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1. What do you see as being the main issues facing
the Gilbert Community School District?
A. State and Federal funding. Complying with and meeting the testing
requirements to continually qualify for funding.
B. Space constraints. We are blessed with a growing district, but we must
continue our vision of future expansion.
C. Maintaining the programs and extra-curricular activities that enrich a
student's academic experience and build self-confidence.
D. Continual "partnerships" between the administration,
teachers, parents, and students to achieve the most comprehensive academic
and social outcome possible for each individual.
2. What experiences, attributes, or other factors
from your background would help make you a good school board member?
I am certified to teach Secondary Language Arts and Speech and come from
a family of educators; however, my direct involvement has not been as an
educator. I have served as a member of the Educational Improvement Committee
for a year. I have three children in the Gilbert school district: one in
high school, junior high, and in the elementary school which has given me a
"first hand" look at everything.
I know and appreciate various cultures, and how to establish rapport with
a diverse population of students and parents. I have the ability to
recognize and respond to individual differences in people. I would work
cooperatively with administrators, teachers, support staff, parents, and
students on issues that impact the curriculum, planning, and the budget. I
would help identify areas for growth and/or improvement and would work with
colleagues to improve processes. I am a "people-oriented" person
who does well in a one-on-one interaction as well as group settings or
presentations. I have an enthusiasm for life which spills over into
everything I do.
3. Why are you running for the school board?
I love our school, administrators, teachers, and our students. I am so
proud of what we do and how others view us. I want to continue this
tradition. I want to contribute to our school district and be a part of the
process and progress that we make. I make a living by what I get, but I make
a life by what I give.
4. What kind of time commitment and other
involvement do you see yourself making to the school district during your
term as a board member?
To be an effective school board member, I would need to attend applicable
conferences, access the Iowa Association School Board website, read
professional publications, etc. to educate myself and keep up with national
and state issues facing our district. I would interact with members of the
community, administrators, teachers, parents, and students to receive
feedback on issues. Board packets would have to be thoroughly reviewed prior
to each monthly meeting to ensure productivity. Attendance is critical. One
must serve with clarity, honesty, openness, and fairness.
5. If in five years from now, a motion picture or
novel were written about your role as a board member, what would you want
the title of the film or book to be?
Mary Z.’s School Board Adventures
6. What adjectives would you use to describe the
Gilbert schools as they are now?
Progressive, innovative, diverse, small, friendly
7. In five years from now, what adjectives would
you like people to use to describe the Gilbert schools?
Progressive, innovative, diverse, small, friendly, financially
independent
8. It's been said that being a school board member
is a tough job because the primary work of a school involves children, and
people have emotional attachments to children that can influence judgment
and decision-making. How do you see yourself working in that kind of
situation where you (or visitors to board meetings) have emotions related to
a decision that needs to be made and yet there needs to be sufficient
detachment to make a fair decision?
You have to gather all other facts and be as objective as possible.
Listen. Think. React. Look at the issues. Weigh the various outcomes. Make a
wise decision. When there are opposing viewpoints, you are not going to make
all involved happy.
9. In addition to tending to the wide range of
business and major issues that come before the school board, do you also
have a pet idea or two for which you would like be the catalyst to see
happen in the school district? Please give a brief description of the idea
or ideas.
I have no other agenda at this time other than to be elected and jump in
with both feet.
10.What else would you want voters to know about
yourself? (The answers can be either serious or light-hearted. A little
humor never hurt any situation.)
I am a "go-getter." I encourage my girls to do the same:
"Participate in sports or other extra-curricular activities, " I
tell them. By doing so, they interact with others while gaining new skills
and self-confidence, hopefully preparing them to become successful adults.
I am involved in numerous committees where I work (Mary Greeley Medical
Center); I participate in programs at my church, and I volunteer in
activities and committees within our school district. Life is a journey that
passes far too quickly for me not to partake of. I tell my religious
education students that we can be like a pebble dropped in water, creating a
ripple. As it spreads, the ripple changes and affects the water around it. I
would welcome the opportunity to serve on the Gilbert District School Board.
Regardless, I hope that I will always desire to drop pebbles….
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