. I spent considerable time reviewing and selecting curriculum for many grade levels and subjects. I have participated in many collaborative team environments in both the school system and other boards. I am very dedicated and invested in serving the community of Farmington Hills. I am also a parent of three school aged children. …
Heinrich: I have served on the school board since January 2020. In June of 2022 I received a Certified Board Member Award and an Award of Merit from the Michigan Association of Schools Boards. The role of a school board member is to work as a team member composed of 7 board members and 1 superintendent. The board hires and evaluates the superintendent. The board sets policy for the operation of the school district. The board works with the Superintendent in setting goals and monitoring the progress.
Heinrich: Yes. We hired an excellent superintendent. We are in year 2 of a Strategic Planning Process. The Profile of a Lifelong Learner was developed in 2021 and will be used in updating the districts vision and mission. The district is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion to make sure that every student has the opportunities and support to reach their full potential.
Bushey: Farmington Public Schools have amazing potential, with wonderful teachers, administrators and support staff. Our students have fallen behind over the last several years in reading and math. The Covid lockdowns and keeping kids at home for such an extended period of time have left a large percentage of students below grade level in reading and math. I think our district can do better to prepare our students to meet their grade level expectations. All while accelerating and pushing the students who are successfully at or above their grade level.
Bushey: The district should be solidly focused on improving reading and math capabilities in our students. It should be focused on finding and implementing solid research curriculum with a focus on intervention. Reading is fundamental to all subject areas and student success academically. Math is also an essential skill that needs to be focused on and improved upon in our 60% of students who are below grade level. A student who is struggling academically typically also struggles with self confidence. We need to make sure we’re properly reaching all of our students.
Heinrich: The priorities should be in evaluating learning loss, gaps in achievement and providing the support and resources to every student to move them forward. Some use of funds would be for tutoring opportunities for all students. Also looking into providing transportation for students that would otherwise not be able to stay after school for additional tutoring.
Heinrich: FPS completed an equity audit in 2020 and has been using the results in working with every building to identify and take corrective steps. The results of the equity audit have also been included in the strategic planning process.
Bushey: Our district needs to make sure all students are treated equally and met right where they are at academically and socially. Districts should be supportive of offering every student the chance to excel in curriculum, sports, and other extracurricular opportunities. Studies show that strong relationships between teachers and students have better academic output. Diversity training for staff is very important for understanding our students and meeting their needs.
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Bushey: We need to figure out why our students are leaving. The district has lost over 500 students over the last 2 years. That’s over 4.5 million dollars that our district can’t afford to give up. FPS needs to be brought back to a place where people desire to move so that their kids can be in the public school system there. We need to be interviewing or surveying families that have pulled their children, find out why and use this data to implement improvement plans. FPS need to be offering programs to assist with the learning loss that happened during Covid. We need to be focused on curriculum that best suits our diverse learners.
Heinrich: The district must focus on sound teaching and learning practices that impact student achievement. Use marketing strategies that highlight the strengths of the district, use of data to report on student growth and achievement. The current schools of choice policies provide a benefit to both the families and the district.
Heinrich: The Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) graduation requirements. As a current board member I am involved in setting goals. One of our goals under Exploring Innovation is to explore the MMC options that would allow FPS to pilot programs that assign with our Profile of a Lifelong Learner district goals for student growth, learning, achievement, and career readiness.
Bushey: Our district has pulled away from the use of texts. Our students need to be reading academically and for entertainment. Our curriculum should be promoting reading across all academic areas.
Contact reporter Shelby Tankersley at stankersle@hometownlife.com or 248-305-0448. Follow her on Twitter @shelby_tankk.
